2017 HORSE RACING INDUCTEE JOHN HARRIS The Harris name is synonymous with excellence in every aspect of horse racing in California and across the nation. The stakes-winning horses bred, raised or trained by Harris Farms include such legendary performers as California Chrome, the 2014 winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, and Tiznow,…
2017 TRACK & FIELD INDUCTEE ROGER GEORGE Imagine an athlete who could high jump nearly 6 feet, 9 inches, pole vault 16 feet, long jump nearly 25 feet and twirl the discus almost 158 feet. Now imagine sprinting 100 meters in 10.7 seconds, finishing the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.3 seconds, putting a 16-pound shot…
2017 BASKETBALL INDUCTEE MELVIN ELY Recruited to Fresno State by Coach Jerry Tarkanian, the 6-foot, 10-inch center and power forward rewrote the Bulldogs record book, dominated the Western Athletic Conference and went on to an NBA career that lasted more than a decade. Ely earned the WAC Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons…
2017 BASKETBALL TEAM TEAM INDUCTEE 1977 SAN JOAQUIN MEMORIAL GIRLS BASKETBALL Led by star freshman Jackie White and Sue Mahackian, the Panthers rolled to an undefeated season and three championship titles. Under Coach Mary Brown, Memorial played an attack-the-basket style on offense. On defense, they pressed and harassed opponents into turnovers that turned into easy…
2016 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE BILLY VOLEK During 10 National Football League seasons and a standout career at Fresno State, the Volek name became synonymous with passing accuracy and command of the quarterback position. After leading Clovis West High School to an 11-1 record and claiming league Offensive Player of the Year honors in 1994 as a…
2016 GENERAL INDUCTEE PAUL SCHECHTER Though best known as Fresno State’s longtime head athletics trainer and director of sports medicine, the New York City native contributed in many other ways to the Bulldogs’ success and to the worldwide practice of sports medicine. It was because of Schecter’s passion for his profession and for Fresno State…
2016 BASKETBALL INDUCTEE YVETTE ROBERTS Among the best athletes in Fresno history, Roberts starred in track and field and basketball at Washington Union High School before rewriting the women’s basketball record book at Fresno State and then playing at an MVP level in Europe’s pro leagues. Roberts was the 1985 state long jump champion, soaring…
2016 GOLF INDUCTEE BILL GLASSON The sports-loving youngster who turned to golf after a serious knee injury and then learned the game while working at a Fresno municipal golf course fashioned a highly successful career on the PGA and Champions tours. Overcoming numerous injuries and surgeries, the graduate of Fresno’s McLane High School won seven…
2016 COACHING-BASKETBALL INDUCTEE RON ADAMS The Laton native put his indelible stamp on the National Basketball Association and the college game in a coaching career that began at Fresno Pacific in 1969 and soared highest in 2015 when the Golden State Warriors won the NBA title. Then Fresno State Coach Boyd Grant dubbed him his…
2016 BASEBALL TEAM INDUCTEE 1968 HOOVER HIGH BASEBALL Coached by Jack Hannah, who was inducted into the FAHOF in 1998, the Patriots won the North Yosemite League and Central Section championships and were recognized as the best prep team in California and the nation by media outlets. Hoover compiled a 27-3 record against stiff competition…