After a years hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, the Colusa County Sports Hall of Fame will once again honor a new class of inductees.
Since its inception in 2003, the Hall of Fame Committee has taken on the responsibility of preserving the countys athletic history while also seeking to provide inspiration to younger generations by connecting them to the past.
This years induction ceremony will commemorate the accomplishments of Arbuckles Ed Martinez, Colusas Jim McGowan, John Nissen from Williams, and Maxwell/Stonyfords Katie Wilson Junk, as well as the 1991 Pierce Bears basketball team.
Martinez, who becomes the first person inducted as both a coach and player, was a three-sport athlete at Pierce High School in the 1950s before moving on to Sacramento Junior College. He also played for the Colusa Pruners and Glenn County Cardinals and was part of the hugely successful Chung Sun softball team.
A standout athlete for Colusa who graduated in 1980, McGowan made a name for himself on the links earning a golf scholarship to Fresno State University after winning the Northern Section tournament and finishing second at the Northern California High School Championship.
At Williams High School, Nissen was a two-time All-American football player and record setting hurdler in the early 1960s before continuing to find success on the track during his stint at Humboldt State.
Arguably one of the countys greatest athletic talents, Wilson Junk was a decorated four sport athlete for Maxwell in the early 2000s before going on to excel at Shasta College in volleyball, basketball and most notably track, where she was a two-time Junior College All-American and still holds the Knights javelin record. An All-Conference performer in track at Chico State, Wilson Junks post-college accomplishments include a venture into sand volleyball as well as coaching heptathletes at Augustana College in Illinois.
A defensive minded basketball team that held its league opponents to just 29 points a game, the 1991 Bears finished the season with a 22-6 record that included a streak of 14 straight wins.
In addition to enshrining the four individual athletes, the Hall of Fame Committee will present its Coachs Award to Colusas Tom Vedo and Directors Award to Arbuckles Merced Corona.
The event also provides the opportunity to recognize each of the countys top senior athletes which includes: Colusas Drew Bradbury and Makalya Frias; Maxwells Laynee Haywood and Wyatt Hendrix; Pierces Betsy Myers and Luke Voorhees; Princetons Alondra Cervantes and Ivan Espinoza; and Williams Gerardo Gomez and Valeria Orozco.
Last but not least, the Colusa High baseball and cross-country teams will be acknowledged for their achievement during the 2020-2021 season.
For those interested in attending the dinner and ceremony it will be held July 10 at Granzellas banquet room in Williams. The cost is $30 per person. –