2013 SOFTBALL INDUCTEE JULIE SMITH Julie Smith (Softball) — The Glendora native and Fresno State standout made her mark as one of the best second basemen ever at the collegiate and international levels – highlighted by an Olympic gold medal as a member of the U.S. team in Atlanta. She was a three-time first-team All-America,…
2013 COACHING-TRACK & FIELD INDUCTEE JIM SANTOS Serving budding athletes, international track and field stars and Special Olympians with the same dedication and sharing of knowledge, Santos put his indelible mark on the sports world. He was the 1980 U.S. Olympic men’s team field events coach and he was a 2005 inductee into the U.S.…
2013 GOLF INDUCTEE TIM NORRIS Few players on the PGA Tour have ever been as hot or as dominating as the Fresno native was at the 1982 Sammy Davis Jr. – Greater Hartford Open. Norris set the tournament record at 25-under-par 259 for 72 holes. With driver, putter and all of the other clubs in…
2013 COACHING-FOOTBALL INDUCTEE MIKE MARTZ A former Fresno State tight end and assistant coach, Martz left his stamp on the National Football League as the offensive guru behind the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” during the franchise’s glory years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. With Martz devising imaginative plays for quarterback…
2013 TRACK & FIELD TEAM INDUCTEE 1964 FRESNO STATE MEN’S TRACK & FIELD Coach Dutch Warmerdam’s team had reason to be confident heading into the season. The year before they had finished second at the NCAA College Division Championships in Chicago. What’s more, the Bulldogs boasted world-class performers in sprinter Darel Newman and triple jumper/sprinter…
2012 COACHING-GOLF INDUCTEE MIKE WATNEY At the time of his induction, Watney had groomed 29 All-Americans and 17 All-American Scholars, and his teams had captured 13 conference championships over 33 seasons as Fresno State golf coach. In recognition of his invaluable contributions to the game, Watney was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of American…
2012 SOFTBALL INDUCTEE JAMIE SOUTHERN After earning All-America honors and being named Cal-Hi Sports state player of the year at Clovis High, the right-hander became one of the greatest pitchers in NCAA history at Fresno State and a World Championship gold-medal winner for Team USA. Southern excelled in the circle and in the classroom for…
2012 TRACK & FIELD INDUCTEE MELISSA PRICE-LEWIS A trailblazer for women pole-vaulters all over the world, Lewis soared into the USA and NCAA record books and the USA Pole Vault National Summit Hall of Fame. High School girls could only compete in the event in ‘exhibitions’ against boys when Lewis was at Kingsburg High School.…
2012 BASKETBALL INDUCTEE ROSCOE PONDEXTER Dominating inside at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds for San Joaquin Memorial, Pondexter was the first California prep to score 2,000 career points and the first player from Fresno chosen as California Mr. Basketball in 1971. After a season at Fresno City College, where he average 24.6 points and 10.9 rebounds…
2012 JUDO INDUCTEE HARUO IMAMURA Earning the rank of first-degree black belt at age 14, Imamura would eventually attain the rank of Kudan, or ninth degree, 60 years later in 2007. Between these benchmarks, he positively influenced thousands of people in the Valley, the United States, and around the world as a competitor and a…