On his second day of water polo practice at Chico State in 1964, Charles Hay punched his teammate Kenneth "Andy" Solum. One of nine former student-athletes inducted into the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2017, Solum was on hand to see Hay tell that story during his induction speech Saturday night at Chico State's Bell Memorial Union. Hay and Solum have been best friends for the past 50 years.
A water polo athlete from 1964-65 and swimmer in 1965 and 1966, Hay was honored along with Bruce Griewe, Scott Wulferdingen, Ken Duimstra, Tony Prescott, Stacey (Clifton) Glenn, Katie (Lee) Layman, Missy (Lendl) Jones, Marissa White, and honorary inductee Dr. Alan Azevedo. Another great Wildcat, Scott Fairley, was presented with the Mac Martin Award.
"My teammates were good swimmers," Hay said. "But they're beautiful people."
The 2003 women's cross country team, which captured the program's first of many NCAA West Region titles and NCAA Championship podium finishes with key contributions from Layman and Jones, was also celebrated during the ceremony.
On a night full of laughter, smiles, and even a few tears, one thing that all of the inductees shared was an appreciation for the people who supported their dreams to be the best athlete they could be, and the relationships they built during their time at Chico State.
"I've played on a whole lot of teams over the years," said Wulferdingen, who played soccer for the Wildcats from 1987-89. "But what separates Chico State is that when I think of that time, I don't even think about soccer. I think about my relationships with my teammates and the times we have shared laughing and crying together."
Prescott, who played basketball for the Wildcats during the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons and is now the Regional Director for the North Bay Basketball Academy in Napa, spoke of the impact former teammate and long-time friend Antone Curtis has had on his life.
"So much of what I try to teach the kids I learned from Antone," he said.
During their years as members of the track & field and cross country programs, Layman and Jones developed a friendship that has stood the test of time. Each spoke with pride about the woman the other has become.
Fairley and Duimstra reflected with pride on the very real impact Chico State has had on their own families. Fairley is one of six siblings with a Chico State degree, and both of his sons graduated from Chico State. Duimstra's eldest son graduated from Chico State in May, and his third son will be attending Chico State beginning in the spring.
Chico State President Gayle Hutchinson opened the evening with her own story about how sport has impacted her life.
"We all loved sport," she said. "But sport evolved into family. You can see that in the generations of hall of famers who are here tonight to celebrate this new class. And our Chico State family sticks together."
The Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2017 could not agree more.
Ken Duimstra – Football, 1988-90; Baseball, 1988-89
The Chico State football program's all-time leader in receptions (142) and touchdown catches (16), Duimstra set Chico State and Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) records with 78 receptions as a senior in 1990, ranking second in NCAA Division II in receptions per game (7.8). Duimstra also ranks second in school history with 1,820 career receiving yards.
He was a First Team All-NCAC receiver in 1990 and was invited to play in the MLK All-America Classic in 1991.
Duimstra, who owns 3D Steel Services in Rancho Cucamonga, also lettered in baseball for two seasons, splitting time between starting pitcher and reliever.
Stacey (Clifton) Glenn – Volleyball, 2001-03
The most prolific hitter in the history of the Chico State volleyball team, Glenn averaged a school record 4.11 kills per set over her three seasons with the Wildcats after transferring from the University of Texas. That record remains.
A three-time All-California Collegiate Athletic Association selection, Glenn helped lead the program's resurgence. Following five consecutive single-digit win seasons prior to her arrival on campus, the Wildcats went 48-33, riding Glenn's powerful swing, during her career in a Chico State uniform.
Glenn wrapped up her career with 1,166 kills (fourth in program history) and 208 blocks (seventh). She also racked up two of the top 10 kill totals and kills-per-set marks in single season history, and ranks ninth in single-season aces with 47.
Bruce Griewe – Baseball, 1958-59
Griewe had a live fastball and a devastating curve that sent many a collegiate baseball player walking back to the dugout head down in despair. But the former Chico State baseball pitcher and Los Angeles Dodgers farmhand spent his life after baseball doing the opposite: encouraging young people and lifting their heads.
Following his time at Chico State (1958-59) and then in professional baseball, the Sonoma High School graduate returned to teach in Sonoma, eventually retiring after 36 years as a teacher and administrator.
