Several big names will be among the nine members of the 2013 class of the Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame, including MLB All-Star Troy Tulowitzki and former football coach George Allen.
Tulowitzki and Allen will be joined by former basketball coach Seth Greenberg, water polo record holder Cassie Azevedo, softball star Patty Gasso, track and field standout Jason Hinkin, volleyball All-American Alexis Crimes and former NFL defensive back Shawn Wilbourn. The 1989 LBSU baseball team that advanced to the College World Series will also be inducted.
George Allen
Allen had a brief stay at The Beach, but it was an important one. After coaching in the NFL for 12 seasons, Allen took over the LBSU football program in 1990, leading the team to its first winning season in five years. He died in the offseason, though, preventing him from continuing to rebuild the program. George Allen Field on campus is named after him.
Cassie Azevedo
Arguably the best women’s water polo player to ever compete for LBSU, Azevedo is the school record holder in goals with 209. Azevedo was named an All-American three times and made the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation all-conference team during each of her four years at The Beach.
Alexis Crimes
Crimes is one of many successful LBSU women’s volleyball players, as she was named an All-American four times while playing for the 49ers from 2004 to 2007. Playing primarily middle blocker, Crimes is third on the LSBU all-time kills list with 1,756. She has continued to play volleyball professionally and has represented the United States on the women’s national team.
Patty Gasso
Gasso was a star softball player at LBSU before she became a star coach. After playing for the 49ers in 1983 and 1984, Gasso went on to coach Long Beach City College. She then signed on to become the head coach at Oklahoma, where she has built a powerhouse program. Gasso has led her team to the Women’s College World Series eight times and won two national titles, including the 2013 championship.
Seth Greenberg
As head coach of the LBSU men’s basketball team from 1990 to 1996, Greenberg led the 49ers to two NCAA tournament appearances and one Big West title. He was also at the helm when the ‘Niners upset then-No. 1 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. After coaching future NBA players Lucious Harris and Byron Russell, Greenberg moved on to coach South Florida and Virginia Tech.
Jason Hinkin
A pole-vaulting specialist, Hinkin was named an All-American five times between indoor and outdoor pole vaulting. He won the individual indoor pole-vaulting NCAA championship in 1997 and is a two-time Big West champion in the event. He currently holds the LBSU record in the outdoor pole vault with a clearance of 18 feet, 7.5 inches.
Troy Tulowitzki
Tulowitzki went from being a star shortstop at sea level to a star shortstop a mile high. The former Dirtbag is now a franchise player and three-time all-star for the Colorado Rockies. While he was playing for The Beach from 2003 to 2005, Tulowitzki hit 20 home runs with a .310 average and earned first team All-Big West honors twice. He was selected by the Rockies with the seventh overall pick in the 2005 MLB Draft.
Shawn Wilbourn
Wilbourn excelled in football and track and field while at LBSU, and his professional career reflects that. Wilbourn was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL Draft and is now the associate head coach of the track and field team at Duke. He was also a U.S. Olympic trials finalist in the decathlon in 1996.
1989 baseball team
The 1989 LBSU baseball team won a school-record 50 games and advanced to the College World Series under first-year head coach Dave Snow. The 1989 team represented more than just wins, though, as it was the first team to start calling itself the Dirtbags.
A ceremony and dinner will be held for the inductees on Nov. 12 at the Long Beach Convention Center.