Hall of Fame
 

#13 - Jerry Dawson Head Coach 1974 - 2010	Chaparral High School opened its doors for the 1972-73 school year and played its first season of varsity baseball in the spring of 1974 with Coach Jerry Dawson at the helm. He occupied that position every spring for 37 years before retiring as Head Coach after the 2010 season. Chaparral Baseball has enjoyed tremendous success over the years qualifying for post-season play 33 of the 34 years it has been eligible. Chaparral Baseball has won 23 region championships, finished in the "final four" 18 times, state runner up on four occasions and state champions eight times. Chaparral Baseball has had over 135 young men who have gone on to play at the college and/or professional levels. Coach Dawson has been selected "Coach of the Year" nine times. He has also been selected national "Coach of the Year" three times. He served as an assistant coach on the USA Baseball Junior National team in 2004, which competed in the World Games in Chinese Taipei. He served as the Head Coach of the USA Baseball Junior National team in 2005, which won the silver medal in the Pan Am games in Mexico. Coach Dawson taught Physical Education at Chaparral for 30+ years and served as the school's athletic director for 20+ years before retiring in 2004.
#9 - Paul Konerko Catcher 1991 - 1994	Paul Konerko was a 3½ year varsity starter who led the Firebirds to their first ever state championship in 1994. Paul continues to hold several Chaparral hitting records, and his 44 career doubles from 1991 - 1994 stood as an Arizona 4A state record until 2005 when fellow Firebird alumni Ike Davis surpassed him with a career total of 48 doubles. In June 1994, Paul became a 1st round (13th pick overall) draft selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers and quickly moved up through their minor league system. Paul earned the 1997 Minor League Player of the Year honor while playing for the Albuquerque Dukes (AAA affiliate), then soon after in September 1997 was called up and would become a permanent fixture with the Major League club. Traded in 1998 to the Reds then again that same year to the White Sox, Paul has emerged as a leading offensive force and team leader with Chicago. Coming off a stellar year in 2001, Paul has found his way into the hearts of fans as recognized by his 2002 All-Star/Home Run Derby and 2011 All-Star selections. His accomplishments on and off the field as a player and individual in the community are unparalleled, and remains active in the Chaparral Firebird Baseball program.
#29 - Ike Davis 1B/Pitcher 2001 - 2005	Ike Davis earned four varsity letters at Chaparral and helped continue their legacy as a baseball powerhouse by winning three straight Arizona 4A state titles. Ike was named the MVP of both the 2004 AFLAC All-American Game (Aberdeen, Md.) and the 2005 High School All-American Game (Albuquerque, N.M.). Ike set several Chaparral school records that still stand today including career record for doubles (48) and season records for batting average .559 and doubles (23). On the mound he was a perfect 23-0 with a 1.85 ERA and 14 saves in 57 career appearances, and set the Chaparral career record for strikeouts (213) until teammate Danny Coulombe set a new record (288) three years later. Ike played for the USA Baseball Youth National Team (2003) and Junior National Team (2004) and helped the YNT win a gold medal in Kaohsiung, Taiwan along with teammate Austin Yount. Ike was selected in the 19th round (568 overall) by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 2005 MLB Draft, but opted to attend Arizona State where he became one of the most decorated freshmen in ASU history. He was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, All-Pac-10 First Team, set a new ASU freshman record for RBI (65), led the team in doubles (20), tying the school record for doubles by a freshman, and tied for the team lead in HR (9), tying him with Bob Horner for third most ever by a Sun Devil freshman. He played two more seasons for the Sun Devils, earning First Team All-Pac-10 and First Team All-American honors all three seasons. Ike was the Mets' first-round draft pick (18th overall) in the 2008 MLB Draft. He spent less than two years in the minors, including only 10 games with the Mets' Class AAA affiliate in Buffalo, before he was called up on April 19 2010. Ike had two singles and an RBI in his first Major league game. Ike is the son of former major league pitcher Ron Davis, who played 11 seasons in the major leagues, most notably with the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins.
