Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Fresno State

 

If you've read many of my "Gone, Lost & Forgotten" articles, you probably sense a mixture of bitterness and depression. I don't know how anyone as passionate about wrestling as I am, could write about these discontinued wrestling programs, and not feel a mixture of negative emotions. Fresno State had a rich history. Started in the 1961-1962 season, the Bulldogs were gutted from the inside out after the 2006-2007 season. I watched so many, work so hard to revive the program during the 2017-2018 season.  I watched long time head coach Dennis DeLiddo pour his heart and soul into reinstating Bulldog wrestling. All that work, all that passion, all of it, only to once again be discontinued after the 2020-2021 season.  Gymnastics fan can relate, as can fans of swimming & diving, but this is a heartache of pain that basketball and football fans will never know. 

Dennis DeLiddo

You cannot mention Fresno State wrestling without talking about former head coach Dennis DeLiddo.  A man who ate, slept and breathed Bulldog wrestling.  Won 312 dual meet victories and 7 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) titles, coaching 27 All Americans and 55 conference champions in all.  

Roy Stuckey

Roy Stuckey began his collegiate wrestling career at Fresno City College where he won a CCCAA title in 1961. He then went on to compete for the Bulldogs, where he took 3rd at the 1964 NCAA Division II championships. 

Steve Johansen

Steve Johansen was a two time NCAA Division II All American for the Bulldogs during his collegiate career. Winning an NCAA DII title in 1965, he finished as the NCAA DII runner-up in 1966. 

Mike Gallego

Mike Gallego had an outstanding career while competing for the Bulldogs. In his sophomore season of 1966, he took 6th place All American honors at the NCAA Division II championships. As a junior in 1967, he won the NCAA DII crown, taking runner-up honors at the NCAA DI championships.  As a senior in 1968, he'd win both the NCAA DII title and the NCAA DI title.  He later became a Dentist. 

Richard Birbeck

Richard Birbeck earned NCAA Division II All American honors of 3rd for the Bulldogs in 1966. 

Sylvester Carver

When Fresno State moved to NCAA Division I status, Sylvester Carver earned back to back All American honors of 5th & 3rd in 1983 & 1984 respectively. 

Fred Little

Fred Little earned NCAA DI All American honors for the Bulldogs in 1986 & 1987, placing 8th & 5th. 

Dan Niebuhr

Dan Niebuhr started off his career at Madison College (another program we've sadly lost) where he won back to back NJCAA titles in 1985 and 1986. He went on to compete for Fresno State, where he earned a 7th place All American honor in 1989 for the Bulldogs. Post college, he earned a silver medal at the 1993 World Cup.  He later became a personal trainer and a firefighter. 

Wade Zimmerman

Zimmerman earned NCAA DI All American honors of 6th in 1989. 

Lorenzo Neal

A two sport athlete for the Bulldogs, Lorenzo Neal took 7th place All American honors at the 1992 NCAA Division I wrestling championships his junior season.  As a football player, he rushed for a total of 2,405 yards, scoring a total of 18 touchdowns between his junior & senior seasons.  He was All Big West in those seasons as well.  Post college, Neal went on to have a 16 year career in the NFL where he competed for various teams, becoming a four time pro-bowl selection.  

Gerry Abas

Gerry Abas had an outstanding career for the Bulldogs, making the NCAA DI finals three seasons in a row between 1992 & 1994.  Winning three WAC titles, he won 134 matches during his time at Fresno State. 

Serge Mezheritsky

Serge Mezheritsky earned a 6th place All American finish at the 1993 NCAA DI championships.  Today he is the head coach of the Los Angeles Wrestling Academy. 

The Zinkin Family 

Venice Beach, California has to be probably the most famous area in the entire world for bodybuilders to work out.  Everyone from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Lou Ferigno has pumped iron on what is popularly known as "Muscle Beach."  It was started by a man by the name of Harold Zinkin, who would go on to have kids and grandkids who found success on the wrestling mat.  For the record, Harold Zinkin was also the inventor of the Universal Lifting Machine.  

