Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame inductees include a gold medalist and revered Clovis leader
The inductees for the 2020 Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame class are an Olympic gold medalist, the school superintendent credited with sparking Clovis Unified’s prowess, an Indy 500 mechanic, a pro golfer and Fresno City College’s state-championship teams of the 1960s.
The hall’s 62nd class is scheduled to be enshrined Nov. 12.
The new members are:
▪ Floyd “Doc” Buchanan served as Clovis Unified superintendent for 31 years until his retirement in 1991. The Bee’s Andy Boogaard wrote in Dr. Buchanan’s 2015 obituary, “He powered into construction a ‘no-excuse’ athletic empire that has grown into five high schools, typically captures 70 to 80 percent of top-division titles in the Central Section, and represents a gamut of facilities, maintenance, administrators, coaches and well-groomed athletes unrivaled in the state. ‘Second to none,’ said Roger Blake, executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation.” The Doc Buchanan Invitational wrestling tournament takes place annually at Clovis High and awards winners with “Doc’s” signature, a cowboy hat.
▪ Phil Casey, a Roosevelt High alum, made his mark in Indy-car racing as a chief mechanic for 35 years, including for Janet Guthrie when she became the first female driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1977. Casey was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 2015.
▪ Kim Maher played shortstop at Fresno State from 1991-94, earning second-team All-America status in her senior season. She won an Olympic gold medal as a member of Team USA in 1996. At Fresno State she ranks in the top 10 in several career categories including games played (263), home runs (31) and RBI (162). She is currently the Southwestern Oklahoma State coach.
▪ Kevin Sutherland played golf at Fresno State and was a two-time All-American. He made the PGA Tour full-time in 1997. In 2002, he won the World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play Championship. He continues to play on the PGA seniors tour and won the season-ending Schwab Cup in 2017.
▪ Fresno City College baseball teams led by coach Len Bourdet that won consecutive state championships in 1961, ‘62 and ‘63.
The new class will bring the Hall’s numbers to 346 individuals and 37 teams.
For more information, fresnoahof.org.
