Greenwave Hall of Fame inducts 13 into sixth class

Seven years ago, the idea slowly began to turn into reality.

Paul Orong had a vision that Greenwave athletics needed a Hall of Fame to recognize the many teams, students, coaches and contributors who brought success to the Lahontan Valley. The first class was inducted in 2017, a year after Orong organized that initial meeting, and on Saturday, the Greenwave Hall of Fame inducted its sixth class.

Orong, who died last year, was one of five contributors inducted along with two girls basketball teams, one football team and five athletes. The class was inducted in a formal ceremony Saturday at the Fallon Convention Center where hundreds gathered to honor the group after the Hall of Fame committee welcomed them with a mixer Thursday followed by being introduced in front of the football crowd Friday.

Fallon Mayor Ken Tedford spoke to Saturday’s crowd, insisting he wasn’t there to tell stories. Tedford, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame with the 1971 state championship basketball team several years ago, applauded the accomplishments of the inductees and stressed the importance of high school athletics.

“I know athletics builds character and shapes future community leaders,” Tedford said. “Their importance cannot be overstated in the role they play fostering community pride and tradition: a connection with the past, present and future.”

FOOTBALL CHAMPS

John Nunn, who was inducted with the 1963 state championship football team, worked in the University of Nevada’s athletics department as the chief finance officer and was excited about the weekend’s induction festivities.

“It’s been like Nevada’s (HOF). You need somebody or a committee to keep up with the events,” Nunn said. “There’s a lot of history and recognition. I was excited when Fallon kept it going and Nevada does the same thing. There’s a lot of storied history.”

The athletes span several decades of Greenwave history.

SOFTBALL STAR

Kelly Smith Frost was a three-sport athlete and shined brightest on the softball diamond before being named the school’s Female Co-Athlete of the Year in 1983.

While there was no Hall of Fame in the 1980s, Frost said she played because of her love for the game. Travel ball wasn’t big like it is now when students can play many sports year round.

“There were a lot of good memories. You never think of a hall of fame like that,” Frost added. “I never played basketball except for on the courts at elementary school and in middle school. I never really played volleyball. There was a softball league. A lot of my coaches started that and it progressed into the Bobbysox. We traveled all over Northern Nevada. It’s much different today watching my kids in their sports than it was back in the day.”

Frost was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year in softball after picking up AAA First Team honors as a shortstop when Fallon won the regional title and finished second in state. As a senior, Frost was named the MVP in all three sports. She became a four-year letter winner when she played softball at Nevada.

ALL-SEASON ATHLETE

Pete Leavitt was the quarterback of the football team, played point guard in the winter and pitched during the spring when Fallon won the state title in 1958, his freshman season. After high school, Leavitt shined on the baseball field where he played for Nevada, including a performance when he struck out 22 in a one-hitter, to go along with five years of playing semi-pro ball for the Fallon Merchants at the old North Maine Street ballpark.

WRESTLING STARS

The final three inductees shined on the wrestling mat.

Mickey Ritter, whose parents are Jim and Georgeanne, finished 145-16 in his four years and captured two state championships before wrestling for Cal State Bakersfield. After losing no more than six duals in each of his first three high-school seasons, Mickey went undefeated as a senior in 44 matches, taking the state championship at 152 pounds. Like high school, he saved his best for last, finishing first in the 158-pound division as the Roadrunners won the Pac-10 conference title, and he finished third in the NCAA Division I National Championships.

The oldest of the Shaw brothers, Dan dominated the mat in the late 1990s. A four-year letterman for the Greenwave, he finished his senior year with a 37-4 record and 20 pins to win the state championship at 130 pounds in the 4A for the second year in a row. As a junior, Dan won the Reno Tournament of Champions – billed as one of the toughest wrestling tournaments in the country – and received All-American honors. Dan was successful in college, winning the 2005 NAIA regional while competing at Montana State University-Northern.

Like his older brother, Glenn Shaw saved his best for last to win the 152-pound division state title his senior year along with a second-place finish at the World of Wrestling Championships. He was also a four-year letterman, winning the regional title as a junior before falling short in the state final. He’s the current record holder for most takedowns in a season with 241. Shaw’s success continued into college when he became the 2006 California Community College champion at 165 pounds after finishing undefeated (26-0) to receive All-American recognition. 

TEAM ADDITIONS

The three teams inducted played during the 1950s and 1960s.

After World War II slowed the progress of girls sports, momentum picked up and in 1949, a new team was formed in Fallon as the girls competed in eight to nine games. The 1953 and 1954 girls basketball teams amassed a 16-1 record with 10 players competing in both seasons, including Kathleen Hughes, Jean Peter, JoEllen Osgood, Margaret Oats, Anita Wooward, Della Bianchi, Martha McCarthy, Mary Ann Moser, Marilyn Joan Wright and Mary Cornu.

Bianchi, who lives in Utah, returns to the Lahontan Valley for reunions and was pleased to make it back for the weekend ceremony.

“In a whirlwind because I’m busy during the day, too,” Bianchi said. “I thoroughly enjoyed it but I wish I had seen more of the gals I had played with.”

Coached by Dick Andraeson, the 1963 football team defeated Carson City, 7-6, to win the school’s third state championship — exactly 20 years after Fallon last won the state title.

Ron Shane intercepted a pass and with five minutes, 36 seconds left, Jim Killer tied the game with a 9-yard touchdown run. Vernon Dixon’s extra-point kick split the uprights to give Fallon AA state championship.

“It was exciting. It is truly a team effort when you play football. It was a lot of fun,” Nunn said, mentioning some of the players who had key roles in the championship win. “I didn’t realize Carson was undefeated that year. We lost the first two games against Douglas and we lost to Sparks. I had the opportunity to see some of them (players) tonight I had not seen in a long time.”

CONTRIBUTORS

The contributors included five members of the community, covering radio, golf, softball, wrestling and the creation of the Hall of Fame with Orong.

Larry Barker has been the Voice of the Greenwave for almost three decades, and for a short, five-year span in the 1990s, he broadcast Lowry High School athletic events on KWNA radio. Barker, who currently broadcasts play-by-play for the Greenwave football, basketball, baseball and softball teams, was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2022.

A fixture in Northern Nevada as a track coach for more than a quarter century, Paul Orong brought zeal to his coaching as he did assemble other like-minded individuals to begin the Greenwave Hall of Fame with its first induction in 2017. With the dedication of Orong and a number of former Fallon coaches, athletes and contributors from several generations, the committee welcomed its first class six years ago. Orong also served as the GHOF’s first president.

John Huckaby spent hours in the library learning about golf and then applied that knowledge on his family’s property on Harrigan Road. He measured and built his own driving range and spent many hours practicing before being hired by the high school to coach the Greenwave. His contributions to youth sports led to creating the junior golf program that ran from 1985-2020.

Jim and Georgeanne Ritter were well known in the wrestling community before both passed away two years apart between 2020 and 2022. Jim was named by USA Wrestling as the “Person of the Year” in 2006 for his commitment. His wife became the first woman to serve as the state director in Nevada for USA Wrestling, and she held the seat for 19 years.

John Short became a top assistant coach for the Fallon softball program before transitioning to helping Oasis Academy. While with Fallon, John assisted Phil Pinder to back-to-back 3A state titles in 2011 and 2012. He helped guide the Bighorns to a 1A softball championship in 2021. Outside of the team setting, John could be found on the diamond, guiding Fallon’s youth in becoming better ball players.

Steve Ranson contributed to this article.