Juan Villa / The Collegian
Fresno State track and field director Bob Fraley̢۪s path in life was shaped in grammar school.
Fraley and his grammar school counterparts gathered around to view the bamboo pole that Cornelius “Dutch� Warmerdam, a nearby resident, had used to set a World Record in the pole vault. Seeing that piece of bamboo was the turning point in Fraley’s life. In an instant, Fraley gained a heroic figure in his life and a passion for the sport that would later lead him to coaching prestige.
Fraley̢۪s path to the coaching ranks was improbable, considering his childhood roots. Growing up in a rural farming community southwest of Selma, Fraley was unsure about whether he would even attend college. After graduating from Laton High School in 1956, Fraley̢۪s father agreed to pay the $6 tuition fee for his son to attend College of the Sequoias.
Fraley said one of his COS professors was concerned that college would be too grueling for him to complete.
“He told me that I was pretty illiterate and he doubted that I would ever graduate,� Fraley said.
Fraley wasn̢۪t detracted by the remarks and later enrolled at Fresno State. Fraley competed on the track and field team for Bulldogs head coach Cornelius Warmerdam, his childhood idol.
After competing in the pole vault for one season, Fraley sat out his senior year to fulfill a commitment he made to his wife to graduate in four years.
Fraley said he walked out to a practice to tell Warmerdam he had to quit the team and the coach told him he thought he would be a great coach.
After coaching and teaching at a local elementary school, Fraley was hired at Lemoore High School, where construction for a new track was
already under way.
“I saw the construction and I said, ‘my God, are they building a freeway or what?’â€? Fraley said.
The construction was for an all-weather track that was only the second of its kind installed at an institution in the state of California.
When construction was complete, Fraley quickly built Lemoore into a perennial power. The Tigers won 13 league titles and only lost two dual meets in his 15 seasons as head coach.
Fraley̢۪s success at the high school level helped him land a coaching job at his alma mater in 1981.
“The Lord blessed me with all this great talent and when Warmerdam retired, I accepted a job as an assistant coach,� Fraley said.
Returning to Fresno State and following in Warmerdam̢۪s footsteps was an emotional experience.
“I sat down and cried,� Fraley said. “This person had inspired me and I was taking his job and locker.�
The transition to collegiate coaching wasn̢۪t as easy as some might think. Fraley had been a teacher and head track coach for 20 years and at that stage in his coaching career, moving to an assistant position was actually a cut in pay.
Consequently, Fraley̢۪s wife Elaine was forced to pawn the couple̢۪s gold high school rings during his first season.
The measure of Fraley̢۪s success and growth was evident 22 years later, when he gave up his salary during the 2003 season to save the track and field program from being cut.
During his tenure, Fraley has built a multitude of strong relationships with his athletes and has led many of them to great success and national prominence.
He not only built a strong reputation for the Fresno Sate program, but he also gained national recognition in the track and field community for his role in the growth and transformation of the pole vault.
He was named the Developmental Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee in 2003 and was also named the USA Track and Field Nike Coach of the Year that same year.
He created the Pole Vault Summit in 1989 in an attempt to make the sport safer and help promote the pole vault event throughout the country.
But there are two things that bring the greatest smile to Fraley̢۪s face.
The first was coaching his son Doug to three national titles in the pole vault. The second is developing and educating young minds.
Fraley also became the first track and field coach in the country to offer a scholarship to a female pole vaulter. Despite numerous skeptics, Melissa Price, the recipient of the scholarship, proved Fraley right and was a three-time All-American and was the NCAA indoor champion in 1998 and 1999.
“People would say women can’t vault and I would tell them that’s what you think,� Fraley said. “A girl in sixth grade beat me so I know women can pole vault. I’ve got the evidence.�
Fraley̢۪s knowledge and reputation in the pole-vaulting community has been a strong draw for many athletes.
“He knows everything there is to know,� freshman pole vaulter Andrea Greenman said. “I knew if I wanted to be good I needed to go here.�
Former Bulldog Chris Berrian was a walk-on sprinter when he arrived at Fresno State, but through hard work and motivation from Fraley, he drastically improved.
“He’s a good coach,� Berrian said. “He’s been around for a long time and he knows what he’s doing.�
In four years, Fraley helped develop Berrian into one of the top sprinters in the WAC and region.
“He uses positive reinforcement and he just knows how to motivate me.� Berrian said. “He pretty much got me to where I am and because of him I finished sixth at the USA Championships and I never thought I would get there.�
Fraley said a lot of athletes are trying to find their identities and it̢۪s his job as an educator to help them find it. His strategy to inspire his athletes is actually pretty simple.
“What we need to do is help these students understand that they’ll go through trial and errors in their life, but perseverance develops character and leads to hope,� Fraley said. “That allows you to set goals and dream dreams. When you dream dreams it will help take you to a level you never thought was possible.�
Warmerdam̢۪s bamboo pole now rests in the Boston Track and Field Hall of Fame. With Fraley̢۪s accomplishments and contribution to the sport, the head coach will undoubtedly be reunited with his hero and the item that changed his life so many years ago.
It̢۪s where hall of famers belong.