1974 GENERAL INDUCTEE GEORGE OLSEN George Olsen was an icon in the city of Coalinga for forty-two years as a coach and athletic director. Travel to Coalinga today and you will see George E. Olsen City Park dedicated in 1981. Olsen was a Kansas native and moved from Emporia State University in Kansas to Fresno…
1974 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE SEYMOR I. MATHIESEN Sim Mathiesen began an illustrious athletic career at Fresno High School, participating in football, basketball, and baseball from 1926 through 1928. Mathiesen continued his athletic career at Fresno State from 1928 through 1931. He became one of the finest punters on the West Coast at the college or university…
1974 BASEBALL INDUCTEE HOWARD O. CRAGHEAD Howard O. Craghead graduated from Fresno High School in 1926 and signed with the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League that spring. Craghead, a big right-hander, was an All-Star for Fresno High from 1924 to 1926, averaging double figure strikeouts per game and he reportedly fanned twenty-four of…
1974 TRACK & FIELD INDUCTEE PHIL CONLEY Phil Conley had a simple explanation of how he changed from a mediocre high school athlete to a four-sport star at Cal Tech College and an Olympic javelin thrower. Conley was the best player on the Fresno High School tennis team, a standout on the school’s volleyball club,…
1974 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE CLAUDE CALLAWAY This Fresno High School graduate went to Stanford University in 1932. He was part of the famous team known as the “Vow Boys” under Coach Claude B. “Tiny” Thornhill. The vow was made in his freshman year to never lose to USC and they didn’t. Stanford’s three-year record was 25-4-2.…
1973 TENNIS INDUCTEE WALT SENIOR Arguably one of the finest early era tennis players in Fresno history, Walt Senior beat some of the top names in the game during the 1930s and 1940s. In 1945, Senior was ranked fifth in the country by the Professional Lawn Tennis Association in singles and second in doubles. In…
1973 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE JIM JURKOVICH Jim Jurkovich was a big, fast, triple threat back in an era where that combination was rare. The stocky 187-pounder was an All-San Joaquin Valley choice in 1937 and 1938 for the Fresno High School Warriors. He also won the State CIF long jump championship in 1939 at 24’1/2″ that…
1973 SOFTBALL INDUCTEE VIRGINIA BUSICK Virginia “Ginny” Busick was a Fresno Rockets pitching missile. The slender 5’10” Busick was throwing around 65 miles an hour when the pitching distance was around thirty-eight feet as compared to forty-three feet for collegiate hurlers today. Busick was inducted into the Amateur Softball Association National Hall of Fame in…
1973 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE JIM BLEWITT Jim Blewett was a graduate of the Manual Arts School in Los Angeles. He played soccer until the school added football. After playing football at the University of California, he became head coach at Fresno High School in 1921. He coached the Warriors football, baseball, and basketball teams and his…
1973 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE STEVE BANCROFT Bancroft was a three-sport star at Fresno High School and enrolled at the University of California in 1925. He played on the Cal Freshmen team in his first year as a tight end. He also filled that position on the varsity in 1926 and 1927, but was moved to tackle…