After transferring from Santa Rosa Junior College where he lettered in baseball and basketball, Griewe dominating Far Western Conference (FWC) hitters for two seasons. He was 9-2 with a 2.41 ERA as a junior, leading the Wildcats to an overall mark of 18-6. As a senior, Griewe went 10-3 with a 2.45 ERA, striking out 94 in 88 innings of work. His 1-hitter against San Francisco State late in the season clinched the FWC title for Chico State, which finished 18-10 overall.
Nearly 50 seasons after wrapping up his Chico State baseball career, Griewe still ranks among the program's all-time top 10 in career winning percentage, wins, strikeouts, and earned run average.
Chuck Hay – Water Polo, 1964-65; Swimming 1965-66
The Chico State swimming and diving program was among the nation's best for approximately three decades. Chuck Hay was one of the engines that propelled the program into national prominence. One of the first All-Americans in the history of the program (he earned three all together) and a member of the team that made the program's first appearance in the NCAA Championships, Hay set five Far Western Conference (FWC) and 10 school records over the course of two season.
Hay was among the first six All-Americans in program history during Chico State's 11
th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 1965. In 1966, Hay helped the Wildcats to a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. That was the first of 23 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships for the program over the next 25 years. The team won four NCAA titles in the decade following Hay's time at Chico State.
He won three individual and two relay titles at the FWC Championships as a junior and then four more conference titles and a relay title in 1966.
Hay also helped Chico State's water polo squad to a pair of runner-up conference finishes over his two seasons on the team.
Missy (Lendl) Jones – Cross Country, 2001-03 & 2005; Track and Field, 2002-05
Competing in cross country from 2001-03 and in 2005, Jones helped lead the Chico State women's cross country team to its first two conference championships in 2002 and 2003, first NCAA West Regional Championship in 2003, and first two NCAA Championships podium (top four) finishes in 2003 and 2005. In track and field (2002-05), the three-time All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) performer and two-time NCAA Championships qualifier helped to propel the Wildcats to their first ever CCAA title in 2004.
A standout in competition and in the classroom, Jones was named the Chico State Female Scholar Athlete of the Year as a senior.
She began her Wildcats career in style as well, capturing 2001 CCAA Cross Country Freshman of the Year honors. Jones would go on to place 18
th and 32
nd at the NCAA Championships in 2003 and 2005, respectively, becoming the first two-time All-American in the program's history. She also earned two All-West Region honors, leading the 2003 team to its first ever West Region title with her team-best fourth-place finish.
On the track, Jones twice finished second to teammate Layman in the 5,000 meters at the CCAA Championships and earned three All-CCAA honors. She also qualified twice for the NCAA Championship finals in the 10,000 meters, finishing ninth in 2004 and 2005.
Jones still ranks fourth-fastest in the 10,000 meters in school history.
Katie (Lee) Layman – Cross Country, 2001-03 & 2005; Track and Field, 2002-05
Competing in cross country from 2001-03 and in 2005, and track and field from 2002-05, Layman enjoyed a legendary run as a Wildcat, earning seven All-America honors and claiming six CCAA titles along the way.
Layman also helped lead the women's cross country team to its first two conference championships (2002 and 2003), first NCAA West Regional Championship (2003), and first two NCAA Championship podium performances. The Wildcats finished fourth in the nation in 2003 and 2005.
Layman won six CCAA track and field titles, winning the 3,000 and 5,000 meters in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Her 20 points in the 2004 meet propelled the Wildcats to their first ever CCAA title. Her team-high 20 points at that meet led the way. She was even more familiar with the NCAA Championship podium. The runner-up in the NCAA Championships 10,000-meter final in 2003, Layman also finished fifth in the nation in the 5,000 meters twice, fifth in the 10,000 meters once, and logged finishes of fifth and sixth place in the 3,000 meters.
Layman held the school record in the 3,000, 5,000, and 10,000 meters upon her graduation, and remains the fastest 5,000-meter runner in school history 12 years later. She is also still the second fastest in school history in the 3,000 meters and sixth fastest in the 10,000.
On the trails, Layman's 15
th-place finish at the 2003 NCAA Cross Country Championships is the fourth highest finish by an individual in the history of the program. The three-time All-West Region and All-CCAA cross country performer was the runner-up at the NCAA West Region Championships in 2005 and the runner-up at the CCAA Championships in 2003.
