Eddie West
Media, Class of 2005

The late Eddie West was known for his unwavering support of sports at every level during his career, a tenure that spanned five decades.
After working for three years at his alma mater, Stanford University, West became the sports editor of The Orange County Register in 1922, a position he held until 1972.

During his career he focused his attention on Orange county sports news, developed the most read sports column in Southern California, "West Winds," while making it a point to know every coach of the few high schools and the two community colleges (Santa Ana and Fullerton) in the area at the time. But West didn't neglect the national news as documented in the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame Guide Book that recalls his dedication to reporting the 1933 World Series by posting the inning-by-inning scores and the highlights on a blackboard set up outside the Register building following a devastating earthquake that made it impossible to publish a newspaper.

"Eddie West's sports note column was the one thing in the newspaper that everyone read no matter what their age," said the Orange County Register sports columnist Steve Fryer. "I remember as a kid growing up in Orange county, if your name appeared in his column it meant you did something special and everyone knew about it."

Despite passing away over 30 years ago (1977), his name resonates throughout the sports communinc In 1982, the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame welcomed him as a member and his name can be found in the title of the most widely used venue in the city; Santa Ana Stadium/Eddie West Field.

Today, The Orange County Register honors its former sports editor when it recognizes the top male and female high school athlete of the year with the Eddie West Memorial Award.