1959 AUTO RACING INDUCTEE BILLY VUKOVICH Billy Vukovich Sr., a child of the Great Depression who helped his mother and siblings after his father died, grew up to be one of the most fearless and talented drivers to ever conquer the famed Indianapolis 500 Brickyard. Although the media called Vukovich the “Mad Russian” which he…
1959 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE LES RICHTER Leslie Allan Richter holds the distinction of being the only professional football player to ever be traded for an entire eleven-man team. With today’s inflated salaries and signing bonuses for rookies, it will never happen again. His roots were in Fresno where he was an All-Valley blocking back and linebacker…
1959 TRACK & FIELD INDUCTEE WALTER MARTY How could a youngster whom the Mono Indians nicknamed “Panther Foot” evolve into a world record high jumper? First, there was coaching by Julius Trombetta at Fresno High School where Walter Marty burst onto the scene and out-classed all of the Warrior high jumpers. At that time, he…
1959 BOXING INDUCTEE YOUNG CORBETT III The name, Raffaele Capabianca Giordano, would have been too much of a mouthful for boxing fans to say, so the Italian-born, Fresno-raised newsboy was dubbed Young Corbett III when he entered the ring as an amateur. Corbett is the only Fresnan to ever hold a world boxing title, winning…
1959 BASEBALL INDUCTEE FRANK CHANCE Frank “Husk” Chance, later called “The Peerless Leader,” is one of only two Major League Baseball Hall of Fame members to come from Fresno. Chance was inducted in 1946, followed in 1992 by fellow Fresno High School graduate Tom Seaver. Chance was born on September 9, 1876 in the tiny…