SAN JOSE SPORTS HALL OF FAME CELEBRATES CLASS OF 2023 INDUCTEES AT VIP RECEPTION AND MEDIA DAY
SAN JOSE, CA – Earlier this month, the San Jose Sports Authority celebrated the Class of 2023 at the annual VIP Reception and Media Day at SAP Center inside the Sharks Lounge. The Class of 2023 marks the 28th year of the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame’s continued dedicated to honor South Bay sports legends. 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 2023 inductees are Lorrie Fair, Patrick Marleau, Dave Stieb, and Chris Wondolowski.
In addition to celebrating the Class of 2023 and our Hall of Fame VIP Sponsors, the event served as the Media Day and provided exclusive access for local media members to interview the inductees. Below is a complete listing of media outlets who covered the event:
- KTVU – LaMonica Peters
- NBC BayArea – Anthony Flores
- ABC 7 – Chris Alvarez
- NBC 11 Telemundo – Max Cordeiro
- KRON 4 – Erin Wilson
- Silicon Valley Business Journal – Kevin Nguyen
- Bay Area News Group – Curtis Pashelka, Bud Geracie, Sal Pizarro, Darren Sabedra
- Teal Town USA Blog – Erik Kuhre
- San Jose Sharks – Dan Rusanowsky
- San Jose Sharks Productions – Videographer
- San Jose Mercury News – Karl Mondon, photographer
- Metro Newspapers – Gary Singh
- SanJoseHockeyNow.com – Sheng Peng
LINKS TO NEWS STORIES, VIDEOS AND ARTICLES
Q & A Session with Class of 2023 – Mediated by Mark Purdy
KTVU Channel 2 – LaMonica Peters
Is the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame's 2023 class the best ever? Here’s two reasons why that might be the case https://t.co/hN5InVEs7P
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) September 15, 2023
San Jose Sports Hall of Fame inductees announced for 2023https://t.co/CdU8dB5H16
— LaMonica Peters (@LaMonicaPeters) September 14, 2023
Two San Jose GOATs, a U.S. Women's international and a seven-time MLB all-star were honored at a private event at SAP Center. https://t.co/9EHeVjIBC8
— Silicon Valley Business Journal (@svbizjournal) September 14, 2023
The four new members of the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame being recognized at a special reception at the Shark Tank this evening.
— TEAL TOWN USA - A San Jose Sharks Podcast (@TEALTOWNUSA) September 14, 2023
Lorrie Fair, Dave Stieb, Chris Wondolowski, and #sjsharks legend Patrick Marleau pic.twitter.com/IgOIdOFYSz
1/2: September 14, 2023 - 🚨 Watch the press conference featuring Dave Stieb ahead of his November's induction ceremony into the San Jose Sports Hall Of Fame. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ZkeY3IBaw3
— Today In Dave Stieb History (@DaveStiebToday) September 15, 2023
SJSHOF Class of 2023 / Detailed Bios
Lorrie Fair
The Los Altos High School star and two-time High School Parade All American helped lead her Sunnyvale Roadrunners club team to the U.S. Youth Soccer U16 National title in 1994 and that was just the start of an amazing soccer career. At 15 years old, she was selected for the US Under 20 National team in ’94 and competed in the Nordic Cup and the US Olympic Festival. By the time she was 17, she was on the full National Team, completing her last semester of high school while training for the 1996 Olympics. Fair became a two-time NSCAA All-American at the University of North Carolina leading the Tar Heels to three NCAA soccer titles. She was the Honda Sports Award Women’s Soccer Player of the Year in ‘99. Over a ten-year span, she was a member of the USA Women’s National Team that included ‘99 FIFA Women’s World Cup champions and two Olympic teams. She played professionally for the Philadelphia Charge, Olympique Lyonnais in France, and Chelsea FC in the UK. Fair retired from the USWNT in 2005 with 120 caps and retired from professional soccer in 2009. She has been a Sport Envoy for the U.S. State Department since 2008 and has travelled to 13 countries to support U.S. diplomatic missions abroad, including women’s access to sport and education, conflict resolution, and counter violent-extremism. In 2020, she became one of the founding investors of NWSL’s Angel City Football Club.
