2019 Aztec Hall of Fame Class Announced
Five individuals will be inducted into the Aztec Hall of Fame this fall.
SDSU will officially enshrine the group of legends during an evening ceremony at Montezuma Hall in the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union on Friday, Oct. 11. Check-in for the event, along with a happy hour reception, will begin at 5 p.m., with the dinner and program to follow at 6 p.m. The following night, the 2019 class will also be honored during halftime at SDSU's home football game against Wyoming, which is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m.
Since its launch in 1988, the Aztec Hall of Fame has honored 154 individuals and six teams (not including this year's enshrinees), welcoming a new group of legends each year – excluding a two-year hiatus in 2000 and 2001 while the Aztec Athletics Center (now Fowler Athletics Center) was under construction. Following the building's completion in 2002, the permanent home of the Aztec Hall of Fame was established.
For more information about the Aztec Hall of Fame induction ceremony or to purchase tickets for the event, please contact the Aztec Club at 619-594-6444.
Below is a quick look at the newest Aztec Hall of Fame class:
Jim Dietz - Baseball Head Coach 1972-2002
Retired at end of 2002 campaign, finishing a 31-year career at SDSU as one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history…Final mark of 1,231-750-18 (.620) ranked seventh nationally among active Division I coaches at the time he retired….Played at Southern Oregon University and three seasons in the Detroit organization…Began his coaching career at Lowell (Ore.) High and coached at the University of Oregon before arriving at SDSU in 1972…Over the next three decades, his teams won numerous conference, divisional, and regular-season titles…Guided his 1979 squad to the school's first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament, a feat he accomplished eight times during his tenure…Earned conference and regional coach-of-the-year honors during his tenure at SDSU…Other honors included Super Star Award from Collegiate Baseball, the Citizen of the Year Award from the City Club of San Diego, and the Breitbard Award for his contributions through baseball to the San Diego community…Among players he coached were Tony Gwynn, Bud Black Mark Grace, Dave Smith, Bobby Meacham and Travis Lee (Golden Spikes Award winner 1996)...His players earned All-American honors 28 times, all-district/region 42 times and all-conference accolades 85 times…Was also one of the most successful summer league coaches in history, taking his teams to seven National Baseball Congress National Finals and winning four national summer championships during the 1970s…Named NBC Coach of the Decade…Was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January 2002…Has also been inducted into the Southern Oregon University Athletic Hall of Fame. Tally Hall - Men's Soccer 2003-06
Two-time NSCAA All-American (2005 third team, 2006 second team)…Two-time first-team NSCAA All-Far West Region (2005-06)…2006 first-team Academic All-American…Additionally garnered first-team All-Pac-10 Conference accolades on two occasions (2005-06)…Twice received second-team Pac-10 All-Academic distinction (2005-06)…2004 MPSF All-Academic selection…Two-time team MVP (2005-06)…Led the nation in 2005 with an 88.9 save percentage and ranked second with a 0.49 goals against average (both single-season records)…Helped the Aztecs reach the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Tournament, the program's first two postseason appearances since 1989…Logged a school-record 12 shutouts in 2005…Ranks third on the Aztecs' all-time list in saves (256), fourth in shutouts (21.0) and seventh in goals against average (1.11)…Enjoyed a 10-year professional career, including eight seasons with the Houston Dynamo of MLS…Was named a 2011 MLS All-Star. Jené Morris - Women's Basketball 2008-10
One of the most prolific players in program history, leading San Diego State to its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance at the 2010 NCAA Tournament …Was also the driving force behind the school's first-ever Mountain West Conference tournament championship that season…Became the first Aztec to be selected in the WNBA Draft, going to the Indiana Fever with the 11th overall pick in 2010…Received honorable mention All-America distinction during her junior and senior campaigns (2009, 2010)…Garnered first-team All-MWC accolades in 2009 and 2010 and was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year during those seasons…Was also a three-time all-MWC tournament selection…Ranks fifth on SDSU's career list with 1,499 points…Owns a career scoring average of 15.8 points per game…Recorded 26 career games with 20 or more points and five with 30 or more points, including 35 vs. DePaul and 32 vs. Texas at the 2010 NCAAs…Also scored 20 or more points in six of eight career games at the MWC Tournament…Still leads the MWC with 293 career steals despite playing just three years on The Mesa…Became the first Aztec player to record 100 steals in a season two times. Xavier Thames - Men's Basketball 2011-14
