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…
1983 COMMUNITY LEADER INDUCTEE FRANCIS CLAIRE BLOSSER It took the historic San Francisco earthquake of 1906 to move San Jose-born “Bud” Blosser to Fresno. He was another in the long line of Fresno High graduates to be inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame. Blosser participated in basketball and track for the Fresno High…
1982 COMMUNITY LEADER INDUCTEE TED C. WILLS This native Fresnan was the cheerleader for his talented son Ted Wills Jr., who became a major league pitcher, but Wills, who played a little baseball and basketball at Central High School from 1925 to 1928, became a sports booster of all Fresno sports in his role as…
1982 BASEBALL INDUCTEE JUSTIN E. SIMONS Fresno native, Justin Simons was referred to by his teammates as “Judge” because of his quiet demeanor. He signed as a catcher with the Fresno Tigers following graduation from Fresno State in 1923. His professional career included seasons in Salt Lake, Utah, Little Rock, Arkansas, Muskogee, Oklahoma, and then…
1982 SOFTBALL INDUCTEE GLORIA MAY Gloria May, one of the finest fielders in women’s fast-pitch softball, played for the Fresno Rockets from 1949 to 1958, winning three national championships. Originally from Glendale, May had an eighteen-year career in softball, making her mark as a first baseman. She was inducted into the Amateur Softball Association Hall…