Standout football, hockey, soccer, and swimming performers, as well as a baseball executive who oversaw the building of three World Series championship teams, are the newest members of the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.
Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver John Taylor, ex-San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau, former San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski, eight-time Olympic gold-medal swimmer Jenny Thompson, and ex-San Francisco Giants General Manager Brian Sabean are set to be enshrined May 6 at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero in San Francisco.
Tables of eight guests for the induction ceremony, which includes a seated dinner, are on sale for $5,500 at bashof.org. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Northern California.
The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, founded by former 49ers President Lou Spadia in 1979, honors 185 sports figures who have made significant impacts in the Bay Area and has donated more than $4 million to local youth sports organizations. Located in downtown San Francisco, the Hall also displays plaques for many of its members at San Francisco International Airport.
“We are extremely excited to induct the 2024 class,” Board Chair Mario Alioto said in a statement announcing this year’s inductees. “It’s especially gratifying that this class recognizes athletes in several sports that have been historically underrepresented in [the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame] relative to their positive impact on the greater Bay Area community.”
Baseball is certainly not among the underrepresented sports, with the Bay Area Hall’s inaugural class of 1980 having featured two of the game’s all-time greats, Martinez native Joe DiMaggio and former Giants superstar Willie Mays. Mr. Sabean, the longest-tenured general manager in Giants history, having served in that capacity from 1996-2015, now will take his place among that group.
It was, of course, the Giants’ World Series championships in 2010, 2012, and 2014 that cemented Mr. Sabean’s legacy. His drafting and development of cornerstone players such as pitchers Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, and Matt Cain, catcher Buster Posey, shortstop Brandon Crawford, and first baseman Brandon Belt are a huge part of the club’s lore.
Among trades engineered by Mr. Sabean over the years, key acquisitions included all-stars such as pitchers Jason Schmidt and Robb Nenn, second basemen Jeff Kent and Marco Scutaro, and right fielder Hunter Pence.
Chris Wondolowski of the San Jose Earthquakes runs toward the goal on a corner kick during a game in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 27, 2012. (Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
Winner of Major League Baseball executive of the year awards in 2003 and 2012, Mr. Sabean worked for the Giants for more than 30 years. He also led the club to the 2002 World Series, as well as post-season appearances in 1997, 2000, and 2003.
Mr. Taylor, too, played a big role in bringing three World Championships to San Francisco, having starred alongside fellow wide receiver Jerry Rice and quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young when the 49ers won Super Bowl titles after the 1988, 1989, and 1994 seasons.
A third-round pick by the 49ers in the 1986 draft, Mr. Taylor played 10 seasons, all with San Francisco, was a two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and landed a spot on the NFL’s 1980s all-decade team as a punt returner. His signature moment came on Jan. 22, 1989, when he caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Mr. Montana with 34 seconds left to give the 49ers a 20-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII in Miami.
Mr. Taylor completed his career with 347 receptions for 5,598 yards and 43 touchdowns in 121 regular-season games. He added 46 catches for 734 yards and six touchdowns in 17 post-season games.
After growing up on a tiny map dot called Aneroid in rural Saskatchewan, Canada, Mr. Marleau became the second overall pick by the Sharks in the 1997 draft. He began his NHL career that same year and concluded it in 2021 having surpassed the legendary Gordie Howe as the league’s career games-played leader with 1,779.
San Jose’s franchise record-holder with 522 career goals and 1,111 points, Mr. Marleau spent 21 of his 23 NHL seasons with the Sharks. A four-time NHL all-star, he completed his career with 566 goals and 1,197 points.
A seven-time 30-goal scorer who authored a career-high 44 in 2009-10, Mr. Marleau is among only 14 NHL players to have competed in four separate decades. He was also a member of Canada’s gold medal-winning teams in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.
Mr. Wondolowski, who retired in 2021 as Major League Soccer’s career record-holder with 171 goals, is the lone Bay Area native in this year’s Hall of Fame class. The Earthquakes’ all-time leader in nearly every statistical category, he grew up in Danville and attended De La Salle High School in Concord before being San Jose’s selection in the final round of the 2005 MLS supplemental draft out of Chico State.
Jenny Thompson during the women's 4x100 medley relay final at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Thompson won eight Olympic golds. (Hamish Blair/Allsport)
“It’s an absolute honor and privilege to be inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame,” Mr. Wondolowski said in a statement released by the Earthquakes. “The Bay Area has such a long, proud history, so to be even considered among those who have made the biggest impact on our local sports community is humbling.”
An MLS Cup champion with Houston Dynamo FC in 2006 and 2007, Mr. Wondolowski captured the Golden Boot as the league’s top goal-scorer in 2010 and again two years later. He also won the league’s most valuable player award in 2012, tying an MLS record with 27 goals.
A five-time MLS all-star, Mr. Wondolowski also made 35 international appearances, scoring five goals, for the United States. A member of the Oklahoma-based Kiowa Tribe on his mother’s side, Mr. Wondolowski in 2014 became the first Native American to play for the United States in the World Cup.
Ms. Thompson made her mark both internationally and at Stanford University. She captured eight Olympic gold medals, the most ever by a female swimmer, as well as 19 NCAA individual and relay titles.
A native of Danvers, Massachusetts, Ms. Thompson won a total of 12 medals, including three silvers, while appearing in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Summer Olympics. She set 15 swimming world records and won 30 medals, including 15 golds, in World Championships competition.
Ms. Thompson swam on four NCAA championship teams at Stanford and is a member of both the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
