Arizona Athletics rounds out Hall of Fame class for 2020

The Arizona Athletics Department has officially named their Hall of Fame class for 2020, and here are the inductees for this year!

It’s always a great time to be a Wildcat, and for a few former Arizona Athletics sports standouts, it’s an especially great time to be a Wildcat as the Hall of Fame class was officially announced for 2020.

Making news just last week, the University of Arizona named seven individuals for not only their tremendous accomplishments, but as well as their first-class representation of the school and community as well.

Arizona Wildcats

Those individuals are; Jean Basson, Becky Bell, Clark Burckle, Annie Chandler, Tom Clarkson, Liz Patterson and Tim Plodinec, who will cement their legacy in School History forever.

While they all have been named to the Hall of Fame class for 2020, they won’t officially be inducted until August 28, when an official ceremony takes place.

To reiterate the accomplishments of these individuals, here are some important things to note.

Jean Basson (2006-2010)
Men’s Swim & Dive

Attending the University from 2006-2010, Basson was a standout for the Arizona Men’s Swimming and Diving program, as he earned 15 All-American honors while in Tucson, including two Pac-10 Conference championships. According to the school. What makes this athlete even more special, is that after following a terrific collegiate career, Basson would go on to represent his home country of South Africa in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics!

Becky Bell (1985-1997)
Women’s Tennis (Head Coach)

One of the most successful coaches while at the University of Arizona, Becky coached the Wildcats for 12 years and according to the school, “she has been the most accomplished tennis coach in Arizona Athletics history. Her teams made the NCAA postseason in 11 out of her 12 years here and even posted an NCAA Doubles Championship in 1993 season. She helped guide the program to five different Top 10 finishes, and also had 10 different athletes earn 17 All-American honors!”

Clark Burckle (2009-2010)
Men’s Swim & Dive

Burckle was another standout for the Arizona Men’s Swim & Dive team and earns a spot in Hall of Fame after winning an individual national championship in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2010. However, that’s not to overshadow his other performances as he helped guide the Wildcats to a third-place finish at the 2010 NCAA National Championship and even earned All-American honors as well as a senior. Now that’s impressive! Because of his accomplishments while here, he’s very deserving in making the Hall.

Annie Chandler (2006-2010)
Women’s Swim & Dive

Another four-year standout, but for the Women’s Swimming and Diving team, Chandler justifiably earns a spot in the Arizona Hall of Fame especially as she not only won an NCAA Championship in the 100-yard breaststroke, but she also won six NCAA relay championships. Not impressive enough? Well, Chandler earned seven individual All-American nods, helped the Wildcats to a Pac-12 team championship, and was also a crucial piece to the Wildcats as they won the 2008 NCAA National Championship.

Tom Clarkson (1953-1957)
Baseball

Having one of the best careers for an Arizona Baseball player, according to the school, Clarkson posted a career batting average of .410, scoring 103 runs with 97 Run’s Batted In. More impressive is that he did all before aluminum bats even existed. He earned first-team All-American honors, and following a terrific collegiate career, Clarkson “spent one season in the Chicago Cubs minor league system before ending his career to complete a tour of duty with the United State Army”, according to Arizona Athletics.

Liz Patterson (2006-2010)
Women’s Track & Field

The only track and field athlete to be selected for the 2020 class, Liz was a star in Tucson, earning numerous titles and individual awards while here. So just how impressive was it? Well, Liz “earned five All-America honors, a pair of Pac-10 high jump championships, and polished off her sparkling collegiate career with a pair of individual NCAA Championships in the outdoor (07-08) and indoor (09-10) high jump events” according to Arizona Athletics. Her resume speaks for itself and her addition the Hall goes without saying.

Tim Plodinec (1966-1968)
Baseball

The only other Arizona Baseball player nominated in the 2020 Hall of Fame class, Tim played just two years in Tucson, and boy was he a fantastic pitcher during his time here. Posting an impressive 18-7 record, with a 2.12 career ERA and 163 strikeouts, he’s one of the most dominant pitchers to ever play at Arizona. Plodinec threw 11 complete games during his senior season and even earned a First-Team All-American selection before being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1968 MLB Draft. Because of his accomplishments as a player here in Tucson and beyond, he rightfully earns a spot to be in the Arizona Hall of Fame!

At Zona Zealots, we’re proud of our Wildcats for their tremendous careers and would like to wish them a congratulations on getting to the Hall of Fame! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!