Tony Prescott – Basketball, 1992-93 & 1993-94
Currently the Regional Director for the North Bay Basketball Academy in Napa, Prescott led Chico State to back-to-back Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) titles in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. His career scoring average of 17.52 points per game still ranks sixth in Chico State men's basketball history. He also ranks 10
th in career steals (88) and free throw percentage (.842).
A Second Team All-NCAC selection and the team's Defensive MVP as a junior, Prescott helped lead the Wildcats to the NCAC's regular-season and postseason Shaughnessy Tournament titles. He averaged 22 points and 6.5 assists per game in the Shaughnessy Tournament and carried that momentum over to his senior season.
Prescott garnered First Team All-Conference and Team MVP honors as a senior after leading the Wildcats in scoring (19.5 points per game) and assists (120 on the season).
After graduating, Prescott spent a season playing professionally for the Shepparton Gators in Western Australia. He also spent many years playing in the legendary SF Bay Area Pro-Am League, earning a title as a player for East Bay in 2009. He is now an assistant coach with East Bay.
Marissa White – Basketball, 2002-03 & 2003-04
Her statistics were outstanding. Her accolades were numerous. But statistics, awards, and expressions fall short in describing White's impact on the Chico State women's basketball program. White, who played for the Wildcats during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, brought toughness, competitive spirit, and hometown pride to the program at just the right time.
Chico State Hall of Famer Joddie Vossler Gleason, White's coach during her two seasons at Butte College, put it wonderfully: "I see the value of Marissa White more now than I did when she was on my team many years ago. I didn't fully realize what a gem I had in Marissa. After coaching for 20-plus years, I now realize that people like Marissa are hard to come by."
White, who grew up in Chico and played at Chico High School and then Butte College, led the Wildcats to back-to-back NCAA Championship Tournament berths following a six-year drought.
As a senior, she led the California Collegiate Athletic Association in 3-pointers made (80) and 3-point percentage (.415) and earned First Team All-CCAA and Second Team All-West Region honors. She also led the team in scoring (16.7 points per game), steals (58), and free throw percentage (.789) while averaging 3.6 assists 3.0 rebounds per game. Her 80 3-pointers crushed the school record (which still stands) and her 16.7 points per game remains 10th on the all-time Chico State list.
As a junior, White earned Second Team All-CCAA accolades after averaging 14.3 points per game. She buried 57 triples and led the team with 63 steals.
Scott Wulferdingen – Soccer, 1987-89
Wulferdingen spent three seasons with the Wildcats, culminating in First Team All-America and Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) MVP accolades in 1989, before starting his decade long professional career. He tallied 16 goals and 38 points as a junior before signing a contract with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks. He also played for the Atlanta Attack, Dutch clubs SVV Schiedam, SVC SM, and Hermes DVS, and the Chico Rooks.
Wulferdingen also earned First Team All-West Region accolades as a sophomore in 1989.
His 16-goal total as a junior is still tied for the fourth most in the program's single-season history. His 38 points that season are tied for third.
Despite bypassing his senior season, Wulferdingen ranks 10
th in school history in career goals (27) and assists (15) and is seventh all-time in points with 69.
"He's the best athlete I ever coached," said legendary former Chico State Head Coach Don Batie.
Honorary Inductee Dr. Alan Azevedo
Beginning in 1985, Azevedo gave his time freely as the department's team physician for more than 30 years, evaluating injuries and performing surgeries. But according to Chico State Head Athletic Trainer Scott Barker, Azevedo did much more than that.
"There is no doubt that his skills in medicine enabled countless athletes to return to the sport they love," said Chico State Head Athletic Trainer Scott Barker. "But what makes Dr. Azevedo extraordinary is his understanding and appreciation for that special thing that beats inside a competitive student-athlete in the prime of their competitive life, and what it means to have that taken away due to an injury. He understands the needs and desires of our student-athletes because he shares their competitive drive."
Azevedo's generosity was not reserved only for Chico State.
The lone Orthopedic Surgeon in the area to meet the requirements for membership in the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, Azevedo spearheaded the program that put physicians on the sidelines during local high school football games, and provided free preseason physical examinations for thousands of student-athletes at local high schools each year.
