Altadena: Where Champions Are Made and Legends Rise

On this podcast of “Conversation Live: Altadena Rising,” James Farr sits down with Laurence Todd, founder of the Pasadena Sports Hall of Fame, to explore the rich athletic legacy of Northwest Dena — where Altadena and Pasadena blur as one community. Known names like Jackie and Mack Robinson are just the beginning. This region has produced Olympians, Super Bowl champs, MLB stars, and NBA legends — not by chance, but through neighborhood courts, school gyms, and a village that raised them.

Farr and Todd reflect on what it means to come from Dena, the City of Champions, tracing how decades of greatness grew from community, competition, and resilience. As Altadena rises from the Eaton Canyon Fire, they ask: Who is the greatest athlete ever to come out of Dena? Todd’s answer may be surprising, but it’s rooted in the legacy and spirit of the village that built them.