|
FCC possesses over 50 years of great sports
history from 1948 to present
When the late Stoney Johnston coached
the first Fresno Junior College football team in
1948, he couldn't possibly have realized how large
an impact intercollegiate athletics would have in
building the college's image over the next 50 years
and into the twenty-first century.
Fresno City College has grown from
three men's sports as FJC to a complement of 18
men's and women's teams in 12 sports. As the
college's academic ranking has grown to a high
degree of respect within the state and nation, so
too has its athletics reputation.
The successes of Rams' teams from the
beginning and across the years is wide and the
winning tradition is deep. There are also hundreds
of success stories of individuals who came to FCC as
student/athletes and parlayed constructive lessons
learned in the classroom and on the athletic field
into productive citizenship. Names known nationally
and internationally, who have worn FCC's red and
white, have brought accolades to themselves as well
as honor to the campus.
Odell Johnson (Edison High) was tall,
slender, quick as a cat and a highly intelligent
young man who led FCC to its first basketball state
championship in 1955. His coach, the late Joe Kelly,
guided Johnson and his teammates to a 28-2 season
which culminated with the 88-85 state championship
victory over Mt. San Antonio College in Fresno's
Roosevelt High gym. Johnson's 1,041 career points
hold 14th place on FCC's all-time scoring list. He
went on to play at St. Mary's University, chose a
career in education and retired as president of
Laney College in December, 1995. Just prior to his
retirement, he joined Kelly and four others as an
inaugural member of FCC's Court of Excellence.
Dr. Harry Edwards, a professor at the
University of California, Berkeley, is the nation's
most eminent sports sociologist and his FCC record
in the discus throw, set in 1960, lasted until Mike
Guidry broke it in 1999. Under the guidance of Erwin Ginsberg and other FCC faculty members, Edwards was
ready when he transferred to San José State
University. At SJSU, he excelled in the classroom as
well as in basketball and track and field.
Tom Seaver (Fresno), admitted to
baseball's Hall of Fame in 1992 with the highest
percentage of votes ever, posted an 11-2 record as a
pitcher for former coach Len Bourdet's FCC baseball
team in 1964. Bourdet became the first California
community college baseball coach to win over 700
games. Seaver's major league baseball career was
highlighted by three Cy Young Awards, 311 victories
and the New York Mets "miracle" World Series
champioship in 1969.
Lonnie Hughey (Sierra), in two
seasons of stellar basketball from 1962 to 1964, set
a school scoring record of 1,525 points long before
the three-point shot came into existence. That
record, and some he set at Fresno State, has not
been broken despite a ton of talent that has
followed him. The 1962-63 Rams were state champs.
Like Johnson and Kelly, he was an inaugural member
of the Court of Excellence.
Tom Flores (Sanger) is one of only
two men who have been to a Super Bowl in three
capacities: as a player, assistant coach and head
coach. An inaugural member of FCC's Football Wall of
Fame, he quarterbacked the Rams in 1954 and 1955.
Before transferring to College (now University) of
the Pacific, he played baseball and was active in
student government. He has been honored by FCC's
Associated Students as a "Distinguished Alumnus." He
is the color commentator on Oakland Raiders football
broadcasts.
Ryan Wetnight (Hoover) came to FCC as
a quarterback, but wound up playing every game in
the 1989 and 1990 seasons as a tight end. He was
honored by JC Grid-Wire as an All-American and a
Scholar All-American. His ability in both areas was
noted by Stanford University and he received a full
scholarship to study and play football. In 1993, he
was given a free agent tryout with the Chicago Bears
of the National Football League. He won the Bears'
Brian Piccolo Memorial Award following the 1997
season and is a member of FCC's Football "Wall of
Fame."
When opportunities for women expanded with the
passage of Title IX of the Education Act of 1972,
FCC, under the guidance of athletics director Hans
Wiedenhoefer, quickly began working to abide by the
new federal law.
After startup procedures were complete, the women's
sports program began its competition during the
1975-76 academic year. The teams were volleyball,
tennis, and track and field. Women's cross country
began in the fall of 1977 and women's basketball
followed for the 1977-78 year. In 1983, FCC began
its women's softball program. Games and practices
were held off campus until 1995 when an on-campus
field was constructed. That fall, women's golf
became the next FCC intercollegiate women's team
followed by badminton in 2000.
Tammy Thomason (Fresno) is one of the women who
brought prominenece to FCC from 1981 to 1983.
Forming one-third of an awesome front line with
Brenda Frazier (Edison) and Berlynda Haslip
(Edison), her basketball scoring records held up
until the mid 90's. An excellent student as well as
a high percentage shooter, Thomason transferred to
Weber State University where she played a prominent
role in the classroom and on the court for the
Wildcats. Thomason became a geologist.
Liz Apodaca (Fresno) was a member of
FCC's first softball team and pitched her team into
the state playoffs in 1983 and 1984. After receiving
two team MVP awards, the conference MVP award as a
sophomore and second-team All-State honors that
year, Apodaca transferred to the University of the
Pacific on an academic/athletics scholarship. An
excellent hitter blessed with speed, she was a fine
outfielder and pitched parttime for the Tigers. She
became a biologist.
Glenda Campbell Jacobsen (Roosevelt)
was also a member of FCC's first softball team and
its tenth. After she won all-conference honors as a
freshman, she married and supported her husband,
Bob, in his minor league baseball career. Through
the intervening years, Jacobsen kept in shape and
her skills didn't diminish. She came back to play
even better in 1992 and was an all-state selection.
That fall, she was a member of the cross country
team. The next year, she played a key role as a
hurdler and jumper on FCC's conference championship
women's track and field team. Glenda went on to earn
a bachelor's degree and teaching credential.
Dara Wright (Hoover) is another
success story. She received many honors at FCC from
1991 to 1993, participating in basketball, track and
field and volleyball. A hard worker in practice as
well as in games, meets and matches, she transferred
to Stanislaus State where she competed in track and
field and earned a bachelor's degree and a teaching
credential.
Here are the most recent former Rams
success stories. Maurice Morris (Chester, So. Car.),
FCC's best-ever running back and a 2002 NFL
second-round draft pick out of the University of
Oregon, signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
Tight end David Sloan (Sierra) signed a four-year
contract with the New Orleans Saints while
lefthanded pitchers Ted Lilly (Yosemite) and Jaime
Cerda (Selma) are enjoying major league careers with
the A's and Mets.
The names mentioned in this history,
as well as dozens more, have been the brick and
mortar foundation which has established FCC's
athletics reputation throughout the state and
nation. Their accomplishments speak well of youthful
days at FCC, not only of the camaraderie with
teammates and instructors, but of lasting
friendships and valuable lessons learned.
-RAMS!-
|
|
 Looking
for a specific class, past grades, schedules, instructor lists? Then our
online WebAdvisor is ready to help!
|
|
 We want
you to get to know more about our campus, where classrooms are located,
how to get to our campus and more!
|
|
|
NAVIGATE FCC ATHLETICS