1990 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE ERWIN BISHOP The Sonny Bishop story is interesting as he played a few minutes of football in his senior year at El Cajon Valley High School and never was a full-time starter in two years at Riverside Junior College. Fresno State was where he blossomed. Bishop was a two-year All-Conference tackle for…
1990 COACHING-BASEBALL INDUCTEE BOB BENNETT Through the years, baseball has probably been the most popular of all sports in Fresno. At the collegiate level, Pete Beiden had a major role in shaping baseball interest while coaching throughout the Valley, settling in to a twenty-one year career as Fresno State’s head baseball coach. When Beiden passed…
1989 BASEBALL INDUCTEE DICK RUTHVEN Of the thirty-two All-Americans who played baseball for Bob Bennett at Fresno State, right-handed pitcher Dick Ruthven is exceptional in that not only did he make it to the major leagues, but was also a member of a World Series championship team. Ruthven was on the roster for the 1980…
1989 COACHING-FOOTBALL INDUCTEE DARRYL ROGERS Darrly Rogers: Born and reared in Long Beach, Jordan High School and later at Long Beach City College. He was a wide receiver and defensive back at Fresno State. He was signed as a free agent and played one year as a defensive back for the Los Angeles Rams in…
1989 BASEBALL INDUCTEE SATOSHI HIRAYAMA Standing 5’4″ and weighing 145 pounds, Satoshi “Fibber” Hirayama was small even by baseball standards. Surprisingly, Hirayama went to Fresno State College on a football scholarship. “I was recruited for football, but I didn’t like spring practice, so went out for baseball in the spring and played four years for…
1989 TENNIS INDUCTEE GLENN HIPPENSTIEL This Wyoming native was reared in San Bernardino and moved to Fresno in 1959. Hippenstiel played tennis for fifty-five years, including three at the University of California during a span when the Golden Bears never lost to rivals, UCLA and Stanford. His personal resume is highlighted by thirteen national tennis…
1989 WRESTLING INDUCTEE MICHAEL F. GALLEGO Mike Gallego was one of the first recruits when Dick Francis became head wrestling coach at Fresno State in 1964. Francis had coached Gallego at McLane High School, but Mike had since spent his last two high school years at Pacific Grove. Gallego was the very best Francis had…
1989 COACHING-BASEBALL INDUCTEE OLLIE BIDWELL One of the best ways to judge the success of a coach is the testimony of his players, especially those who reach the highest level of their sport. Few high school baseball coaches in Fresno have been more successful than Oliver Hastings Bidwell. In nineteen seasons (seven at Roosevelt, six…
1988 SOFTBALL INDUCTEE LEROY ZIMMERMAN Leroy Zimmerman was one of the greatest two-sport athletes in United States history. The venerable late football coach, Dudley DeGroot, who coached Zimmerman at San Jose State and with the NFL Washington Redskins, stated: “Zimmerman was the best football player I ever coached.” That was high praise as DeGroot also…
1988 MANAGER ML BASEBALL INDUCTEE JIMY WILLIAMS From 1963 to 1964, Martha and the Vandellas, a Motown singing group, once had a hit record called Dancing in the Streets and the lyrics proclaimed, “They’re dancing in Philadelphia, PA.” About the same time, Jimy Williams was playing baseball for Fresno State College and graduating with a…