Fresno State Athletics
60th annual Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame enshrinement features Bulldog heavy class
11/1/2018 10:00:00 PM | General
FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame hosted its 60th Annual Enshrinement Awards Dinner on Thursday night at the Fresno Convention Center. This year's class included some of Fresno State's finest individuals and teams. Inductees with Bulldog ties for the 2018 class included Pat Hill (football), Dot Jones (track and field), Logan Mankins (football), Shelly Stokes (softball), and the 1959 and 2008 Fresno State baseball teams.
The Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame is considered to be one of the preeminent local Halls of Fame in the nation because of its organization, participation and turnout.
Pat Hill
Former Fresno State football head coach Pat Hill coached the Bulldogs to a 112-80 record and 11 bowl appearances during 15 seasons on the sideline from 1997-2011.
Hill compiled nine seasons with eight or more wins, 11 top three conference finishes, four bowl victories and a share of the 1999 WAC regular season title.
He is perhaps best known for his tenacity and "Anyone, anywhere, anytime" attitude that put Fresno State on the national map in the early 2000s.
A Los Angeles native who played collegiately at UC Riverside, Hill also served as an assistant coach at Fresno State from 1984-89. During that six-year stretch, Hill was the Bulldogs' recruiting coordinator coaching the offensive line helping the 'Dogs go 53-16-1 winning three league titles and three bowl games.
Dot Jones
Jones was an elite collegiate shot-putter holding Fresno State's indoor and outdoor shot put records.
Jones, a native of Turlock, was a three-time All-American and won conference championships in 1985 and 1986.
She was the first Bulldog track and field female student-athlete to earn indoor All-American honors by finishing fifth in the shot put at the NCAA Championships in 1985. Later that season, she earned outdoor All-American honors with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA's.
Jones went on to be a finalist in shot put at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1988 and 1992.
Jones is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion and went on to a lengthy acting career in television and movies.
Logan Mankins
Mankins was a walk-on to the Fresno State football team in 2000 from Catheys Valley, Calif., and blossomed into a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2005 going on to play 11 NFL seasons.
Mankins was a seven-time Pro Bowler for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers after playing for the Bulldogs from 2000-2004 and was a Sporting News first-team Freshman All-American in 2001 and a Second-Team Walter Camp All-American in 2004.
Mankins was the first-ever offensive lineman to be selected team MVP earning the honor as a senior in 2004 and did not allow a sack or pressure his entire senior season and produced 16 touchdown-resulting blocks.
Shelly Stokes
Stokes was a standout catcher for the Fresno State softball team from 1987-1990 under legendary Bulldog softball head coach Margie Wright, a 2005 Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame inductee.
Stokes caught 12 no-hitters in her Bulldog career as Fresno State went to the Women's College World Series four times posting three runner-up finishes in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
The Sacramento native was a Second-Team All-American in 1990 and was a two-time All-Big West selection. Stokes went on to win a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics as a member of Team USA.
The 1959 Fresno State baseball team
Coached by the late Pete Beiden, the 1959 Bulldogs were the first Fresno State team to qualify for the College World Series. Finishing the season with a 41-13 record, the 'Dogs won the California Collegiate Athletic Association and District 9 championships.
The Bulldogs won three of five games in the CWS at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, including elimination games against Western Michigan and Arizona, to finish third among eight teams.
LeRoy Gregory and outfielder Augie Garrido were named to the All-West Region team. Four Bulldogs from the team earned All California Collegiate Athletic Association honors: Gregory, third baseman Jim Lester, shortstop Mike Mathiesen, and second baseman Jerry White.
For Garrido, 1959 would provide a first taste of the College World Series. As a coach, he would win a total of five CWS titles with Cal State Fullerton and Texas, and was the winningest coach in NCAA baseball history at the time of his 2016 retirement.