#15 - Brian Bannister Pitcher 1997 - 1999	Brian Bannister was a three year starter for the Chaparral Firebirds. He was the starting second baseman and relief pitcher for state runner up teams in 1997 and 1998. He earned the save in the 1999 state championship game, a 3 - 2 victory over Coronado High School, pitching three strong innings and striking out 7 of the 9 batters he faced. He earned All-city and All- region honors in all three of his varsity seasons. Brian attended the University of Southern California as an invited walk-on. After deciding to concentrate on his pitching, he contributed greatly during his freshman season. He served as the team's closer in his sophomore year, ending the season with a 4 - 1 record and an era of 2.80 in 35 relief appearances. The Trojans made trips to the College World Series in both 2000 and 2001. After red shirting from elbow surgery in 2002, Brian returned as a starting pitcher in 2003. Brian graduated Cum Laude from the University of Southern California. He was selected in the 7th round of the 2003 major league draft by the New York Mets, and was named the Mets 2005 Minor League Player of the Year. He made his major league debut on April 5, 2006 vs. the Washington Nationals taking a no hitter thru 5 1/3 innings in a no decision. He earned his first major league win on April 11, also against the Nationals. He was 2 - 0 with a 2.89 era after 5 major league starts when his season was cut short due to a hamstring injury. In the 2006 off-season Brian was traded to the Kansas City Royals. He started the 2007 season in the minors but was soon recalled by the Royals. Brian flourished in his first full major league season, pitching 165 innings in 27 starts and compiling a 12 - 9 record on a young team that often provided little run support. His era for the season was 3.87 with 77 strikeouts and 44 walks. In November 2007, Brian placed third in the voting for the AL Rookie of the Year. Brian is the son of Floyd Bannister, a former major league pitcher, and has two brothers who are also Firebird Baseball alumni. Brett graduated from Chaparral in 2001, was a two-year varsity letterman and a member of the 2000 state championship team. He also attended USC where he graduated as Valedictorian of his class and was a very successful pitcher for the Trojans. He was drafted and signed by the Seattle Mariners before his career ended due to injury. Cory graduated in 2006, was a three-year varsity letterman and a member of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 state championship teams. Cory continues his baseball career at Stanford University.
#1 - Brian Deak Catcher 1983 - 1985	Brian Deak followed up an illustrious high school career by signing to play for Yavapai Community College in Prescott, Arizona. In his only year with the Roughriders (1986), Brian was chosen to the NJCAA All-American Team and played his way to the MVP of the Junior College World Series. Brian was selected in the 3rd round by the Atlanta Braves, and in his first season with the organization earned Rookie of the Year in the Appalachian League. He spent the next six seasons in the minor league system where he earned two All-Star game selections. His final 3 seasons were spent mainly in AAA with the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and St. Louis Cardinals organizations. Brian retired from professional baseball in 1995 and soon completed his education at Arizona State University with a degree in Accounting, and currently serves as a Certified Public Accountant with a local accounting firm. Brian resides in Scottsdale with his wife Roseanne and two sons Christopher and Nicholas. Roseanne is a Math teacher at Chaparral and Christopher is currently on the Firebird baseball roster.
#1 - Darrell Deak Shortstop 1985 - 1987	After a stellar high school career with the Firebirds, Darrel Deak signed a scholarship to Loyola Marymount University. His collegiate career was highlighted by many regional trips to the College World Series and earned All-American Team recognition his Senior Year.   Upon graduation in 1991, Darrel was drafted (15th Round) by the St. Louis Cardinals. A successful minor league career that included All-Star recognition and Home Run Derby championships.   The pinnacle came in 1995 when he was reunited with his brother Brian in AAA (Louisville, Kentucky). This marked the first time they had played together in almost 10 years. Their playing time together was unforgettable as they led the Cardinals minor league team to the AAA World Series Championship.   Darrel would play two more years of professional baseball, including one year in Mexico. He retired in 1998 after celebrating over 15 years of baseball excellence and achievement.
#9 - Mark Miller Coach 1975 - Present	Coach Mark Miller began teaching at Chaparral in January of 1974 and joined the coaching staff in 1975. He served as the Junior Varsity coach from 1975 through 1978. In 1979, coach Miller joined the varsity staff where he took on the hitting and outfield responsibilities which he retained until retiring from the program in 2010. Coach Miller has coached over 100 young men that have gone on to play college and/or professional baseball after leaving Chaparral High School. He retired from teaching in June of 2003 but continued his role as hitting and outfield coach because of his passion for the game and the love of the young men involved.