Help Us Realize Our Vision

Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame

A bold partnership between the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame, Fresno State and the Fresno County Office of Education was formed to establish a presence for the FCAHOF in the Save Mart Center at Fresno State. 

The lives of generations of children and families will be enriched through the amazing stories of the men and women enshrined in the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame. Our new home in the Save Mart Center will help in teaching the ethical values inherent in sports through lessons in trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.  

Located in the southwest corner of the Save Mart Center, this interactive educational exhibit will inspire future generations of athletes, coaches, and community leaders and deepen their sense of community pride. 

Become a Proud Sponsor 

Sponsorship of individual stations such as the interactive video wall or individual interactive kiosks include a recognition emblem which will be engraved on metal and displayed on each unit. Each of our sponsors will be recognized and listed on our Donor Wall which will be placed in a prominent position within the exhibit. Sponsors contributing $20,000 or more will also be included in the video message board. Each looping video segment will include and feature their products and/or services. 

The future home of Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame, will soon be located at the Save Mart Center on the Fresno State campus. The Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization that depends upon the support of the community and local businesses. You can become a proud participant by pledging your financial support today! 

For additional information about how you can get involved and support our effort please call us at (559) 448-0677 or email us at info@fresnoahof.org.

Be Our Guest

Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame

The Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame is celebrating its 60th Annual Induction Dinner & Fundraiser on November 1, 2018 at The Fresno Convention Center Valdez Hall. This dinner honors the athletic excellence of those from our local area.

FCAHOF 2018 Inductees

This year's inductees are:

Logan Mankins - Football

John Carbray - Community Leader

Shelly Stokes - Softball

Pat Hill - Football Coaching

Dot Jones - Track & Field

The 1959 Fresno State Baseball Team

The 2008 Fresno State Baseball Team

Fundraiser includes a live auction and raffle. Doors open at 5:30, dinner is served at 7:00. Sponsorship packages beginning at $1500 are available now. Individual tickets are $100 and will be available beginning September 4th.

Fresno Rockets Celebrate 70th Anniversary

Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame

The Fresno Rockets softball team was started in 1946 by Dutch Chandler and Kermit Lynch, former players for the World Champion Hammer Field Raiders softball team. 

In 1946 the team was initially called the Fresno San Joaquins, then the Fresno Roma Girls, and in 1947 they were named the Fresno Rockets by Ed Orman, sports editor for the Fresno Bee. 

Many of the players were local, but Dutch and Kermit went to the Bay Area to recruit some of the players from the disbanded Alameda Girls championship team, namely Kay Rich and Bernice Amaral. 

Photographer Courtesy of FCAHOF

Members of the original team were Jean Everest, Delores Littlefield, Mary Rider, Doris Voss, Etta Nickels, Ginny Busick, Alice Pallici, Vera Miller, Nadine Nichols, Pat Richmond, Rene Huber, Eleanor Miller, Betty Malm, Barbara Jigouleff, Alyce Anderson, and Rich and Amaral. 

The Rockets played in the Pacific Coast Women’s Softball League that included teams from Portland, Orange, Buena Park, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Huntington Park and Whittier. 

World tournaments were the goal of all teams and the Rockets got to see the U.S.A. via automobile while traveling to tournament sites in Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto Canada, Orange, Florida, Portland, Connecticut and Buena Park. 


The Rockets were dominant in the 50’s winning A.S.A. World Championships in 1953, 1954 and 1957. These teams were inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. Several players have been inducted into the A.S.A. Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City: Ginny Busick, Kay Rich, Gloria May and Jeanne Contel. These four plus Vera Miller are in the FAHOF. Many young women wore the Rocket uniform until the team disbanded in the early seventies.

In 2014, The Fresno Bee caught up with some of the 

The Fresno Rockets' Team Members.

Surviving members of the first team are Kay Rich, Etta Nickels Weaver and Eleanor Miller. Rich and Miller were in attendance at the 2016 Enshrinement Dinner. 

Each year some of the former members attend the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame dinner and then meet the following day for a reunion. This year they celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Fresno Rockets.