George Van Zant, a linebacker and running back for the 1950 national championship football team who still holds the college’s single-season rushing record (10 games) with 1,286 yards. He was also an all-league catcher and offered a contract by the Brooklyn Dodgers. After a stint in the Army, Van Zant played two seasons at Fresno State before embarking on a 30-year career as a high school teacher, coach and athletic director. A renowned fisherman who has been published extensively, he received the 2003 Contributing Writer of the Year Award from “SaltWater Sportsman” magazine.