Inaugural Clovis Unified Hall of Fame class loaded with stars

The late Superintendent Floyd “Doc” Buchanan, iconic football coach Tim Simons, All-Pro quarterback Daryle Lamonica and All-America softball player Amanda Scott will be among seven individuals and two teams inducted into Clovis Unified’s inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday.

The event, free to the public, will be held at Clovis North High’s Performing Arts Center with a 6 p.m. reception and 7 p.m. program. A dinner will not be included, but appetizers will be served at the reception.

The Performing Arts Center can accommodate between 700 and 800 people.

The inductees:

▪ Floyd “Doc” Buchanan: The district’s late 31-year superintendent championed competition, teamwork and accountability while shaping a district athletic power that has been hailed nationally.

▪ Daryle Lamonica, Class of the 1960s: Clovis High graduate and namesake of the school’s football stadium, he went on to play quarterback at Notre Dame, the Buffalo Bills (1963-66) and Oakland Raiders (1967-74). He was a two-time American Football League Player of the Year and two-time All-Pro.

▪ Dennis DeLiddo, Class of the 1970s: Coached Clovis wrestling teams to three state titles, five section championships and a 145-7-1 record.

▪ Ruth Lawanson, Class of the 1980s: Starred in volleyball, basketball and track and field at Clovis West before making All-America at Fresno State in volleyball. She was a member of the U.S. bronze-medal Olympic team in 1992.

▪ Amanda Scott, Class of the 1990s: Clovis pitcher was named Cal-Hi Sports Miss Softball California Player of the Year in 1996 before becoming a four-time All-American at Fresno State and leading the Bulldogs to the 1998 NCAA title.

▪ Chris Hernandez, Class of the 2000s: Clovis West basketball star was named state Division-I Player of the Year before making all-conference in the Pacific-10 three times at Stanford.

▪ Tim Simons, Class of 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s: Compiled 249-94-7 record with five section titles and 11 league championships in a 30-year football coaching career, including a 218-61-6 (.775) record in 24 seasons at Clovis. The second-winningest coach in section history closed his career at Clovis North last fall. He was named Cal-Hi Sports California Coach of the Year in 1984.

▪ Clovis 1968 boys basketball team: Won the district’s first large-schools league title (in this case, North Yosemite) in any boys sport, finishing 23-4. That win total still stands tied for second in school history. Only the Cougars’ 26-10 record in 2005 is better.

▪ Clovis 1970 football team: Won the district’s first section football championship.

Section historian Bob Barnett provided the statistical data for the district’s selection committee.

This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Inaugural Clovis Unified Hall of Fame class loaded with stars."