Fresno State greats David Carr, Melvin Ely highlight 2017 Fresno Hall of Fame class
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story gave an incorrect date for the induction ceremony.
Two of the biggest names in Fresno State sports history headline the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017.
David Carr and Melvin Ely will be inducted into the Hall on Nov. 2 at the Fresno Convention Center along with Roger George, John Harris, Teri McKeever and the 1977-80 San Joaquin Memorial girls basketball team.
Carr and Ely dominated the Bulldogs sports landscape in the early 2000s.
Carr quarterbacked the Bulldogs to a storied 2001 season that included victories against three nationally ranked teams en route to an 11-3 record. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft by the Houston Texans. He is now a commentator for the NFL Network and writes a weekly column for The Fresno Bee during the NFL season.
Ely was a star center for the Bulldogs basketball team from 1999-2002 and finished as the program’s leading scorer with 1,951 career points (a mark eclipsed by Marvelle Harris last year). Ely was a first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2002 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.
George was a star Fresno State and international decathlete in the 1970s and ’80s. He now is a fishing guide specializing in striper fishing at Millerton Lake and San Luis Reservoir. He also writes a weekly fishing column for The Fresno Bee.
Harris is founder of the Harris Farms Horse Division that was established in 1966 and is recognized worldwide – including for breeding and raising California Chrome at the Coalinga operation. California Chrome recently won Horse of the Year at the 2016 Eclipse Awards for the second time.
McKeever is a former Fresno State swimming coach who has guided Cal to four NCAA championships since taking over the Bears program in 1992. She was also the head coach of the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
The 1977-80 Memorial girls basketball team won 100 games during that span, including four section championships.
For more details, visit the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame.
This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Fresno State greats David Carr, Melvin Ely highlight 2017 Fresno Hall of Fame class."