Chico State Athletics

Deann Carlson – Basketball (1985-87)

Kenny Gleason – Basketball (1988-92)

Aubrey Gray – Football (1968-69)

James Mavor – Football (1983-85)

Nathan "Nate" Palmer – Baseball (1995-96)

Jose Alfredo Saenz – Cross Country (1999-2000), Track & Field (2000)

Michelle Vanden Bosch – Basketball (1993-97)

Tom Little -- Honorary Inductee

Note - Becky Blankenship (Basketball, Track & Field, 1976-80) was also voted into the Chico State Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2012, but because she will be unable to make it to this year's celebration, her induction is deferred until 2013.

Armand Boutté – Track & Field (1979-1980)
After earning his bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1980, Boutté went on to coach athletes at all levels with the motto, “A champion works their hardest on their last.” Through their experience with Boutté, many fine athletes have chosen to run track at Chico State.

Boutté has served his community and those in need in many more ways, volunteering for countless organizations and projects. He was named the County Juvenile Hall Volunteer of the Year in 2004, and last summer was his 10th straight building homes for the needy in Tijuana, Mexico.






Deann Carlson – Basketball (1985-87)
Deann Carlson was one of the key players in the powerful Chico State women’s basketball program’s great run during the mid-1980s. Carlson led the Wildcats in scoring, rebounds, and free throws during the 1985-86 season and was rewarded with first team All-NCAC honors. She followed up that campaign by helping lead the team to the NCAC title, a 23-7 overall record, and the Wildcats’ first trip to the NCAA Championship Tournament. The Wildcats advanced to the second round and Carlson was once again named first team all-conference and also earned the Chico Enterprise-Record’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year award.
 
Legendary Head Coach Fran Coslet described Carlson as a highly skilled competitive player who understood the game and played with a lot of heart. Coslet probably appreciated Carlson’s production as well. She wrapped up her two-year career among the program’s top five all time in made baskets, free throws, free throw percentage, scoring and rebounds.
 
Carlson, a two-time NCAC All-Academic First Team selection, graduated Cum Laude that spring. Today Carlson works in the Human Resources Department of the San Juan Unified School District where she’s been employed for more than a decade.





Kenny Gleason – Basketball (1988-92)

Gleason still ranks among Chico State’s all-time top 10 in 3-pointers and steals.
 
An outstanding student as well and member of the Dean’s list, Gleason earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Chico State in 1993 and later his multiple subject teaching credential.  Gleason has taught for history, math, and science at Park Middle School in Antioch for the past 11 years while chairing a number of committees and departments.

It turns out Kenny has never stopped doing big things.






Aubrey Gray – Football (1968-69)
 
Mavor continued his kicking career after college, signing contracts with the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, and Oakland Raiders.
 
An outstanding student as well, Mavor earned undergraduate degrees in both physical education and communications. He has been working in the footwear industry for over a decade, successfully working his way up from sales rep to his current position as President of Pac Lantic Sales.
 
Mavor has also volunteered for seven seasons as a youth coach with Rocklin Little League, for three as a youth soccer coach, and for two as a youth girls’ softball coach.





Nathan "Nate" Palmer – Baseball (1995-96)
A catcher who can play strong defense and call a good game is a necessity for a successful baseball team. A catcher who can do all of that and also provide a big bat is a huge bonus. Nate Palmer was that kind of catcher. Palmer played two years for the Wildcats, coming into his own during the same season the Wildcats’ program did – in 1996. Palmer hit 12 home runs and drove in 65 during the Wildcats’ first ever run to the NCAA Championship Tournament West Region title game. That was the first of 13 NCAA Tournament berths for the Wildcats in the past 17 seasons.
The Chico State Men’s Cross Country team has enjoyed tremendous success over the years, logging 12 straight top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Championships. The 1999 men’s squad, led by Jose Alfredo Saenz, began the streak. In many ways, Saenz was the catalyst for all that has been accomplished since.
 
That he arrived at Chico State at all was quite an accomplishment. Saenz didn’t even start running until his junior year of high school, and only then because he thought it would help him dunk a basketball. He never did, but his distance running career turned into a slam-dunk. After two successful seasons at Modesto Junior College as the first member of his family ever to attend college, Saenz chose to continue his academic and athletic pursuits at Chico State.
 
Saenz’s time at Chico State was highlighted by Cross Country All-America honors in 1999 and Track & Field All-America honors in the 10,000 meters at the 2000 NCAA Championships. Saenz also captured the 2000 CCAA 10K championship in school record time.
 
Since graduating from Chico State in 2002, Saenz has gone on to impact much more than just the Chico State distance running program. Since graduating he has worked as a high school Spanish teacher and manager of a group home, providing a positive role model for the youth in his area.



Michelle Vanden Bosch – Basketball (1993-97)
 
With all that in mind, it’s quite notable that Vanden Bosch is most known by those she came in contact with for her tremendous attitude and exuberant personality.
 
Vanden Bosch, who earned her bachelor’s degree from Chico State in 1998, recently celebrated her 10^th anniversary as a Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant based at Chicago’s Midway Airport. Those who know Michelle will not be surprised to hear that her supervisor describes Michelle as the “cream of our crop.”




Tom Little -- Honorary Inductee
For every successful team that has taken the field, the court, or the arena there is one key player that no team can do without—the athletic trainer. For 17 years, Tom Little was the man at Chico State who provided the medical care for literally thousands of student athletes. In the late 1960s, Chico State hired over a dozen coaches and started a new era of athletics history. Tom Little was a key component in the success those teams enjoyed over the next two decades. He spent hours with the teams, both at home and on the road, providing the utmost of care. Little took the responsibility seriously, keeping current in all aspects of injury treatment and prevention by attending conferences and discussing issues with others in his field throughout the country.
 
While taking on all of these responsibilities, Little also served on many committees and in leadership positions with the National Athletic Trainers Association, promoting the need for athletic trainers at every level of competition.
 
Little also spent over 30 years as an associate professor in the Department of Physical Education, teaching and mentoring students who aspired to enter the field of athletic training.