He solves violent crimes for FBI. Former Merced star honored for his days in the pool
Michael Osborn has plenty of high school memories from his time at Merced High. Many of them aren’t when he was in the pool swimming or playing water polo, but when he was sitting in the stands and watching the Bears basketball teams.
“I remember watching those games and just being in awe of John Sykes,” Osborn said.
Osborn will be joining Sykes in the Merced High Hall of Fame. The former swimming and water polo star is one of 15 inductees who will be honored at the Merced High Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday, March 23 at the Merced Fairgrounds’ Yosemite Hall.
This will be the fifth class of inductees since the Hall of Fame was started by Merced athletic director Paul Hogue in 2015.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized by the Hall,” said Osborn, who graduated from Merced High in 1985. “It’s great for Merced, especially the tradition and athletes we had at the high school every year. For me, it’s humbling to be part of that crowd.”
After helping lead Merced to four Central California Conference championships during his high school career, Osborn went on to play goalie at Fresno State and was picked for the U.S. National Team.
Osborn’s life as an aquatics star at Merced High seems long ago. This August will mark 20 years he’s worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Osborn leads the violent crime branch out of the New York field office. His work criminal justice targeting gangs, high-level cartel members, money laundering, human trafficking and child exploitation.
“There is no typical day, it’s normally fluid,” Osborn said. “I have 200 people working under me and I run 10 different squads. We’re very active dealing with violent crime, gangs, narcotics, money laundering cases.”
Osborn said a lot of the leadership qualities he learned from his coaches at Merced he uses in his job.
“I remember the great friends I made and some of the coaches that helped me over the years,” Osborn said. “Those coaches, (Bill) Halpin and (Rob) Strickland were a great part of our success. To this day I talk about the influence they had on me to my kids.”
The other inductees include 12 former athletes, two coaches, one community member and the 1971-72 cross country team.
Including Osborn, five of the athletes going into the Hall of Fame graduated in the 1980s.
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“I don’t know how it happened, it just happened,” Hogue said. “It’s always a special night. It’s funny with so many graduating from the 80s, I was talking with Susan Miller and we said it’s going to be like a class reunion.”
Miller (swimming) is one f the 12 athletes being honored. She’ll be joined by Jeffery Boothe (basketball), Chris Creswell (Carmichael) (basketball), Chris Di Carlo (tennis), Merideth Guevara (Hermosillo) (volleyball), Del Henry (football), Duane Melcher (football, track, basketball, tennis), Bret McAfee (baseball), Wayne Pouncey (wrestling), Stuart Schofield (football) and Lesley Slaton (basketball).
Cross country/track coach Ron Caldwell and football/track coach Jerry McClenaghan are the two coaches being honored along with community member Harlan Drake, who has coached and supported athletics at Merced High for 50 years.
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Slaton becomes the third member of the Slaton family to be inducted to the Merced High Hall of Fame, joining Tony and Mark Slaton.
Del Henry becomes the third football player from the 1962 Bears team that finished No. 1 in Northern California to be inducted. He joins Dick Solis and Al Roberts.
Miller is the first of what could multiple family members that end up in the Hall of Fame with her sister Jennifer Williams and daughter Alison Miller both having distinguished aquatic careers at Merced High.
Tickets are $50 for the event that starts with an inductee social at 5 p.m. and the dinner/program beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Merced Student Body Office or online at Brownpapertickets.com/event/3910028.
This story was originally published March 12, 2019 at 2:34 PM.
