Aug. 13, 2012
The San Diego State Department of Athletics will welcome a new class of four athletes and one administrator this fall into its Aztec Hall of Fame, presented by the Wise Foundation.
The newest Aztecs to enter the Hall of Fame include former director of athletics Dr. O. Kenneth Karr, Jr. (1969-78), men's basketball player Randy Holcomb (2001-02), football players Mike Malano (1996-99) and J.R. Tolver (1999-02) and women's volleyball player Liane Sato (1985-86).
The new class will be enshrined on Hall of Fame weekend, scheduled for Sept. 21-22. 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 San Jose 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, 118 individuals and six 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:
Dr. O. Kenneth Karr, Jr. - Director of Athletics
1969-78
Appointed in July 1969, was the first athletic director to manage the athletic department as a major university enterprise and not as just as a part of academics, which had been the case since the "modern" sports program were established in 1921 ... Drew up the initial major college schedules for football and basketball, securing game contracts with "major" conference institutions ... Negotiated the Aztecs move into the Western Athletic Conference ... In charge of the University's transition of the women's intercollegiate sports program from the old WAA into Athletics ... Helped SDSU gain membership into the exclusive College Football Association and its lucrative television contacts, a difficult undertaking in the 70's ... Responsible for securing the 1974 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and obtaining the NCAA certification for the first Holiday Bowl.
Randy Holcomb - Men's Basketball
2001-02
The first nationally prominent player to sign with the Aztecs in the Steve Fisher era ... Started all 61 games at San Diego State after transferring from L.A. City College ... Led San Diego State to a 35-26 record in his two seasons after the Aztecs posted a 9-45 record in the two years prior his arrival ... Helped SDSU advance to the NCAA tournament in 2002 for the first time since 1986 ... Earned first-team all-conference honors and league tournament MVP accolades as a senior ... In his two seasons, he led SDSU in rebounding 40 times, in scoring 31 times and in assists seven times ... Had 19 double-doubles and 56 double-figure scoring outings ... Career at SDSU (at the time of his departure): 19th in scoring (1,002), tied for 10th in blocked shots (51), tied for 9th in career starts since 1978-79 season (61) ... Second round pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs ... Played professionally with the Chicago Bulls (2005-06) and overseas.
Mike Malano - Football
1996-97-98-99
A four-year letterwinner, earned first-team All-America honors as a senior by the Football Writers Association... All-Mountain West Conference first-team choice as a senior ... Started every game at center, recording 30 knockdowns ... Did not allow a sack his final two campaigns ... All-Western Athletic Conference first-team selection as a junior in 1998 ... Named the Aztecs' Lineman of the Year ... Started all 46 games of his college career, playing both guard and center ... Selected in the seventh round by Minnesota (240th overall) in the 2000 Draft ... Played with the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe during the 2002 season ... One of only 11 SDSU players to be named a first-team football All-American in the Division I era.
Liane Sato - Women's Volleyball
1985-86
Setter for the Aztecs, but was a defensive specialist for the U.S. national team ... Led SDSU to the NCAA Playoffs in both 1985 and 1986 ... School-record 1,785 assists in 1985 ... Second-team all-Big West performer as a junior ... Transferred to SDSU after being a two-year starter at UC Santa Barbara ... Member of the 1988 and 1992 United States Olympic teams ... Won a bronze medal with the 1992 squad ... Bronze medalist at the 1990 world championships ... Also competed professionally in beach volleyball ... 1993 Women's Beach Volleyball League (WBVL) Defensive Player of the Year ... 1993-94 WBVL all-league setter ... Brother, Eric, is a two-time Olympic medalist in indoor volleyball ... Other brother, Gary, is a member of the U.S. Men's Olympic volleyball coaching staff ... Another brother, Scott, played for the Aztecs' men's volleyball squad ... Currently is a volleyball coach and teacher at Santa Monica High School.
J.R. Tolver - Football
1999-00-01-02
SDSU all-time leader in career receptions (262) and receiving yards (3,572) ... Fourth-team All-American by Sporting News in 2002 ... In 2002, set the Aztec single-season record for catches (128) and receiving yards (1,785) ... Led the nation in receiving yards in 2002 with 1,785, which was the fourth-best season total in NCAA history ... 128 catches were seventh in NCAA history ... Finished his career as the all-time leading receiver in MWC history ... Along with Kassim Osgood, set NCAA records in 2002 for most combined catches and receiving yards by two teammates in the same season ... 18 catches against Hawaii in 2002 is a school record ... 13 career 100-yard receiving games (most of any Aztec), including eight in 2002 ... Led SDSU in receptions and receiving yards three straight seasons (2000-02) ... Had 296 yards receiving against Arizona State in 2002 to rank second all-time ... 18 career TDs, including 12 his senior campaign ... Unanimous first-team all-conference in 2002 ... Semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's top receiver ... Second team all-league in 2000 and 2001 ... Two-time MWC player of the week ... Team MVP in 2002 ... Byron Chase Trophy recipient in 2000 and 2001 ... Team captain in 2000 and 2002 ... Played in the East-West Shrine Bowl as a senior ... Selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins ... Played for the Dolphins (2003-04) and Cowboys (2005).