Chico State to honor Bruce Griewe

Retired Sonoma educator Bruce Griewe will be inducted into the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 23.|

Retired Sonoma educator Bruce Griewe will be inducted into the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 23.

Before he became a distinguished educator, Griewe was a star pitcher for Chico State in 1958-59, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and spent a couple of years in the minor leagues.

After graduating from Sonoma Valley High, Griewe went to Santa Rosa Junior College where he lettered in both baseball and basketball. He transferred to Chico where he dominated Far Western Conference hitters for two seasons. As a junior, he was 9-2 with a 2.41 earned run average as the Wildcats were 18-6. As a senior, he was 10-3 with a 2.45 ERA on a team that finished 18-10.

Griewe threw a one-hitter against San Francisco State late in the season that clinched the FWC title for the Wildcats.

After graduation, the left-hander was signed by Dodger scout Bill Brenzel, but because he had fouled a ball off his foot, he sat out that season.

In the spring of 1960, Griewe reported to the Dodger training camp at Vero Beach, Florida, and was sent to the Panama City (Florida) Flyers, in the Alabama-Florida League, a Class D league. At that time, the minor leagues were AAA, AA, A, B, C and D.

At Panama City, Griewe was named to the league’s all-star team, and he led the Flyers with a 1.69 earned run average as a reliever and spot starter.

His manager was Roy Hartsfield, who later coached under Dodger legend Walter Alston. Hartsfield would also become the first manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.

In the off season, Griewe worked for a plumbing contractor. But when the next season rolled around, he wasn’t able to go to spring training because he was in the military.

In 1961, he was supposed to report to the Greenville, South Carolina, Spinners, a Class A team, but instead was sent to the Class B Salem (Oregon) Dodgers.

“The first 30 days in Salem, it rained,” he said. “I hurt my arm and finished out the season.

Griewe had a rotator cuff injury, and the Dodgers wanted him to get it repaired, but because the surgery, now known as Tommy John surgery, was still in its early stages, he decided not to go through with it.

“I told them I wasn’t coming to spring training and they granted me my release,” he said.

He ended up in Willits for two years teaching history and math and coaching JV football, JV basketball and varsity baseball.

After he came home to Sonoma, he taught, coached, was principal at Altimira from 1978-83 and was principal at Agua Caliente Continuation High for 10 years after that.

Along the way, he got involved with Little League and Babe Ruth spending years with both organizations.

Griewe retired from the school district in 1998.

Nearly 50 years after his Chico career, he still ranks among the program’s all-time top-10 in winning percentage, wins, strikeouts and ERA.

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