It all started in 1917 when John Todd entered Newport News High School. Naturally he was unaware of his later impact on the place where he lived and raised a family. John played football at Newport News High and served as captain when the team won the first official championship crown in a playoff game in 1920. In 1921 he entered the College of William and Mary and started a career which, to this day, is unmatched. John Todd has gone down in the history books as the greatest three sport athlete the college has ever produced. Although he excelled in football, he also played basketball and baseball. He was selected to many "mythical all-star teams" voted on by coaches and the news media. After graduation in 1925 he worked at the school as football line coach, freshman basketball coach and served as acting graduate athletics manager. After graduation from the Medical College of Virginia in 1932 he started a dental practice but he was never too busy for athletics. He served as a Southern Conference football official and worked a number of Notre Dame games when the Fighting Irish were establishing their football legend. He was selected to officiate the 1950 Orange Bowl game. While practicing dentistry he was directly responsible for the initiation of the mouth guard as standard equipment for high school athletes. John Todd Stadium Newport News is named in his honor. Todd was previously inducted into the Virginia State Sports Hall of Fame I 1978. John Todd died on August 19, 1965 at the age of 62.