William Albert Hansen

William Albert (Bill) Hansen was born in Fresno on September 11, 1928, the son of Hazel and Albert Hansen, and attended Fresno schools. He passed away at home on Monday, June 16, 2025, the day after a wonderful Father's Day celebration, at the age of 96.

He excelled as an athlete at Fresno High School, where he was recognized as the most outstanding athlete in both baseball and football in his senior year. His baseball career continued at Fresno State (1947-48), where he played under legendary coach Pete Beiden (and later was Pete's assistant coach). He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and had a particularly notable stint with the Cardinals' farm team in Fresno. Although drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict, his baseball skills kept him stateside as part of the Army's baseball team, where he played alongside and against a number of major leaguers. He was inducted into the Fresno State Baseball Hall of Fame (2001) and the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame (as assistant coach on the 1951 Bulldog team that was arguably the best in school history).

He worked as a teacher, principal, and district-level administrator for Fresno Unified School District, retiring as Assistant Superintendent. Notably, he served as Acting Superintendent in FUSD on two occasions. Throughout his adult life he remained active—working out regularly and playing golf—continuing into his 90s with 8-mile-long daily bike rides.

He is survived by his wife, Carol Gaab Hansen, son Robert Hansen and wife Kim, daughter Linda Hansen, grandchildren Nicholas Braden (wife Tamara), Kendra Hansen (husband Mike Vaughan-Cherubin), and Eric Hansen (wife Trish). He was preceded in death by his sister, Barbara Sharpe. Our family would like to extend a thank you to Dr. Dennis Nakata, Dr. David Carey, and Dr. Dominic Dizon, for their wonderful care and kindness to Bill over the years.

A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at Whitehurst Sullivan Burns & Blair Funeral Home, located at 836 E. Nees Ave., Fresno, CA 93720, on July 3, 2025, starting at 11:00 am.

Bill will be remembered fondly by all who knew him.

Donations can be made through the Bulldog Foundation to support student-athlete scholarships. Make checks payable to The Bulldog Foundation, P.O. Box 26267, Fresno, CA 93729-6267. Include "Bill Hansen" on the memo line.