1959 Fresno State Baseball Team
Players: Mountie Bedford, Dave Biggers, Stan Busch, Merv Carter, Harvey Casey, Dick Doepker, Tom
Emery, Joe Fischer, Jim Garrett, Augie Garrido, LeRoy Gregory, Ted Hiltel, Wayne Hiranaka, Bobby Kelly, Jim Lester, Mike Lillard, Dorman Martin, Mike Mathiesen, Marty Mazzoni, L.H. McDaniel, Lee Murphy, Dave Peeler, Dennis Robertson, Richard Rose, Bob Schultz, Tommy Thompson, Ed Vegely, Jerry White, Babe Williams, O'Dell Youngblood
Coaches: Head Coach: Pete Beiden, Assistant Coach: Bill Harbour
The 2008 Fresno State baseball team
The 2008 squad, nicknamed the "Wonderdogs" and coached by current Bulldog baseball head coach Mike Batesole, made good on that promise by winning the only national title in program history and fourth in school history joining softball (1998), men's tennis (1968) and men's track and field (1964).
The first No. 4 regional seed ever to advance to the College World Series, the 'Dogs proved all the doubters wrong and upset a talented field and came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in the final two games of the championship series for the title.
That made Fresno State the second team (at the time) ever to drop Game 1 in the best-of-three series and come back to win the championship, joining Oregon State (2006). Virginia (2015), Coastal Carolina (2016) and Oregon State (2018) later joined this exclusive group.
Led by 2008 WAC Player of the Year, WAC Male Athlete of the Year, and All-American outfielder Steven Susdorf, the 'Dogs won 16 of their final 20 games of the season on their way to the WAC Tournament title, Long Beach Regional, Tempe Super Regional and five wins in Omaha to capture the national championship.
2008 Fresno State Baseball Team
Players: Alan Ahmady Clayton Allison, Blake Amador, Sean Bonesteele, Jason Breckley, Brandon Burke, Steve Detwiler, Gene Escat, Jake Floethe, Danny Grubb, Gavin Hedstrom, Nick Hom, Jacob Hower, Jake Johnson, Tommy Mendonca, Justin Miller, Danny Muno, Ryan Overland, Jordan Ribera, Todd Sandell, Tanner Scheppers, Trent Soares, Holden Sprague, Steve Susdorf, Kris Tomlinson, Erik Wetzel, Justin Wilson
Coaches: Head Coach: Mike Batesole, Assistant Coaches: Matt Curtis, Mike Mayne & Pat Waer
For more information on the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, visit www.fresnoahof.org.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
The Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame is considered to be one of the preeminent local Halls of Fame in the nation because of its organization, participation and turnout.
Pat Hill
Former Fresno State football head coach Pat Hill coached the Bulldogs to a 112-80 record and 11 bowl appearances during 15 seasons on the sideline from 1997-2011.
Hill compiled nine seasons with eight or more wins, 11 top three conference finishes, four bowl victories and a share of the 1999 WAC regular season title.
He is perhaps best known for his tenacity and "Anyone, anywhere, anytime" attitude that put Fresno State on the national map in the early 2000s.
A Los Angeles native who played collegiately at UC Riverside, Hill also served as an assistant coach at Fresno State from 1984-89. During that six-year stretch, Hill was the Bulldogs' recruiting coordinator coaching the offensive line helping the 'Dogs go 53-16-1 winning three league titles and three bowl games.
Dot Jones
Jones was an elite collegiate shot-putter holding Fresno State's indoor and outdoor shot put records.
Jones, a native of Turlock, was a three-time All-American and won conference championships in 1985 and 1986.
She was the first Bulldog track and field female student-athlete to earn indoor All-American honors by finishing fifth in the shot put at the NCAA Championships in 1985. Later that season, she earned outdoor All-American honors with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA's.
Jones went on to be a finalist in shot put at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1988 and 1992.
Jones is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion and went on to a lengthy acting career in television and movies.
Logan Mankins
Mankins was a walk-on to the Fresno State football team in 2000 from Catheys Valley, Calif., and blossomed into a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2005 going on to play 11 NFL seasons.
Mankins was a seven-time Pro Bowler for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers after playing for the Bulldogs from 2000-2004 and was a Sporting News first-team Freshman All-American in 2001 and a Second-Team Walter Camp All-American in 2004.
