Warkentin, John

2006 TRACK & FIELD INDUCTEE JOHN WARKENTIN John Warkentin’s trip to Fresno from India, where he was born to missionary parents, was precipitated by the tragic accidental death of his father and the fact that both sets of grandparents lived in Fresno. He attended Webster Elementary School and Washington Junior High. Warkentin’s Washington coach, Dean…

Verhoeven, Pete

2006 BASKETBALL INDUCTEE PETE VERHOEVEN A stout defender, rugged rebounder and deft passer, the 6-foot-9, 215-pound center/forward was a key ingredient in Fresno State’s success during the Boyd Grant era and relied on those tools during five seasons in the National Basketball Association. The Hanford-born Verhoeven was Grant’s top high school recruit in 1977 and…

Romeiro-Gardner, Lori

2006 SOFTBALL INDUCTEE LORI ROMEIRO-GARDNER When Lori Romeiro-Gardner was at Lemoore High school, she set the standard for what It took to be a successful student athlete. In softball, she was the ace of the Tiger pitching staff and led her teams to many championships. Not only could she hit and field, but she established…

Plaugher, Wilbur

2006 RODEO CLOWN INDUCTEE WILBUR PLAUGHER From the time he was six, “All I ever really wanted to do was to be a cowboy” Wilbur Plaugher said when he could see the cattle drives from his family home in Sanger and watch the cowboys move the herds across the open range to the mountains. It…

Hartwig, Carter

2006 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE CARTER HARTWIG Carter Hartwig caught many passes. It didn’t really matter whether he was playing offense or defense; his quarterback teammates, Randy Cerelli and Larry Ramos threw many passes that were reeled in by Hartwig. He also hauled in many interceptions from his cornerback and safety positions for the Central High School…

Craver, Aaron

2006 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE AARON CRAVER In the spring of 1989, Fresno State football recruiting coordinator, Pat Hill, had some very good news for his boss, FSU head coach Jim Sweeney. Aaron Craver was going to be a Bulldog. Coach Sweeney was most happy and felt that Craver would be key to the next two football…

1961 Fresno State Mercy Bowl Football

2006 FOOTBALL TEAM INDUCTEE 1961 FRESNO STATE MERCY BOWL FOOTBALL They were known then-and forever-as the Mercy Bowl team. Alternating “red” and “blue” teams led by quarterbacks Beau Carter and Jon Anabo, they went undefeated and helped raise $125,000 for victims and survivors of the Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo football team plane crash the previous…

Wetnight, Ryan

2005 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE RYAN WETNIGHT It was always the same refrain and Ryan Wetnight used it as an incentive to prove his detractors wrong. And prove it he did, by playing tight end at Fresno City College, Stanford University, and then for the Chicago Bears. “The knock on me was that I was too small…

Washington, Anthony

2005 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE ANTHONY WASHINGTON Anthony Washington was born to be a football player and was a standout on every step of the ladder from Spartan League to Fresno High School, Fresno City College, University of California, Fresno State, and finally the big prize, the National Football League. Washington had the physical body college and…

Strang-Behrens, Gena

2005 SOFTBALL INDUCTEE GENA STRANG-BEHRENS Gena Strang-Behrens, the first Fresno State athlete to earn All-American honors three years in a row, was a key member of the Bulldogs when they emerged in the 1980s as a national softball Powerhouse. During Strang-Behrens’ four-year career at Fresno State University 1985-1988 the team compiled a record of 202-64-1.…