Rancho Cordova Sports Hall of Fame

As a senior in 1988, Ortiz was a two-way starter on the 1988 Lancers, averaging 26 yards per catch as a receiver and was also an elite kickoff and punt returner. A tragic pedestrian-vehicle crash abruptly ended Ortiz’s athletic career, but he parlayed tragedy into triumph by authoring four books on the perils of alcoholism and drug addiction. Now 20 years sober, Ortiz regularly speaks to youth organizations and recovery groups.