Hosted by the City of Palo Alto and the Palo Alto Unified School District, the parade was an unprecedented event to honor Paly’s historic sporting accomplishments.

The streets were lined with spectators as the parade began. Friends and family greeted one another as they fished in their bags for cameras, camcorders, and cellphones to capture the strong community gathering. Click here for a slideshow showcasing the festivities.

Three police officers on motorcycles kicked off the parade at 4:30 p.m., followed byPalo Alto City Council and School Board members. Close behind were the Palo Alto Volleyball Club and Palo Alto Knights Football Club, touted as the future of Paly sports.

Paly Principal Phil Winston cruised behind Paly’s Associated Student Body in a red convertible red MG with his wife and three children.

Donning their uniforms, Paly’s Dance Team members waved proudly as the band marched behind them performing Paly’s anthem, “Green and White.”

Football head coach Earl Hansen ambled through in a green convertible Morang 4. Dave Winn, head coach of the Paly volleyball team, followed in a green convertible Ford Galaxy 500 driven by Paly track and field coach Jason Fung.

“It’s history,” Fung said. “It means a lot being someone who graduated from [Paly], It’s something that’s never happened before. It feels great to be part of history. I got to drive in [the parade]. It was fun, a good time. I didn’t even imagine this many people. It’s crazy.”

A Palo Alto fire truck led the centerpart of the parade. Cable cars rented from Bauer’s Limousine And Transportation filled with members of the volleyball and football teams brought up the rear, with players hanging out the sides and taking in the crowd. Some had cameras and phones out to commemerate the event while others showered spectators with candy and t-shirts.

“The parade was pretty chill,” Paly junior Shruti Srinivasan said. “My favorite part would probably be when I saw [Mr.] Foug [Paly’s assistant football coach and history teacher] in the little trolley.”

Palo Alto community members were astounded at the show of support for Paly athletics at the parade.

“[The amount of attendees] means that the school has a lot of community support,” Paly Career Advisor Christina Owens. “And I’m impressed with that. Also that it was so organized and well done in such a short notice.”

The parade ended at King Plaza, where the stars of the parade as well as parade watchers attendees gathered for a rally under the fading shadow of City Hall.

Emceed by Wes Rapaport of INFocus and George Brown of the Viking, the rally opened with cheers led by the Paly cheerleaders. Newly elected mayor Sid Espinosa thanked and congratulated both winning teams. Winn, Hansen and the captains of each sport then gave their own speeches. Seniors Megan Coleman and Trina Ohms spoke for volleyball while seniors Will Glazier and Christoph Bono said a few words on behalf of the football team. Hansen expressed his amazement at the turnout of the event and congratulated the football team on their victory while the various team captains gave thanks to all of their supporters this season.

“It was just kind of a magical ride,” Glazier said in his speech. “It culminated in the state championship and this parade is quite frankly the most awesome thing ever.”

Following the speeches, Paly’s InFocus showed a highlight video that included clips of various volleyball games and football games throughout the season and ended with the football team’s music video of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”.

Fresh from their victory in the Discover Orange Bowl, Stanford football’s Coby Fleener, Konrad Reuland, Devon Carrington and Matt Masifilo took the stage and were honored for their achievements as well. Reuland thanked the city for its support throughout the season and explained the difficulty of winning a championship.

Newly elected State Assemblyman Rich Gordon and State Senator Joe Simitian presented proclamations to Paly’s volleyball team and football team. Vice Mayor Yiaweh Yeh, once a Gunn graduate, took the stage to show support for Paly athletics as well.

Before closing off the ceremony, Palo Alto City staff members thanked the whole city for coming out and supporting Paly’s sports teams. State Assemblyman Gordan took the last words of the night.

“You have taught us all a great lesson,” Gordon said. “That anything is possible.”