1985 BASEBALL INDUCTEE WADE ALLEN BLASINGAME If there was ever a pitcher with potential, Wade Allen Blasingame was it. They nicknamed the Roosevelt High School left-hander, “The Blazer,” and his three-year record for the Rough Riders was 26-0. That’s right: no losses. Blasingame’s Roosevelt coach, Jake Abbott, recalled when he first saw Wade. “Earl Jones,…
1984 BASEBALL INDUCTEE GUS ZERNIAL As a boy, Gus Zernial and his pals would excitedly watch baseball games through knotholes in an outfield fence in Beaumont, Texas. He daydreamed of becoming a major league player and he did. No one could have envisioned that Zernial would be instrumental in bringing minor league baseball back to…
1984 TRACK & FIELD INDUCTEE PAUL STARR Had it not been for a tendon injury, track and field followers might have known the name Paul Starr in a different light. The University of Oregon sprint standout won a place on the 1932 United States Olympic team in the 100-meter, but sustained the injury prior to…
1984 BASEBALL INDUCTEE RICHARD SELMA Long before he became a Hall of Fame pitcher, Tom Seaver envied the swift, strike-throwing skill of Dick Selma when they played together at Fresno High School. Selma was a senior member of the varsity squad in 1961 when Seaver, one year behind him, was playing for the junior varsity.…
1984 PLAYGROUND ADMINISTRATOR INDUCTEE HOWARD O. HOLMAN Howard Holman, a native of San Mateo, had a tough act to follow when he succeeded Raymond Quigley as the Director of the Fresno Recreation and Parks in 1950. Quigley was responsible for the large number of city playgrounds where many of Fresno’s top athletes were developed. Holman,…
1984 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE JACKIE FELLOWS Jackie Fellows wouldn’t have been able to see over the hulking linemen that collegiate teams have now, but he was the toast of Fresno and was chosen to Bill Stern’s 1942 All-America first team, the only Fresno State player ever so honored. The 5’6″, 155-pounder was the kingpin in the…
1983 UMPIRE INDUCTEE HAROLD WINDELL Harold Barton “Hal” Windell did a balancing act of fighting fires and earning respect as one of the finest umpires to ever call strikes in Fresno. Windell retired as a captain for the Fresno Fire Department after thirty-two years of service. His umpiring career stretched to nearly a half century.…
1983 COACHING-FOOTBALL INDUCTEE CLARE SLAUGHTER The sixty-year history of Fresno City College football is accented by four outstanding chapters that were contributed by state champion teams coached by Clare Slaughter. Slaughter put his stamp of excellence on the state’s competitive football map by achieving state titles in 1968, 1969, 1972, and 1973. Additionally, the Slaughter-coached…
1983 BASEBALL INDUCTEE EARL L. JONES Earl Jones was a standout football and baseball player at Roosevelt High School from 1935 through 1937. It was his eye-blinking fastball and wicked curve that convinced scouts to hire him for professional baseball in 1938. He made the Arizona-Texas League All-Star team in his rookie year. He graduated…
1983 BASKETBALL INDUCTEE STU INMAN Stu Inman has done just about everything you can do with a basketball career except own a team. Born in Alameda, Inman played basketball for Alameda High School and San Jose State College; coached at Madera and Roosevelt High Schools, Santa Ana Junior College, Orange Coast JC and San Jose…