Diehard football fans still harken back to the glorious 1968 season, arguably one of the best gridiron campaigns in Humboldt State history. Bringing home that glory was a quarterback with deep roots in Humboldt County, Jim Costello.

Following his participation on the first Pop Warner football team in Arcata, which went undefeated, Costello played three championship seasons at St. Bernard High in Eureka, then led Shasta Junior College to its first-ever Golden Valley Conference title in 1965. But the best was yet to come.

In his second season at Humboldt, Costello directed the Lumberjacks to a record 10 victories, including a 29-14 Camelia Bowl win over Fresno State, earning Humboldt the NCAA West Region championship.

Costello is remembered by his teammates and coaches as a focused leader who called his own plays and made all the on-field decisions.

Since his playing days ended, Costello has taught at Del Norte High School in Crescent City, where he also coached for several years. He and his wife, Frances, have two college-aged sons, Jason and Eric, and they became grandparents last May. They live in Crescent City.