Bob Randall has taught math for longer than some of our parents have been alive. In his half century at the Mountain View-Los Altos School District, Randall witnessed old Mountain View High School close, watched the Los Altos High School mascot change, and taught thousands of students the difference between a derivative and an integral.
Among those students were several professional sports legends.
As Randall lectured on trigonometry, former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Willie Howard sat next to 1994 NCAA volleyball champion and Olympian Lisa Sharpley. From Randall’s Calculus classes, baseball superstar Eric Johnson went from winning CCS to pitching for the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres, and Donnie Ecker went from the Eagles’ quarterback to coaching the Texas Rangers. And from his time at old MVHS, Randall taught Boston Red Sox Pitcher Michael Dalton.
But to Randall at the time, they were just his students — and he found joy in teaching everyone.
“I have enjoyed teaching all classes, from General Math (basic arithmetic) to Calculus,” Randall said. “But most rewarding was working with the AVID students. I helped them master complex concepts. When they got it, they’d all say ‘AHHH’ in unison.”
AVID teacher Arantxa Arriada recalled Randall’s generosity towards AVID students, even those outside of this classes.
“Every year, Mr. Randall would buy a few prom tickets for AVID seniors who would otherwise have a hard time [affording] it,” Arriada said. “He’d leave it up to the AVID senior teacher to decide who the tickets should go to since they knew their students and their particular situations best.”
Before teaching at old MVHS — shut down in 1981, but originally located on Castro Street — Randall started off as a student there himself. Part of the class of 1966, he served as ASB President his senior year.
“My admiration for President Kennedy motivated my interest to run for and serve as ASB President,” Randall said.
Outside of the classroom, Randall played on the tennis team — despite just learning to play in sophomore year, by senior year, he became the team’s No. 1 singles player, a captain, and was voted MVP.
“I was pretty much self-taught, by reading books on how the pros played tennis, especially Poncho Gonzales,” Randall said.
After graduating, Randall attended Foothill College, where he studied math and continued playing tennis.
“Our coach was Tom Chivington, who trained us to be physically and mentally tough,” Randall said. “If we ever lost, it wasn’t because any of us were out of shape. I was in the best shape of my life then, better than when I later joined the Air Force.”
After two years at Foothill, Randall transferred to San Jose State University to earn his Bachelor’s in math and his teaching credential.
“I chose math because it was my best subject, and my high school English and speech teacher encouraged me to go into teaching,” Randall said. “I chose the local colleges so I could live at home and work on the weekends and summers for the Mountain View Recreation Department.”
But Randall’s teaching career was delayed by a letter from the Selective Service System. He was drafted for the Vietnam War, and ordered for induction into the military.
“There were two sets of ping pong balls [in the draft lottery] — in one set, all birthday dates, and the other had numbers 1 to 366,” Randall said. “Those whose birthdays had the numbers 1 to 196 would get drafted. My birthday drew 142.”
At SJSU, Randall completed the Air Force ROTC training program while finishing his bachelor’s degree and went to serve in the Signal Corps as an electronics and communications officer.
“In the military, I learned discipline, respect for authority, technical skill, and to be guarded with sensitive material,” Randall said. “I went on active duty as a Second Lieutenant in 1973 and was honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant on our nation’s Bicentennial, 1976.”
After serving, Randall returned to his alma mater to teach for four years before it closed in 1981. When finding a job elsewhere, Randall chose Los Altos.
“I decided to teach at LAHS for two reasons,” Randall said. “One, my department chairman, Mr. Chadda, was assigned there; and two, I wanted our students who transferred to LAHS to feel like it was their school — that they belonged.”
And Randall fostered that sense of belonging — both for students and for himself — through sports.
“We had many excellent athletes who transferred to LAHS,” Randall said. “Getting used to a new school was not easy. But the school colors, the uniforms, and keeping the Eagle mascot helped make the transfer students feel a little more comfortable.”
Randall was not only involved on the sidelines, but on the courts too. He coached the league-winning JV boys and girls tennis teams at present-day MVHS for five seasons, and continued playing in tournaments with Spanish teacher Robyn Hughes while teaching at LAHS.
“The tennis coach would let us play against the girls tennis team on Mondays,” Hughes said. “Bob takes care of things, and he’s very genuine and sincere and hardworking.”
So after half a century of contributing at MVLA, Randall’s retirement at the beginning of the 2024–25 school year was met with great appreciation and understanding.
“He always had this youthful spirit, and that’s why I knew he was a good teacher — he just loved being with the kids,” Assistant Principal Derek Miyahara said. “I used to ask him when he’d retire because most people retire by his age. And he never expressed a desire because he would ask me, ‘Why would I retire? I love doing this so much.’ And he really did.”
“We miss him,” Hughes said. “He’s an icon and he’s unforgettable.”