Mac Martin Award winner — Scott Fairley
A legend in the world of high school track and field, Fairley is the third winner of the Hall of Fame Committee's Mac Martin Award, reserved for a former Chico State student-athlete who has distinguished his/herself in their post-collegiate career by bringing honor to the University, community and their vocation, just as Mac Martin did.
After graduating from Oroville's Las Plumas High School in 1974, Fairley joined Chico State's track and field team. By the end of his tenure, he was a team captain and two-time NCAA Championships qualifier in the pole vault.
Even bigger and better things were ahead. Soon after graduating with a bachelor's degree and teaching credential from Chico State, Fairley was hired to be the head track and field at Chico High School. It was the start of what would become one of the most successful high school coaching careers in Northern Section history.
After leading the Panthers boys track and field team to four Eastern Athletic League titles, Fairley became the head track and field and cross country coach at the brand new West Valley High School in Cottonwood.
Over the last 34 years, Fairley's West Valley teams have won 119 varsity league and section championships and posted a combined dual meet record of 586-28-2. He has guided the West Valley girls team – the only team to have athletes ranked in every event on the all-time Northern Section performance list – to the Northern Section title 23 times in the past 30 seasons.
Fairley has mentored many fine athletes along the way, including 162 section champions and 120 State Championship qualifiers. One of those athletes, Nicole Teter, went on to win four US titles and compete in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics in the 800 meters. A number of others ran at Chico State, including Chico State Athletics Hall of Fame inductees Jenny Spoon and David Braund, and 2017 All-American Hannah Dorman.
In the process, Fairley has received numerous national and local awards, including:
- 1990 Northern Section Track and Field Honor Coach
- 1994 Northern Section Cross Country Honor Coach
- 2000 California Coaches' Association Girls' Track and Field Coach of the Year
- 2002 USA Track and Field National High School Pole Vault Coach of the Year
- 2011 Northern Section Athletic Director of the Year
- 2011 Northern Section CIF Distinguished Service Award
- 2011 Anderson Union High School District Employee of the Year
- 2013 Oroville Union High School District Hall of Fame inductee
Fairley also started the wrestling program at West Valley High School and served as head coach for eight seasons. He has served as West Valley's Director of Athletics since 1998, Northern Athletic League Co-Commissioner since 2005, Northern Section Track and Cross Country Chairman since 1991, and served as a State CIF Track and Cross Country Advisory member from 1998-2004.
The 2003 Chico State Women's Cross Country Team
Led by Katie (Lee) Layman and Missy (Lendl) Jones, the 2003 Wildcats won the program's first NCAA Championship West Region title, beginning a stretch of three straight titles and seven in the past 14 years. The Wildcats went on to finish on the NCAA Championships podium for the first time, placing fourth. They also won the CCAA crown for the second time in school history.
(Lendl) Jones finished 18
th at the NCAA Championships, Kelly (Ortlieb) Butler came in 36
th, and Margaret Pridgen placed 46
th. At that time, those were three of only five top-50 NCAA Championships finishes in the history of the program.
(Lendl) Jones also led the way at the West Regional Championships, placing fourth. She, Pridgen, (Ortlieb) Butler, Sarah Montez, and (Lee) Layman all earned All-West Region honors with finishes within the top 10.
Head Coach Gary Towne was named the CCAA and West Region Coach of the Year.
The complete 2003 Chico State Women's Cross Country Roster:
Kelly (Ortlieb) Butler
Kristi Cangiamilla
Laura Cohen
Melissa Hardy
Missy (Lendl) Jones
Katie (Lee) Layman
Sarah Montez
Hilary Oppido
Paige Osborn
Margaret Pridgen
Holly Root
Dallase Scott
Jennifer (James) Serna
Monique Silva
Vanessa (Hansen) Smith
Kellie Stephens
Alicia Wiley
The Chico State Athletics Hall of Fame
Established in 1985, the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame's mission is to recognize and honor the outstanding achievements of its former students and the meritorious efforts of coaches, staff, alumni, and friends on behalf of the University's athletic department.
Induction to the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame is based on an individual's varsity athletic accomplishments at Chico State. Each must meet the following criteria: Completed at least two years with "unusual distinction" in one or more varsity intercollegiate programs, completed their collegiate athletic participation at Chico State, and completed their collegiate athletic eligibility at least 10 years prior to induction.
Honorary members of the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame are individuals or teams that have contributed to the athletic department with distinction.
