Richard Peraldo, a three-sport star at Humboldt County High School, and a coach at Sparks High School was inducted to the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association on Thursday, March 22, in Reno.
The participant/coach athletic career of Peraldo can be described as distinguished, varied and encompassing. He accomplished a lot as a three-sport student/athlete at Humboldt County High School and he achieved even more as a multi-sport/multi season coach at Sparks High School.
Peraldo is still a legendary figure both in Winnemucca and throughout the Truckee Meadows.
Peraldo participated for three years with the varsity football team at Humboldt County (now Lowry), one year as the manager and two years as a two-way starter. He helped lead the Buckaroos to a conference and state title in 1965. He was named to the all-league first team and all-state second team at safety after his senior season,
Peraldo played basketball all four years, the first two on the JV squad and the last two with the varsity. He garnered all-league, first team and all-state, second-team his senior year (1965-66).
Peraldo starred most of all on the baseball field. He was a four-year starter on the varsity team and hit .380 over the course of his junior and senior seasons. The baseball coaches did not select all-league or all-state teams back then. Peraldo was also voted Student Body president his senior year.
Peraldo was named to the Winnemucca High School’s Hall of Fame in 2000 as an athlete and again in 2015 as a member of the 1965 state championship football team.
He played freshman basketball and golf at San Jose State and was selected SJSU’s Intramural Athlete of the Year in 1968-69. That was largely based on him participating in 19 of the 21 extra-curricular sports offered that year. Peraldo graduated from San Jose State in 1970 with Bachelor degrees in PE and math. He eventually earned a Masters degree in education in PE and school administration from the University of Nevada in 1973.
Peraldo taught and coached in Washoe County from 1972-2000. He was the head or assistant coach for a total of 66 sport seasons. His first coaching job was in the 1972-73 and 1973-74 winter seasons, where he served in a dual basketball role as a graduate assistant for the Jim Padgett coached UNR men’s basketball team and as the Reno High School boys JV coach.
Peraldo was a member of the Washoe County Teachers Association for 29 years, followed up that initial year as the head coach of the Sparks freshman (1974-75), Reed freshman (1975-76), Sparks JV (176-77) and the Sparks varsity team for 12 years (1977-89). He concluded his basketball coaching career by assisting the McQueen freshman and JV in 1991-92 and the Sparks varsity in 1995-97.
Peraldo won more than 190 games combined as a head and assistant boys basketball coach. He guided the Railroaders to conference titles in 1979 and 1983 and runner-up finishes in the zone tournament in 1983 and 1984. He was selected as the 3A (large-school classification) Northern Zone Coach of the Year in 1983. Peraldo was also involved in running you basketball for the City of Sparks for 10 years, co-directing with Paul Kautz and working in the YMCA’s basketball program from 1981-87).
Peraldo served as a head coach in girls golf, softball and boys golf. He led the Sparks girls golf team for 18 years (1977-94), the Railroaders’ softball program for three years (1986-88) and Sparks boys golf team (1989-1998). In addition, he assisted or head coached at a lower level of football, baseball, softball and track and field.
Peraldo’s other coaching venture included and assistant position with the Reed varsity baseball team, when the Raiders won the Northern Zone championship and was the state runner-up in 1976.
Peraldo and his late wife, Janet M. (Aboud), who passed away in 1999, had one son Richard (who currently serves as math teacher and athletic director and varsity boys basketball coach at North Valleys High School in Reno).
Peraldo with his current wife Janet L., have three step children and three grandchildren.
“I would like to thank my parents for giving me the opportunity to pursue my dreams and my family, friends, coaches and former athletes for hopefully allowing me to make a difference in their lives,” Peraldo said. “I am truly honored and humbled in being selected to the NIAA Hall of Fame.”
