Ellen Townsend, who was inducted into the Greenwave Hall of Fame in 2017, was guest speaker at the 2022 induction. In the 1970s, Townsend was a trailblazer in women’s sports at the high school and collegiate levels.
Photo by Steve Ranson.
Nominations are being accepted until May 31 for the Greenwave Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Categories include teams, athletes, coaches and supporters of Greenwave athletics. The date for this year’s induction is the last weekend of September. A gathering of the present and former inductees, former athletes and the community is planned for Sept. 26 with the introduction of the Class of 2024 scheduled before kickoff of the varsity football game between Truckee and Fallon. The banquet is Sept. 28 at the Fallon Convention Center.
What was talk of a Greenwave Hall of Fame in 2016 turned out to be a reality a year later when the first class was inducted. The late Churchill County High School track coach Paul Orong, retired Lahontan Valley News editor and general manager Steve Ranson, LVN sports reporter Thomas Ranson and contributor and sports photographer John Dirickson began to research and organize a committee to look into the feasibility of beginning a hall of fame.
Another group researched the archives at the Churchill County Museum. A research team consisting of Mary “Bunny” Corkill, Nancy Sanders Stewart, Yvonne Arciniega Sutherland and Dave Lumos dug up years of information on Fallon history prior to 1950, submitting nomination after nomination.
Local businesses and individuals with strong ties to Greenwave athletics supported the idea to honor individuals associated with Fallon’s athletics, and the GHOF committee formed with 10 members. Others volunteered, and Orong served as the organization’s first president who presided over the first induction ceremony in October 2017.
Retired Principal Judy Pratt succeeded Orong, and computer teacher Steve Heck has served as president for four years.
Donnie Nelson, director of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, delivered the keynote address for the first class, which included more than 100 athletes representing four categories.
Among those inducted were athletes who also excelled at the university level or beyond.
• Ellen Townsend was the state field champion and record holder in the softball throw and held state records in the shot put and discus in 1975. Townsend was on the 1975 AA girls golf champion team and later named Athlete of the Decade in 1981.
Townsend competed at the University of Nevada, Reno and was selected to the Wolf Pack’s Hall of Fame in 2019. Townsend showed her athletic abilities in three sports, and according to the university, she was instrumental in the development of women’s sports in the post-Title IX era by helping to lead the Wolf Pack to three NCIAC titles in 1976-77 in volleyball, women’s basketball and softball.
• Aarik Wilson was a two-time state champ in the triple jump and holds the state record. He also won the long jump state title and holds the school record in the long. He became a 10-time All-American jumper at Indiana. Wilson won the U.S. Trials in 2008 and competed in the Beijing Olympics.
• Val York was of the most complete athletes in Greenwave history who stood out in football, basketball and baseball. He helped Fallon win state titles in baseball and basketball before traveling to Reno to compete for the Wolf Pack. He lettered four times in basketball and three in baseball. He was named to the Wolf Pack’s Hall of Fame in 1989.
• Jennifer Hucke was a four-year letter-winner for the volleyball team and powered the Greenwave to back-to-back state titles in 1999 and 2000.
She was a first-team all-state player in her final two seasons and the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2000. Hucke won two national championships with Stanford during her freshman and senior seasons.
• Both Harvey Dahl and Josh Mauga were standout football players who attended the University of Nevada, Reno.
Dahl played in the National Football League with the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons and the St. Louis Rams, while Mauga saw action with the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs.
The mission statement is “The Greenwave Hall of Fame is organized as a means of recognizing the many individuals who have made extraordinary contributions and have had superb accomplishments within Churchill County. The Greenwave Hall of Fame honors the contributions and accomplishments of these individuals who are worthy of this recognition as examples for others to emulate.”
Nomination forms may be found at https://greenwavehof.com for the four categories. Any application received after May 31 will be considered for the following year.
The committee urges nominators to review the packet and take their time in completing the application with attention to detail and supplemental material. Failure to answer and complete each question will result in rejection, and the person nominating will be asked to resubmit.
Once the nominators complete the application packet, they should return it to the GHOF via email to greenwavehalloffame@gmail.com. If the nominators feel as though they need to mail the packet, they may do so before the deadline to the following address:
Greenwave Hall of Fame; 2040 Reno Hwy Box 217; Fallon, NV 89406