Washington State University Athletics
WSU Selects HOF Inductees
April 14, 2006
PULLMAN, Wash. -- - Washington State University will induct nine former coaches and athletes into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame Sept. 8, WSU Director of Athletics Jim Sterk announced Friday.
Induction ceremonies will take place Friday night prior to WSU's home football game with Idaho. The addition of nine inductees brings to 113 the players and coaches who have been inducted since the first group was selected in 1978.
This year's inductees includes four from the Pioneer group, gymnastics coach Hubert Dunn and athletes Vaughn Hitchcock, Dick Hanula and Janet Harman.
The Contemporary inductees include former athletic director Sam Jankovich and athletes Dan Lynch, Laura Lavine, Steve Puidokas and James Donaldson.
The 2006 inductee bios follow:
DONALDSON, James; Athlete; Basketball (1977-78-79)
Full Name - James Lee Donaldson III. WSU Athletics -this 7-2, 275-pound center from Sacramento, Calif., had an outstanding three-years with the Cougar basketball squad...his 677 career rebounds is still ninth best Cougar total...holds WSU records for single-game blocked shots (8 versus Gonzaga in 1978) and career blocks (176)...Post-College Information - played in the NBA with Seattle (1981-83, seventh pick of the fourth round), San Diego (1984) and Los Angeles Clippers (1985-86), Dallas Mavericks (1986-1992), New York Knicks (1992) and Utah Jazz (1993, 1995)...owns fitness and sports medicine businesses in the Seattle area.
DUNN, Hubert; Coach; Gymnastics (1947-62)
Full Name - Dr. J. Hubert Dunn. Pre-WSU - earned four varsity letters at Southern Illinois. WSU Athletics - first full time gymnastics coach at WSU, the Northwest and at any PCC school...considered by many as "father of Northwest gymnastics"...resigned WSU position in 1962 to accept a similar position at Northern Illinois University...1973 Helms Gymnastics Hall of Fame inductee...1996 inductee into the U.S.A. Gymnastics Hall of Fame...retired and living in DeKalb, Ill.
HANNULA, Dick; Athlete-Coach; Swimming (1948-50)
Full Name - Richard L. Hannula. WSU Athletics - enrolled at WSU in 1946...co-captain for the WSU swim team as a senior...Post-College Information - in 1951 started teaching and coaching at Tacoma's Lincoln High, winning state swim titles in 1953 and 1955...seven years later moved to Tacoma's new Wilson High, starting a national dynasty in swimming...at Wilson, starting in 1960 and through his retirement from coaching in 1983 his teams won 323 consecutive victories in dual, relay, regional and state meets, including 24 straight State titles...his overall dual meet record at Wilson was 323-3-1...received WSU's Alumni Achievement Award in 1984...retired and living in Tacoma.
HARMAN, Janet; Athlete; Bowling, Field Hockey (1949-52)
Full Name - Janet Harman. WSU Athletics -starred for the Cougars in field hockey and was one of top women's bowlers...member of WSU's first Bowling Club...Post-College Information - one of the most honored and successful members all-time of the Professional Women's Bowlers Association...won PWBA national championship in 1963, along with Bowling Proprietors Association of America national doubles title with fellow hall of famer Donna Zimmerman...in 1958-59 she led the nation's women's bowlers with a 197 average (while bowling in a Portland league; had one 300 game)...in 1985 received highest honor a women bowler can receive, induction into the Women's International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame...deceased.
HITCHCOCK, Vaughn; Athlete/Coach; Football/Wrestling (1952-55)
Full Name - Vaughn Hitchcock. WSU Athletics - made his way north to WSU from Hayward, Calif. in the fall of 1952...when he left in the spring of 1955 he had earned three varsity letters in both football (1953-54-55) and wrestling (1954-55-56)...Post-College Information - coaching is where he excelled as one of the nation's top college wrestling coaches...his accomplishments included: 23 years as head coach at Cal Poly (1962-85), where his dual meet record was 355-112-4...head coach of several national teams, including the USA Freestyle team (1974 and 1975) and the US. Olympic team (1976, Montreal)...U.S. Helms Wrestling Hall of Fame (1974)...retired and living in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
JANKOVICH, Sam; Administration; Asst. AD/ Athletic Director (1972-84)
Full Name - Sam Jankovich. WSU Athletics - first came to WSU in 1968 as Jim Sweeney's defensive coordinator...at the end of the 1971 season, he moved to the administrative side as assistant athletic director overseeing the Cougar Club...in the summer of 1976 he was named athletic director...shortly after his appointment as AD, he undertook a monumental football stadium drive that pushed the facility capacity from 27,500 to 40,000...the project was accomplished by digging down and adding 13 rows to the stadium...the method of adding those 13 rows was unique and during the project WSU removed the track from inside the stadium, built a new track stadium where the baseball field had been located and then built a new baseball facility...Jankovich also pioneered the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978 with the support of President Glenn Terrell...retired and living in Hayden Lake, Idaho.
LAVINE, Laura; Athlete; Track (1987-88)
Full Name - Laura Ann Lavine. WSU Athletics -two-time Pac-10 and NCAA outdoor All-American champion in the discus, winning titles in 1987 and 1988...a clutch thrower, she won the 1988 NCAA title on her last throw in Eugene and also won the first of two Pac-10 discus titles on her last throw in 1987...became WSU's first women's outdoor champion with her 1987 NCAA title...also competed in the shot put during collegiate career, ranking seventh on WSU's all-time list...established a Pac-10 discus record...selected in 1996 as WSU's Woman Athlete of the Decade...resides in Tucson, Ariz.
LYNCH, Dan; Athlete; Football (1980-84)
Full Name - Daniel Walbridge Lynch. WSU Athletics - the two-time team captain was an All-American offensive guard in 1984 and only player to participate in two Senior Bowls...won prestigious NCAA post-graduate award in 1985 and one of 15 finalists for NCAA's "Top Five" award for scholastic and athletic excellence...earned All-America first team honors by AP, Football News and second team by The Sporting News...played in the East-West Shrine game and Senior Bowl...had played in Senior Bowl after 1983 season, his fourth at WSU, but was then granted a medical hardship and allowed to play an additional year...won Frank Butler award...resides in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
PUIDOKAS, Steve; Athlete; Basketball (1974-77)
Full Name - Steve Puidokas. WSU Athletics - rewrote the WSU record book during his career...established career marks for points (1,894), field goals (734), field goal attempts (1,499), rebounds (992), minutes played (3,592) and points in a single game (42 vs. Gonzaga as a junior)...he still ranks second in points and minutes played...also established WSU career records in league games for points, field goals made and attempted, rebounds and minutes played...he finished his career ranked fourth in Pac-8 career scoring and seventh in rebounds...led the Pac-8 in scoring in 1975...first (and only) WSU basketball player to have his uniform number (55) retired...played professional basketball in Europe for many years...deceased.
