August 1, 2011
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State Department of Athletics will welcome a new class of four individuals and one championship team this winter into its Aztec Hall of Fame, presented by the Wise Foundation.
The newest Aztecs to enter the Hall of Fame include former men's basketball player Dick Barnes (1946-50), softball pitcher Sandra Durazo (1998-01), football offensive lineman Kyle Turley (1994-97), Olympic hurdler Quentin Wheeler (1975-76) and the 1958 San Diego State baseball team that won the NAIA national title.
The new class will be enshrined on Hall of Fame weekend, scheduled for Dec. 2-3. The official induction will take place Friday at the Fowler Athletics Center, and the group will be recognized on the field Saturday at halftime of the home football game against Fresno State at Qualcomm Stadium.
The Aztec Hall of Fame, presented by the Wise Foundation, inducted its first members in 1988 and has welcomed a new group of legends every year through 1999. Inductions were put on hold for two years while work was completed on the Aztec Athletics Center, which is the first permanent home of the Hall of Fame. Not including this year's class, 114 individuals and five teams have been inducted since its' inception.
For more information about the Aztec Hall of Fame induction ceremony, contact the Aztec Club at 619-594-6444. Football game tickets are available through the Aztec ticket office at 619-283-7378.
The following is a quick look at the newest Aztec Hall of Fame members:
Dick Barnes - Men's Basketball
1946-48-49-50
First-team all-CCAA Center in 1949-50 ... SDSU MVP in 1950 ... Led team in scoring with 12.4 ppg. ... First Aztec drafted by the NBA (New York in the 5th round) ... Attended Hoover High School ... Also played professional baseball ... Passed away November 2009.
Sandra Durazo - Softball
1998-99-00-01SDSU's all-time leader in wins (87), appearances (165), games started (116), complete games (95), shutouts (28, tied) and innings pitched (878.2) ... 2001 NFCA All-West Region (1st team) ... 2001 MWC Pitcher of the Year ... Two-time all-MWC pick (2000, 2001) ... MWC all-tournament team ... 2001-02 academic all-MWC ... Led team to the 2001 NCAA regional final against UCLA, starting every game ... It was the program's first-ever NCAA appearance ... One of two Aztec softball players to have her jersey number retired.
Kyle Turley - Football
1994-95-96-97
A heavily decorated offensive lineman, who was taken in the first round of the NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints ... Played five seasons with the Saints and was a member of the St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs organizations ... Two-time first-team all-WAC selection ... Finished his college career by being named first-team All-American by Football News, Sporting News, Football Writers Association of America and the American Football Coaches Association ... Two-time winner of the Chase Memorial Trophy presented to SDSU's outstanding offensive lineman.
Quentin Wheeler - Track & Field
1975-76
1976 Olympic finalist in the 440-meter intermediate hurdles with a time of 49.86 ...1976 NCAA Champion in 440M IH with a time of 48.55 ... All-American in 400M IH in 1976 ... Is seventh on the SDSU 110M high hurdle list with a time of 14.47... Holds the SDSU record in 400M IH with a time of 48.55.
1958 NAIA Baseball National Champions
Won the only national title in the program's history ... Team went 3-0 that year at the national championships at Sul Ross College in Alpine, Texas, defeating Elon (11-1), St. Cloud State (17-0) and Southwestern Oklahoma (23-9) ... Still holds the record for most runs scored in an NAIA national championship game (23) ... Also set NAIA championship game records at the time for most hits (21), runs by both teams (32), runs in one inning (12) and RBI (18) ... First baseman Jerry Smith, shortstop Tom Rinks and pitcher Steve Evans were all named to the all-tournament team ... Smith hit a team-best .378 that season ... Evans earned the wins vs. Elon and Southwestern Oklahoma ... Catcher and team captain Art "Butch" Fleming hit .364 in the three games with three RBI, two walks and a sacrifice bunt ... Bob Imlay pitched a one-hitter in the semifinal game with St. Cloud and also went 4-for-4 at the plate with six RBI and two runs scored ...SDSU trailed 1-0 early in the championship game with Southwestern Oklahoma, but scored 12 runs in the bottom of the third ... Team won the California Collegiate Athletic Association title and ended the regular season with a 23-7-1 record.