National Honors: AP All-American Honorable Mention (2013-14), CBSSports.com Third-Team All-American Region, NABC First-Team All-District Team (2014), USBWA All-District Team, Two-Time National Player of the Week, Bob Cousy Award Finalist (2013-14). Conference Honors: Mountain West Player of the Year (2013-14), All-Mountain West First Team (2013-14), All-Mountain West Honorable Mention (2011-12), All-Mountain West Defensive Team (2013-14), Three-Time Mountain West Conference Player of the Week, Mountain West All-Tournament Team (2014). SDSU: Played three seasons at San Diego State after seeing action in 31 games, which included four starts as a true freshman at Washington State (2009-10)…At SDSU, played in 97 games, starting 91 with 1,232 points and 316 assists with the Aztecs…Guided SDSU to two MW titles (2012 co-regular season, 2014 regular season) and three NCAA berths, including the 2014 Sweet 16…Scored in double figures 59 times with 15 games with at least 20 points…Had two double-doubles…Led the team in scoring 31 times, rebounding four times and assists 53 times…Helped the Aztecs to three seasons of 23 wins or more (26 in 2012, 23 in 2013, 31 in 2014)…SDSU Division I career rankings at the time of his departure: 3rd in free-throw percentage, 5th in free-throws, 7th in conference victories, 8th in scoring, 9th in victories, 10th in assists, 10th in three-point field goals, 10th in minutes played, 11th in games started, 14th in three-point field-goal percentage, 14th in points-rebounds-assists, 15th in steals, 19th in efficiency points, 24th in scoring average…2014 AP Honorable Mention All-American, CBSSports.com Third-Team All-American, NCAA West Region all-tournament, MW Player of the Year, first-team all-conference, MW all-defensive team, MW all-tournament, NABC and USBWA all-district, Bob Cousy Award finalist, midseason Oscar Robertson and Naismith Trophy Watch List, three-time MW Player of the Week, two-time national player of the week... 2012 Honorable Mention all-Mountain West…Despite playing point guard and leading the team in scoring, he produced a streak of 190 consecutive turnover-free minutes during his senior campaign…Produced arguably the best single-season by any Aztec men's basketball player this century – averaging 176 points, 2.27 A-to-TO ratio, 61 treys and 59 steals)…During his senior year, he had a win share of 7.5 (highest by any Aztec player since the statistic was kept (last 34 seasons) and was first nationally in the stat per 40 minutes), an offensive efficiency rating of 120.0 (highest by any Aztec player since the statistic was kept (last 18 seasons)), was named to the league's all-defensive team (final KenPom team defensive rating was No. 7), led SDSU to the NCAA Sweet 16, had a 20-game win streak, led SDSU to a No. 5 national ranking (AP and Coaches polls) and a final record of 31-5 (16-2 in conference). Shanieka Thomas (Ricketts) - Women's Track & Field 2011-14
National: Three-time triple jump national champion (2013 & 2014 outdoor and 2014 indoor), two-time NCAA runner up in triple jump (2012 outdoor & 2013 indoor)…Six-time first-team All-American for triple jump (2012-14, both indoor and outdoor)…2011 triple jump second-team All-American…Three-time USTFCCCA West Region Field Athlete of the Year (Indoor 2013 & 2014, Outdoor 2014). Conference: 2013 Mountain West Female Athlete of the Year…Nine-time MW Champion (outdoor: 2012-14 triple jump, 2013 long jump, 2013 4x400 meter relay; indoor: 2012-14 Triple Jump, 2013 4x400-Meter Relay)…13-time all-MW selection (outdoor: 2011-14 Triple Jump, 2014 4x100 meter relay, 2013 long jump, 2013 4x400 meter relay; indoor: 2011-14 triple Jump, 2013 400 meters, 2013 4x400 meter relay)… Eight-time MW Field Athlete of the Week…Two-time MW Spring all-academic team (2011-12). SDSU: Holds school record for indoor and outdoor triple jump…has freshman, junior and senior records for triple jump for both indoor and outdoor…also has freshman indoor record for high jump. Post-SDSU: 14th in triple jump at 2016 Olympics…11th in triple jump at 2015 World Championships…8th in triple jump at 2015 world indoor championships…8th in triple jump at 2017 World Championships…10th in triple jump at 2017 World Indoor Championships…2018 Jamaican national champion for triple jump (NACAC Championships).
