2004 inductees
San Jose, Calif.----Four athletes who went on to professional careers in four different sports, a lynchpin in two of San Jose State University's 10 NCAA Championship teams, squad members from two NCAA championship teams, and the most successful coach
| Ken Venturi is this year's "Spartan Legend" |
| Dana Lofland Dormann |
| Chris McNealy |
| Ben Tucker |
| Jim Zylker |
| The 1962 NCAA Championship men's cross country team. |
| Neil Parry will receive a "Special Recognition." |
| Related Material |
| Hall of Fame Invitation RSVP Card Insert Map for the Evening |
LPGA Tour winner Dana Lofland Dormann, one-time New York Knicks forward Chris McNealy, men’s cross country runner Ben Tucker, U.S. Olympic team men’s soccer player Jim Zylker, one-time women’s basketball coach Sharon Chatman, and the 1962 and 1963 teams are the 2004 San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame inductees. Long-time CBS-TV golf analyst Ken Venturi, already in the Hall of Fame, is the 2004 "Spartan Legend." Former football player Neil Parry, who completed his career last season, will receive a special recognition.
Ceremonies are planned for Friday, October 1, at Barrett Ballroom in the Student Union on the San Jose State University campus. Tickets are $75.00 per person or $750.00 for a table of 10. The festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. with a reception followed by dinner at 7:15 p.m. Induction ceremonies follow after dinner.
Call (408) 924-1692 for reservations and additional information.
2004 San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame inductees profiles
SHARON CHATMAN coached the San Jose State University women’s basketball program for 10 seasons between 1976 and 1986. She is the only women’s basketball coach with a winning record posting a coaching mark of 143-121. For six consecutive years, San Jose State had a winning record and won at least 20 games in 1979 and 1980. In 1978 and 1979, the Spartans won the NorPac Conference championship. Chatman is the only San Jose State University women’s basketball coach to direct the Spartans in post-season play and did it four consecutive seasons from 1978 to 1981. Following the 1986 season, Chatman changed careers and was a law student at Santa Clara University. She joined the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office as an assistant district attorney before a recent appointment as a judge in Santa Clara County.
DANA LOFLAND DORMANN played on the San Jose State University women’s golf teams during the 1985 through 1988 seasons. Lofland was a member of the Spartans’ 1987 NCAA Championship team – the first of three national titles won by the women’s golf squad under the coaching of Mark Gale. She was a four-time tournament winner; the 1987 Pacific Coast Athletic Association "Player of the Year; and a three-time All-American. Her 76.46 stroke average for 141 rounds of college competition puts her in the top-10 all-time on the San Jose State list. The native of Oxnard, Calif., began her professional career on the Women Professional Golfers' European Tour (WPGET). In her first LPGA event, the 1991 Oldsmobile LPGA Classic, she finished in second place. She won the 1992 Las Vegas LPGA International and the 1993 McCall’s LPGA Classic. Lofland ranks among the top-90 golfers on the all-time LPGA money winning list. No longer active on the LPGA Tour, she is a teaching professional at the Pleasanton (Calif.) Golf Academy.
CHRIS McNEALY was a member of the 1981 through 1983 San Jose State University men’s basketball teams. He was the only underclassman who started on the 1981 Spartans – the last San Jose State men’s basketball team to win 20 games. The 6-foot-7 forward was a two-time, first-team All-PCAA and honorable mention All-America selection. He is fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,236 points and sixth in rebounding with 678. McNealy was drafted in the second round of the 1983 National Basketball Association draft by the Kansas City Kings. He began his professional career overseas before joining the New York Knicks for the 1986 through 1988 seasons. McNealy concluded his basketball career in Europe.
BEN TUCKEER was a member of the 1962 and 1963 San Jose State University cross country teams that won the NCAA Championship. He finished 18th in 1962 and eighth in 1963 in the individual competition. He was named to the All-America team in 1963 as a senior. In track and field, he competed as a middle distance runner. He was a three-time All-American, finishing sixth in the 880 in 1962, third in the mile, and fourth in the 1,500 meters. He set the school records in the 800 and1500 meter races. The 800 meter record stood for 15 years while the 1,500 meter school record was tops for 11 years.
JIM ZYLKER was a member of the 1971 through 1973 San Jose State University men’s soccer teams. In his three seasons, the Spartans had a 36-10-5 win-loss record and played in the 1971 and 1972 NCAA Tournaments. A high-scoring forward, Zylker set six school records. He scored 47 goals and 26 assists in his three seasons. Zylker still ranks in the Spartans’ top-five in goals, assists, points and shots taken. The 1972 first-team All-America selection was a member of the 1971 U.S. Pan American Games team. He was a member of the 1972 and 1976 Olympic teams. Professionally, he played two seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League.
The 1962 and 1963 San Jose State cross country teams won NCAA Championships after finishing second at the 1961 NCAA meet. Danny Murphy and Ron Davis finished in the top-10 while Jeff Fishback and Ben Tucker were among the next 10 finishers at the 1962 championships. The following year, Fishback , Murphy and Tucker finished in the top-10. San Jose State was the only team with three top-10 finishers in the 1963 meet.
KEN VENTURI was a member of the 1951 through 1953 San Jose State varsity men’s golf teams. The San Francisco native was a legendary figure in local golf circles by the time he arrived as a freshman in 1949. His Spartan career included a pair of match play victories at the Western Intercollegiate golf tournament. A two-time California Amateur champion, he went on to play four years as an amateur before turning pro. Perhaps, his most memorable performance as an amateur was his second-place finish at the 1956 Masters, one of only three amateurs in the history of The Masters to finish as the runner-up. He would finish second at the Masters, again, in 1960, one stroke behind the legendary Arnold Palmer. But, it was his victorious battle against Palmer and Tommy Jacobs, the heat and humidity of the Congressional Country Club in Washington and the 36 holes on the final day of the 1964 U.S. Open that cemented his place in golf history. A winner of 14 professional tournaments during his career, he was Sports Illustrated’s 1964 "Sportsman of the Year," the 1964 PGA "Player of the Year," and a member of the 1965 United States Ryder Cup team. From 1967 through 2002, he was the number-one golf analyst for CBS Sports. A featured clinician, he supported San Jose State University golf with his "Day with Ken" events. Venturi also served as captain of the winning 2000 United States President’s Cup team.
NEIL PARRY arrived at San Jose State University as a non-scholarship football player in 1999. He was a reserve safety and special teams as a freshman. His life changed on October 14, 2000 when he suffered a compound fracture of his right leg. Nine days later the leg was amputated nine centimeters below his knee. Thirty-five months and 25 surgeries later, Parry returned to college football as a special teams player for the Spartans. He went on to play in the final eight games of the 2003 season. Parry concluded his football career in the 2004 East-West Shrine Game. Throughout the last four years, his life has been chronicled by major national media outlets and he has received awards and commendations for his courageousness and inspiration. Parry plans to graduate this December with a bachelor’s degree as a public relations major.