2002 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE J. D. WILLIAMS J.D. Williams arrived at Fresno State on a track scholarship, but after a walk-on tryout for the football team, starred in both sports and was the first Bulldog ever selected in round one of the NFL draft. Buffalo picked James D. Williams in the 1990 draft as the 16h…
2002 SPORTS BRODCASTING INDUCTEE BILL THOMPSON When Bill Thompson became general manager of the Fresno Giants in 1979, he would sit in the stands and listen to the patrons to come up with ideas for attracting more fans. He was a salesman for his team and the league in general. “When it comes to baseball,…
2002 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE KEVIN SWEENEY During the Kevin Sweeney era of Fresno State football, the Bulldogs won thirty-two games, lost thirteen and tied one, highlighted by an 11-0-1 season in 1985 in which they captured the PCAA Championship and California Bowl V. Many Division I programs recruited Sweeney as he posted record-breaking performances at Bullard…
2002 SPORTS BRODCASTING INDUCTEE LON SIMMONS Simmons’ name is synonymous with Bay Area baseball, the San Francisco 49ers and the “tell-it-good” home run call. Emblematic of his talent and longevity in the broadcast booth, he was on the air for the San Francisco Giants’ Opening Days at Seals Stadium (1958), Candlestick (1960), and Pacific Bell…
2002 BASKETBALL INDUCTEE MIKE MCFERSON Mike McFerson shot from behind the arc before there was an arc. In his junior and senior years at Fresno State, a majority of his two-point shots would have been three-pointers today. Bulldog teammate and point guard, George Sarantos, recalled that McFerson’s shot was the quickest he’s ever seen. McFerson,…
2002 REFEREE VOLLEYBALL INDUCTEE SUE LEMAIRE Sue Lemaire, a 1970 graduate of Fresno State, rose through the ranks to become one of the premier volleyball officials in the world in both the indoor and beach versions of the sport. Lemaire was a physical education major at Fresno State University with a minor in biology. She…
2002 UMPIRE BASEBALL INDUCTEE TERRY COONEY When Terry Cooney was growing up in Salem, Oregon, his main passion was playing sports. He participated in all types, but his favorites were football, baseball, and track. At Sacred Heart High School, Terry earned fourteen letters and made many all-star teams during his prep years. “I mainly just…
2002 SOFTBALL TEAM INDUCTEE 1953/1954/1957 FRESNO ROCKETS WOMEN’S SOFTBALL The Fresno Rockets played arguably at the highest level of women’s softball ever in this area and helped change the notion that only men were allowed to excel in sports. Th squad attracted sold-out crowds at Holmes Playground near downtown Fresno, numerous sponsors, and three national…
2001 YOUTH-SOCCER INDUCTEE HAROLD S. YOUNG Transplanted Englishman Harold S. Young introduced youth soccer to Fresno County in 1967, launching a movement that attracted all ages in communities throughout the area. Young, who had lived in Fresno for ten years, brought his favorite sport-largely unknown before then-to the attention of Howard Holman, chief of Fresno…
2001 BASKETBALL INDUCTEE BERNARD THOMPSON Bernard Thompson was a prolific scorer for Fresno State and a key member of the Bulldog basketball team when they won the historic National Invitation Tournament title at Madison Square Garden in 1983. Teammate Ron Anderson and Thompson were the “Bookend Forwards,” the outstanding offensive and defensive tandem for Coach…