Harold's grandson Harold Zinkin would win a WAC title for the Bulldogs and earn a 5th place NCAA Division I All American finish in 1993.  Another of his grandsons, DeWayne Zinkin Jr, would win two WAC titles, placing 5th at the 1995 NCAA DI championships. 

Terry Watts

Terry Watts earned an All American finish of 5th in 1994.  He had two sons that competed for North Dakota State. 

Yero Washington

Yero Washington started off his collegiate career competing for Fresno City, where he won a CCCAA title.  He then went on to become a two time All American for the Bulldogs, placing 6th at the 1996 NCAA Division I championships, and 3rd in 1997.  Post college, he coached at both Iowa State & Columbia. 

Alfonzo Tucker

Here's a man with a story.  When Alfonzo Tucker was 6 months old, he was kidnapped by his father.  As a result he never got to know his mother.  He lived with his Dad, a pimp and a drug dealer until his was 13.  Then from ages 13 to 17, he bounced around from foster house to foster house.  When he was 17, life finally gave him a break & he went to live with Mike and Dana Darling.  It was then he discovered the sport of wrestling.  He took to the sport quick and became so good, that he earned an All American honor of 4th, competing for Fresno State in 1996.  Post college Tucker has gone on to do an assortment of accomplishments.  A deputy sheriff, he's written non-fiction books, written for the L.A. Sentinel, and been both a counselor and motivational speaker. 

Brendan Buckley

Brendan Buckley earned NCAA Division I All American status for the Bulldogs when he placed 7th at the 1997 NCAA DI championships.  He later went on to coach at Columbia. 

Stephen Abas

Without a doubt, the most well known and decorated wrestler in the history of Fresno State wrestling, Stephen Abas.  After placing 4th as a true freshman in 1998, he would win the NCAA DI title as a true sophomore in 1999.  He would then take a redshirt, winning two more NCAA DI titles in 2001 and 2002.  He compiled a record of 144-4 while competing for the Bulldogs.  Post college he went on to have a successful international career. Winning PAN-AMERICAN gold in 2003, he won Olympic Silver in 2004. 

Stan Greene

Starting his career off at Fresno City, Stan Greene would transfer to Fresno State, where he became a two time NCAA Division I All American for the Bulldogs. Placing 4th in 1998, he was 5th in 1999. 

Billy Blunt

Billy Blunt earned NCAA DI All American status, placing 5th for the Bulldogs in 2001. 

Marcio Botelho

Marcio Botelho enjoyed a successful career at Fresno State, where he made the Western Regional finals in all four years of varsity competition & he earned an 8th place finish at the 2003 NCAA championships as a sophomore.  He is the current head coach at Lemoore College. 

Josh Hokit

Talk about heart & determination.  Josh Hokit was a walk-on for the Fresno State Football team, where he eventually played both sides of the ball over a three year career.  When Fresno State decided to reinstate wrestling for a short period of time, he made the decision to be a part of it as well.  The highlight of Hokit's career would come when he placed 5th at the 2019 NCAA Division I wrestling championships his junior season. It was far from his only accomplishment on the mat though. He'd also place at the Midlands championships his in junior and senior seasons, taking home 7th & 6th place finishes.  He then went on to a career as a practice team member of both the San Francisco 49'ers and the Arizona Cardinals. 

Kyle Parco

The Bulldogs could very well be looking at crowning an NCAA DI champion this year & the odds are damn near 100% that they would be looking at crowning a five time All American had they never discontinued their wrestling program.  Kyle Parco earned a 6th place finish at the 2021 NCAA championships in what would be Fresno State's final stand on the mat.  Since that time, he's gone on to earn three more All American honors for Arizona State & will look to earn a fifth All American honor, as well as an NCAA DI title for the University of Iowa this season.