TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – The Pima County Sports Hall of Fame inducted the Class of 2024 on Sunday in front of a record crowd.
More than 350 people celebrated at the ceremony at the DoubleTree Hotel in Reid Park. This year’s group included 15 athletes, coaches, referees, and teams.
More than 350 people celebrated the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024. This year’s group included 15 athletes, coaches, referees, and teams.
“I’m humbled and I never expected something like this to happen,” said former Salpointe Catholic girls tennis coach Perry Touche. “I was also happy to attend Salpointe. The kids are great. The school is great. It’s unbelievable.”
Former Salpointe Catholic volleyball player Melinda Almazon-Parisi said, “It’s a great honor to be included in the ranks of all those great names.” “It was a fun time to remember and celebrate a really fun and competitive landscape that has existed here for a long time.”
See the complete list of Hall of Fame inductees below.
Bob Lacy: A graduate of Palo Verde High School, Bob Lacy pitched for seven years in the MLB with Oakland, Cleveland, Texas and San Francisco. Lacy also pitched for the Tucson Toros from 1975 to 1976 and led the American League in games played in 1978.
Melinda Almazon: All-city volleyball and softball player for Salpointe Catholic. She attended Regis University in Colorado, where she was a two-time Division II All-American and won the 1999 NCAA Honda Award. It is awarded to the top player in D-II women’s college volleyball.
Rich Barcelo: A Saguaro High graduate, he was an All-WAC player at the University of Nevada and a three-year regular on the PGA Tour (2004-2006). Barcelo was the starting shortstop for the Tucson International Little League team in the 1986 Little League World Series Championship Game in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Lisa Bernstein: Sabino High School graduate was a starting catcher on UA coach Mike Candrea’s first Arizona softball team, an All-Pac-10 Conference first-team selection. She served as an assistant coach on Candrea’s first NCAA championship team in 1991 and was the head coach at the University of Minnesota for 19 years.
Tom Danehy: Coached over 500 wins in high school girls basketball, golf, and tennis at Amphitheater, Immaculate Heart, and Green Fields Country Day School. He has been running the men’s and women’s YMCA basketball leagues since 1988. In addition, he has won 24 Arizona Press Club writing awards as a sports columnist.
Jim Olander: After playing as a state representative outfielder at Saguaro High School, he played for the Colorado Rockies. After 13 years in the minor leagues, he became a scout for the Detroit Tigers and continues to do so 31 years later.
Virginia Pedersoli Sanchez: An Amphitheater High School graduate who remains the most successful female distance runner in Tucson Prep history. She won the 800m, 1,600m and 3,200m state championships three years in a row at Amphi. She also won back-to-back state cross country championships in the early 1990s.
Francie O’Leary Hafner: A graduate of Catalina High School, she won four state championships and was a standout athlete at the University of Arizona. She was a 14-time All-American and was named to the U.S. National Team in 1987 and 1989.
Susan Plaimsburger: One of the pioneers in coaching and managing women’s athletics in the Tucson Unified School District. She coached gymnastics at Palo Verde High School and became one of the state’s top gymnastics judges at all levels. She also worked for the Arizona Interscholastic Association as an administrator at Sabino College, Rincon College and Palo Verde College.
Perry Touche: A graduate of Sabino High School, she became one of Tucson’s leading female tennis players in the 1970s. She then coached the Salpointe Catholic girls tennis team to six state championships and a 314-15 record from 2004-2011.
Tom Tatum: Qualified for the PGA Tour in 1977 and played in 10 events in 1978. He then returned to Tucson and became a professional golfer at five different golf courses, including Randolph Golf Complex, and one of the top golf instructors in the city. 30 years.
Jerry Gastelum: A city baseball player at Pueblo High School, Gastelum became one of the greatest football officials in state history. He has worked at the high school, JUCO, Pac-10 and NFL levels. He has officiated state championship games in football, baseball and softball.
Art Menchaca: A state champion distance runner at Sunnyside High School, Menchaca was a Big Sky Conference champion at NAU. Currently running a running camp.
2000 Flowing Wells girls softball team: Under coach Armando Quiroz, went 30-5 and won the state championship. The team produced six Division I softball players.
1978 Pueblo High School boys basketball team: went 28-0 and was considered the Tucson boys basketball team of the 20th century. It was led by coach Roland LaVetter and future NBA All-Star point guard Lafayette Lever.