Patrick Marleau
Marleau’s remarkable 23-season NHL career, culminating on April 19, 2021 when he became the NHL’s all-time regular season games played leader, eclipsing hockey icon Gordie Howe’s longstanding record. Marleau finished his career with 1,779 regular season games and sits amongst the game’s top offensive players with 566 goals (23rd all-time), 631 assists (83rd), 1,197 points (52nd), 172 power-play goals (34th) and 109 game-winning goals (tied-seventh). His 195 Stanley Cup Playoff games are the 24th most in NHL history, and he recorded 127 playoff points (72 goals, 55 assists). He ranks first in nearly every offensive category in Sharks franchise history, including games played (1,607), goals (522), points (1,111), power-play goals (163), shorthanded goals (17), game-winning goals (101), multi-goal games (67) and shots (3,953). He also ranks second in assists (589), eighth in penalty minutes (481), and eighth in points-per-game (0.69 – min. 200 games). Marleau became the first person in franchise history to have his number permanently retired. Internationally, Marleau captured gold medals with Team Canada in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, 2014 World Cup and 2003 World Championships.
Dave Stieb
Dave Stieb starred as an outfielder at Oak Grove High School and San Jose City College, but the Toronto Blue Jays later decided to make better use of that powerful right arm. Stieb promptly blossomed as one of the best pitchers of the 1980s and still holds Toronto franchise records for complete games and innings pitched. Stieb finished in the top 10 for Cy Young voting four times, and modern metrics indicate he was actually the best pitcher in the AL for three straight seasons – 1982-84. Baseball writer Joe Posnanski once called Stieb “a master at being underrated and underappreciated.” During a 16-year career that began in 1979, the right-hander went 176-137 with a 3.44 ERA and threw the only no-hitter in Blue Jays history (while flirting with several others). Stieb won 140 games in the 1980s, the second-highest total by a pitcher in that decade, behind only his rival, Jack Morris.
Chris Wondolowski
“Wondo”, made his mark at the youth level at De La Salle High School, Diablo Valley Soccer Club and Danville Mustang Soccer. He enjoyed a standout college soccer career at Chico State. As a 2005 draft pick of the San Jose Earthquakes, he went to become the all-time leading goal scorer in Major League Soccer history. The two-time MLS Cup Champion earned the MLS Most Valuable Player award in 2012 and three consecutive MLS Best XI awards, along with two MLS scoring titles. He rewrote the MLS record books during his illustrious career finishing with a record 171 regular season goals, and also holds the MLS records for game-winning goals, goals for one club and goals in 1-0 victories, while ranking second in multi-goal games and hat-tricks. He played in 413 career MLS games. For his career, he won two MLS Cups (2006 and 2007 with the Houston Dynamo) and two Supporters’ Shields (2005 and 2012 with San Jose). He had a career season in 2012, tying the MLS record with 27 goals and earning the MLS MVP award, while leading San Jose to its best regular season in club history. Internationally, he made 35 appearances and scored 11 goals for the United States. He became the first Native American to play for the U.S. at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He also represented the U.S. at three CONCACAF Gold Cups, helping the U.S. win the tournament in 2013 while earning the Golden Boot.
About the San Jose Sports Authority
The San Jose Sports Authority is a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the City of San Jose’s economic development, visibility, and civic pride through sports. Serving as the City’s sports commission since its inception in 1991, the Sports Authority has provided leadership and support to attract and host hundreds of sporting events in San Jose and the South Bay. The Sports Authority also supports and operates community, youth and amateur sports programs, including the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame and the REACH Youth Scholarship Program. To learn more, visit www.sjsa.org.