October 28, 2023 – Clovis Unified Athletic’s 2023 Hall of Fame kicked off their celebrations on Friday evening.
Six individuals and two teams are the newest inductees for the district’s seventh Hall of Fame class.
The 2023 CUSD Hall of Fame inductees includes a Bronze Medal Olympian who played in Major League Baseball, two professional soccer players and a tri-sport athlete who went on to be a Fresno State football player and college coach.
The 2023 Hall of Fame inductees are: Jason Donald – Baseball (Buchanan High), Elise Krieghoff – Basketball & Soccer (Buchanan High), Jack Mattox – Football, Basketball & Track (Clovis High), Chad McCarty – Soccer (Clovis High), James Patrick – Baseball Coach (Clovis High), Stephen Tirapelle – Wrestling Coach (Clovis High), 1974, 1975, 1976 & 1978 Clovis High Girls Tennis Teams, 1991 Clovis High Football Team, and Carlo Prandini, Ph.D. (Doc Buchanan Award).
“Each inductee is an example of hard work paying off. They’ve made incredible contributions to Clovis Unified, their professional careers, and their communities,” said Assistant Superintendent Steve France. “Their stories are a testimony to the incredible caliber of our district’s schools and athletics programs. We are proud to honor them and be a part of their outstanding accomplishments.”
The Honoree Tailgate was held at Lamonica Stadium, and it included an informal dinner gathering of the honorees along with their families and coaches.
After that was the Honoree Coin Toss right before the Clovis High versus Clovis West at Lamonica Stadium and the Buchanan versus Clovis East football game at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The official Clovis Unified School District Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony takes place at the CUSD Performing Arts Center with awards to follow.
The ceremony is supposed to be an “ESPY Awards-style gala” honoring Hall of Fame inductees.
The ceremony will start with the CUSD 2022-23 Athletic High School Supremacy Award for the athletic program with the most earned league, regional and state titles. Last year there was a tie between Buchanan High and Clovis West High!
Before the ceremony, the reception will have displays of honoree sports memorabilia, awards and photos.
“We want you to teach our students to win with class and to lose with dignity. But we also want you to teach them that there is a lot more to being a winner than the final game score. We want you to teach them to root for their team to win, not for the other team to lose. We want you to teach our kids what to do when they lose. We want you to get them off their duffs and get them back in the fight. Don’t you let them give up. And if we can teach them not to be quitters by the time they finish the 12th grade in Clovis schools, they will probably make it through life.” –Floyd “Doc” Buchanan, Ed.D.