SAN JOSE, CA – The San Jose Sports Authority will mark the 29th year of the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame honoring South Bay sports legends when it inducts four new members on Wednesday, November 13th at the SAP Center at San Jose. The inductees hail from the upper echelon of collegiate, professional, Olympic and international competitions. Although from different sports in different eras, they have made a lasting impact both on and off the field of play.
The San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024 inductees are:
John Arrillaga (Builder/Philanthropist): After arriving at Stanford in 1955 on a basketball scholarship, Arrillaga became an all-conference player. He then spent the next six decades helping shape the university’s overall athletic program into a national collegiate role model. A pioneering Silicon Valley developer, Arrillaga used his resources and expertise to build state-of-the-art sports facilities. He funded hundreds of scholarships while offering wisdom and moral support to Cardinal athletes. A signature feat was his 2006 construction of Stanford Stadium in less than nine months. He died in 2022.
Robert Guerrero (Boxing): Gilroy native Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero fought his way to world championships in two different weight divisions to become the most accomplished boxer in Santa Clara County history. His nickname was spawned by the way his elusive style haunted opponents who couldn’t corner him. At age 15, Guerrero won a Junior Olympics gold medal before turning professional and winning the IBF Featherweight title in 2006. Three years later, he claimed the IBF Super Featherweight championship. His career 38-6-1 record included 20 knockouts.
Mike Holmgren (Football): Bay Area native Mike Holmgren spent some of his most formative years as a coach at Oak Grove High School in San Jose, serving as the team’s offensive coordinator from 1975 to 1980 before starting a journey to two Super Bowl championships as a San Francisco 49ers assistant coach and another as the Green Bay Packers’ head coach. In 2005, he guided the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance. Holmgren’s career NFL record of 174-122 included 13 postseason head coaching victories, seventh most in league history.
Kerri Walsh Jennings (Volleyball): A five-time Olympian, Santa Clara born Kerri Walsh Jennings became the face of beach volleyball during its 21 st century rise in popularity. She and partner Misty May-Treannor won gold medals at Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012, followed by a bronze medal at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. As a multi sport athlete at Archbishop Mitty High School, she led the Monarchs to three state volleyball titles and a basketball state championship. At Stanford, she was a four-time volleyball All American and won two NCAA titles.
“San Jose’s incredibly rich and diverse sports history makes the Hall of Fame selection process very difficult each year,” said Charlie Faas, Chairman of the San Jose Sports Authority Board of Directors. “The Class of 2024 is a wonderful representation of the deep and meaningful impact athletes and coaches with South Bay connections have made in their respective sports, locally, nationally and internationally. We are excited to welcome these four remarkable individuals into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.”
Each inductee will be recognized with a bronze plaque permanently installed on the concourse at the SAP Center at San Jose. Including the 2024 inductees, there will be 131 South Bay sports icons enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The annual induction is an event of the San Jose Sports Authority, San Jose Arena Authority, SAP Center Management/San Jose Sharks, and the City of San José. The event benefits Special Olympics Northern California and high school sports programs.
Executive Director John Poch of the San Jose Sports Authority states, “The San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024 represents all that we value, including integrity, work ethic, sportsmanship, and excellence. Individually and collectively, their accomplishments, both in the Bay Area and across the world of sport, are the stuff of legend. We look forward to honoring their legacies in November at our Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the SAP Center in San Jose.”
The event kicks off with a reception followed by dinner and induction ceremony.