Fresno State Athletics
July 16: Dogs Lead the Pack in Picks
7/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
July 16, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State Athletics has had many memorable moments during its history. Each day during the month of July, Gobulldogs.com will highlight a great moment from Fresno State Athletics history.
When it comes to producing professional athletes, Fresno State has provided its fair share for the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball leagues.
That was never more true than in 2002 when four Bulldogs were taken in the first rounds by those leagues.
It started in April of that spring when Fresno State's record setting quarterback David Carr become the first Bulldog ever selected first overall by a major sports franchise as the No. 1 pick of the NFL draft. The announcement in that day at New York's Madison Square Garden was not a surprise, because days before the Houston Texans, then an up-start NFL team, announced it would select Carr as their first-ever draft choice.
Carr was coming off a magical season, leading the Bulldogs to 11 wins and a Top 10 national ranking. He set school record by throwing for more than 4,800 yards and 46 touchdowns. He was named the Johnny Unitas Award Winner, the Pop Warner Award winner, named the National Offensive Player of the Year by College Football News and finished fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Carr is currently a member of the New York Giants.
In June of 2002, pitcher Ben Fritz became the second Bulldog to be a first round draft pick in a matter of months, selected 30th overall by the Oakland A's. The 2002 WAC Pitcher of the Year and second-team All-American, Fritz became the second Bulldog pitcher five years to be picked in the first round, joining Jeff Weaver (No. 14 overall in 1998 to Detroit). Fritz won nine games and posted a 3.25 ERA for the Dogs in 2002 with 98 strikeouts in 119 innings of work. Fritz reached the AAA level in 2006, winning six games for Sacramento that year.
In June 26, 2002, within three months of the NFL draft, Bulldog basketball player Melvin Ely was in New York for the NBA draft, where he was taken as the 12th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers. Ely left Fresno State as the all-time leader in scoring with 1,951 and blocked shots (382)). He was the two-time WAC Player of the Year (2001 and 2002). In his senior season, he averaged 23.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest. After a couple years with the Clippers, Ely moved on to the Charlotte Bobcats and the San Antonio Spurs, where he was a member of the NBA championship team in 2007. He's currently a member of the New Orleans Hornets franchise.
About an hour after Ely was taken No. 12 overall, junior Chris Jeffries was taken with the 27th overall pick in the draft in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers. By the end of the day, Jeffries was traded to the Toronto Raptors. He played 72 games in the NBA for the Raptors and later the Chicago Bulls and is currently playing professionally in South America. As a Bulldog, Jeffries was a first-team All-WAC selection as a sophomore in 2001 and was named the WAC Newcomer of the Year. He was injured early in his junior season and missed the remainder of the season.
What makes it more impressive is that Fresno State was the only school to produce first round picks in those three sports that season, a feat that is very rare among schools.
Since the 2002, only nine schools have matched the triple-feat (at least one first-round pick in each league's draft):
2004: Oklahoma State
2006: UCS and Texas
2007: Georgia Tech
2008: Arizona and Florida
2009: Missouri, North Carolina and USC
The Bulldogs almost did it a second time in 2005, when two student-athletes were selected in the first round of two different sports, Logan Mankins in football to the New England Patriots and pitcher Matt Garza to the Minnesota Twins baseball team. That year, seven schools (Arizona, Georgia Tech, Miami (Fla.), Nebraska, Texas A&M, Virginia and Utah) joined Fresno State in producing two players selected in the first round of the two different leagues.
Since that 2002 season, Fresno State has produced at least two first round picks in each of the three sports, also a rare feat. The baseball team has produced three first round picks (Fritz, Garza and Richie Robnett in 2004).
Here's a list of some notable schools by sport that have not produced more first round picks than Fresno State in that time:
Football: Arizona State, Colorado, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Stanford, TCU, Washington and UCLA
Basketball: Cal, BYU, Indiana, Utah, Wake Forest
Baseball: Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, San Diego State, UCLA
Coming tomorrow: The Bulldog softball team sets an NCAA single-game attendance record in 2000.
"We Are Your Team" - For Fresno State ticket information log onto gobulldogs.com or call 559-278-DOGS.