Mankins was the first-ever offensive lineman to be selected team MVP earning the honor as a senior in 2004 and did not allow a sack or pressure his entire senior season and produced 16 touchdown-resulting blocks.
Shelly Stokes
Stokes was a standout catcher for the Fresno State softball team from 1987-1990 under legendary Bulldog softball head coach Margie Wright, a 2005 Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame inductee.
Stokes caught 12 no-hitters in her Bulldog career as Fresno State went to the Women's College World Series four times posting three runner-up finishes in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
The Sacramento native was a Second-Team All-American in 1990 and was a two-time All-Big West selection. Stokes went on to win a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics as a member of Team USA.
The 1959 Fresno State baseball team
Coached by the late Pete Beiden, the 1959 Bulldogs were the first Fresno State team to qualify for the College World Series. Finishing the season with a 41-13 record, the 'Dogs won the California Collegiate Athletic Association and District 9 championships.
The Bulldogs won three of five games in the CWS at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, including elimination games against Western Michigan and Arizona, to finish third among eight teams.
LeRoy Gregory and outfielder Augie Garrido were named to the All-West Region team. Four Bulldogs from the team earned All California Collegiate Athletic Association honors: Gregory, third baseman Jim Lester, shortstop Mike Mathiesen, and second baseman Jerry White.
For Garrido, 1959 would provide a first taste of the College World Series. As a coach, he would win a total of five CWS titles with Cal State Fullerton and Texas, and was the winningest coach in NCAA baseball history at the time of his 2016 retirement.
1959 Fresno State Baseball Team
Players: Mountie Bedford, Dave Biggers, Stan Busch, Merv Carter, Harvey Casey, Dick Doepker, Tom
Emery, Joe Fischer, Jim Garrett, Augie Garrido, LeRoy Gregory, Ted Hiltel, Wayne Hiranaka, Bobby Kelly, Jim Lester, Mike Lillard, Dorman Martin, Mike Mathiesen, Marty Mazzoni, L.H. McDaniel, Lee Murphy, Dave Peeler, Dennis Robertson, Richard Rose, Bob Schultz, Tommy Thompson, Ed Vegely, Jerry White, Babe Williams, O'Dell Youngblood
Coaches: Head Coach: Pete Beiden, Assistant Coach: Bill Harbour
The 2008 Fresno State baseball team
The 2008 squad, nicknamed the "Wonderdogs" and coached by current Bulldog baseball head coach Mike Batesole, made good on that promise by winning the only national title in program history and fourth in school history joining softball (1998), men's tennis (1968) and men's track and field (1964).
The first No. 4 regional seed ever to advance to the College World Series, the 'Dogs proved all the doubters wrong and upset a talented field and came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in the final two games of the championship series for the title.
That made Fresno State the second team (at the time) ever to drop Game 1 in the best-of-three series and come back to win the championship, joining Oregon State (2006). Virginia (2015), Coastal Carolina (2016) and Oregon State (2018) later joined this exclusive group.
Led by 2008 WAC Player of the Year, WAC Male Athlete of the Year, and All-American outfielder Steven Susdorf, the 'Dogs won 16 of their final 20 games of the season on their way to the WAC Tournament title, Long Beach Regional, Tempe Super Regional and five wins in Omaha to capture the national championship.
2008 Fresno State Baseball Team
Players: Alan Ahmady Clayton Allison, Blake Amador, Sean Bonesteele, Jason Breckley, Brandon Burke, Steve Detwiler, Gene Escat, Jake Floethe, Danny Grubb, Gavin Hedstrom, Nick Hom, Jacob Hower, Jake Johnson, Tommy Mendonca, Justin Miller, Danny Muno, Ryan Overland, Jordan Ribera, Todd Sandell, Tanner Scheppers, Trent Soares, Holden Sprague, Steve Susdorf, Kris Tomlinson, Erik Wetzel, Justin Wilson
Coaches: Head Coach: Mike Batesole, Assistant Coaches: Matt Curtis, Mike Mayne & Pat Waer
For more information on the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame, visit www.fresnoahof.org.
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
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