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 A trailblazer for women pole-vaulters all over the world, Price 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 Price 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…
2012 SOFTBALL INDUCTEE CARIE DEVER Dever-Boaz, a three-sport standout from Woodlake High School and Cal-Hi Sports Small School Athlete of the Year; was Margie Wright’s first softball recruit at Fresno State. Choosing the Bulldogs over UCLA, Dever-Boaz would post an 84-12 pitching record, toss 58 shutouts and post six no-hitters. During those four seasons, the…
2012 WRESTLING TEAM INDUCTEE 1994 FRESNO CITY COLLEGE WRESTLING Coach Bill Musick had the same goal every year: “Go undefeated in duals and tournaments.” Even though his teams had won state community college titles in 1975, 1989 and 1993 and taken the state dual-meet title in 1992, his goal didn’t become reality until the magical…
2012 VOLLEYBALL TEAM INDUCTEE 1989 FRESNO PACIFIC UNIVERSITY VOLLEYBALL Playing with machine-like precision, nerves of steel and emotional electricity, the sixth-seeded Sunbirds completed their march to the NAIA national championship with a sweep of Hawaii Pacific 15-3, 17-15 in Hawaii. It was Fresno Pacific’s first national title in any sport. Going into the tournament, the…
2011 FOOTBALL INDUCTEE “ICKEY” WOODS While the 6-foot-2, 231-pound fullback carried the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl with his fast legs and elusive moves, his personality captivated America during a sensational 1988 rookie season. The Edison High School graduate rushed for 1,066 yards and scored 15 touchdowns on the ground during the regular season…