A pair of Soquel High alums — ex-NFLer Dwight Lowery and former minor league baseball player Chris Sherman — were named part of San Jose State University’s Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2020 on Friday.
Five former Spartan student-athletes, one coach, and one team will be enshrined in a 2021 ceremony delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lowery was a two-time first-team All-America cornerback for the Spartans in 2006-07. The Spartans’ 2000 baseball team that qualified for the College World Series is also part of the induction class. Sherman was a pitcher for the Spartans.
Other inductees include two-sport star and world renowned sports sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards (1962-64), sprint freestyle swimmer Laura Fritz (1973-75), wrestling coach Hugh Mumby (1955-69, 1970), administrator, coach and 1983 soccer player John Poch, and gymnast Thomasina Wallace (2009-12).
“We have another outstanding class of Spartans representing San Jose State University Athletics through the years to honor in our next hall of fame induction ceremony. They represent diverse backgrounds from multiple sports and really provide a snapshot of our broad-based program. We are incredibly proud to call them our own and look forward to honoring them as our Hall of Famers,” said Marie Tuite, SJSU’s athletics director, in a release.
Originally planned for an October 2020 induction dinner, the upcoming SJSU Sports Hall of Fame ceremony will take place in April 2021 in an on-campus ceremony following any local health and safety social distancing guidelines.
Ticket prices for the San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame celebration will be announced in January 2021.
Lowery is the first and only SJSU football player to earn first-team All-America honors in multiple seasons. The cornerback, a former standout at Soquel and Cabrillo College, played for coach Dick Tomey in the 2006 and ’07 seasons.
Lowery made an immediate impact for San Jose State, helping the Spartans to a 9-4 win-loss record in 2006, the program’s first winning season since 2000, and a win in the inaugural New Mexico Bowl, the program’s first bowl appearance since ’90.
In ’06, Lowery set the school single-season record with nine interceptions, tied the single-game record of three interceptions in one game, and finished the season ranked second nationally in pass interceptions per game.
As a senior, he had punt return duties to his repertoire and broke the San Jose State single-season record for punt return average with his 14.4 figure. Lowery completed his two-year Spartan career with 13 interceptions, tied for fifth best in school history.
A fourth round of the 2008 draft by the New York Jets, Lowery played nine seasons in the NFL with five different teams through the 2016 season. He enters his third season as head football coach at Soquel.
Through two seasons, his teams have compiled a 15-6 win-loss record and qualified for the 2019 Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs.
The 2020 SJSU baseball team became the first in school history to play in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The Spartans finished the regular season tied with Rice University for the Western Athletic Conference championship and received the university’s first NCAA Tournament invitation since 1971.
As a No. 3 seed, SJSU won the four-team Waco, Texas, Regional the first weekend of postseason play. The next weekend, the Spartans defeated the University of Houston in the Houston Super Regional in a two-of-out-three series to advance to the CWS.
San Jose State finished the season with a 41-24 record after its appearance in the eight-team CWS. The 2000 team also became the first Spartan team in the top-20 in three national polls at the end of a season finishing eighth, ninth and 18th respectively.
Sam Piraro was the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year. Outfielder Junior Ruiz was the WAC Player of the Year. Pitchers Chris Key and Tim Adinolfi, catcher Adam Shorsher, and infielders John Fagan and Tony Tognetti were named second-team All-WAC.
SJSU Sports Hall of Fame
2020 inductees
Dwight Lowery (2006-07), football
Dr. Harry Edwards (1962-64), track & field, basketball
Laura Fritz (1973-75), swimming
Hugh Mumby (1955-69, 1970), wrestling
John Poch, men’s soccer (1983), assistant soccer coach (1995-2000), administrator (1999-2000, 2009-17)
Thomasina Wallace (2009-12), gymnastics
2000 baseball team
