Distinguished High School Coaches

2025

Curtis Barney

Curtis Barney and the town of Panguitch will be forever intertwined, with a big assist from Southern Utah University. 

As the story goes, Curtis was willing to attend Salt Lake Community College as a concession to his wife, Cindy, who was from Bountiful. He then persuaded her to move closer to his hometown for the rest of his business education. That explains how a product of SUU’s acclaimed “Coaching Factory” eventually would win a record 12 state championships in Panguitch girls basketball and become a Distinguished High School Coach, as recognized by the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation. 

In an SUU alumni publication, he would describe the couple’s decision as “one of those monumental moves that forever changed my life.”

Curtis added, “SUU really taught me how important the teaching and coaching professions are, and how important it is to build students’ confidence.”

In that story, Curtis also mentioned that a professor once told him “if I was going to be a teacher, I had to quit talking like I was from Panguitch.”

Fortunately, for generations of PHS students and especially girls basketball players, Curtis never lost his love for the school or the town. His Bobcat teams once won 64 straight games as part of those 12 state championships. In 28 years, Curtis posted 485 victories, ranking No. 2 all-time in Utah girls basketball to Ogden High legend Phil Russell. Five of Curtis’ teams finished second in the state tournament. 

Curtis has received multiple state and regional coach of the year awards and prestigious recognition from the National Federation of High Schools.   

The Barney family roots run deep in Panguitch. Curtis’ daughters, Amanda and Chelsie, played basketball for him (sons Tyler and Brady also were PHS athletes). His brother Clint coached Panguitch to a boys basketball state title in 2018, the same year when Curtis tied the record then held by Mountain View’s Dave Houle with an 11th title (he would add No. 12 the following season). Cindy Barney, who passed away in September 2024, was an educator in various roles in the town for 32 years.

Curtis is a member of the Garfield County School Board and has been involved in community programs as a business teacher, adult education director and transportation director. Sharing his love of basketball with his grandchildren now is a major focus for him in Panguitch, where he will always “bleed blue.”

Wendy Bills

The history of people who formerly held that position is not necessarily important in the story of a Distinguished High School Coach. Yet any summary of Wendy Bills’ career in Provo High girls volleyball has to start with the fact that the school went through five coaches in five years before Wendy took the job in 1984. She kept it for 31 years. 

Wendy had no prior experience in coaching volleyball before PHS athletic director Dick Hill hired her, but you would never know that by the results that included state championships in 1992, 1999 and 2000. 

Wendy’s daughter, Natalie, played for two of those title teams and was inducted into the Montana State-Billings Athletics Hall of Fame as a setter. Former Bulldog stars Kim Wilson (BYU) and Angela Lobendahn Peterson (New Mexico State) also performed well at the college level. 

Natalie followed her mother into the education profession; Wendy and her husband, Gregory, also have two sons who were PHS athletes.

Natalie loved growing up around her mother’s volleyball teams. “My earliest memory was being in the gym while the high school players were warming up,” she said. “I remember stealing the ball so I could play with it up against a wall.”

Wendy addressed that problem by giving Natalie her own purple ball that she would keep forever on her way to PHS stardom. “What a joy it was to coach my daughter on two back-to-back state championship teams,” Wendy said.  

Mentored by Provo’s Betty Clark and Utah women’s sports legends Elaine Michaelis and Norma Carr, Wendy was known for developing players with offseason volleyball programs and in-season coaching. As she told The Daily Herald, “It was fun to see the students as freshmen, where they didn’t know much, to (becoming) seniors and see them be so successful.”

Through the Utah Viper Volleyball Club and other camps and clinics organized by Wendy, many girls and boys have furthered their love of the sport. 

An Oklahoma native, Wendy graduated from Skyline High and BYU. Nearly a decade after retiring from coaching, Wendy has topped the 40-year mark as a Provo High teacher, continuing to work in physical education and drivers education. In 2020, she served as president of the American National Driver Education program.

Wendy also is credited with influencing swimmers, including participants with special needs, as an instructor and director of the Provo Recreation Center that originally was built on the PHS campus.

Todd Jeffs

In his first season as the Emery High School boys basketball coach, Todd Jeffs was involved in one of the most iconic games in Utah history. 

Yet even if that legendary Emery-Richfield state championship game featuring Shawn Bradley and Ryan Cuff would never be matched, there were a lot more highlights to come in his 32-year tenure. Todd finished with a 515-245 record that included two state titles, two second-place finishes and nine other semifinal appearances. 

What’s more, he could claim 39 seasons of contributions to Spartan basketball as a player, assistant coach and head coach, accounting for 910 games. “To say that I have enjoyed my time coaching and playing at Emery would be a huge understatement,” Todd said. 

As he receives this Distinguished High School Coach award, every coach can relate to his recent reflections about the profession. “There have been great times when I have felt like I have all of the answers,” he said. “There have been times when I have felt totally lost, pretty much like life. Overall, the good times have been far greater and more abundant than the bad times. Basketball has given me that chance to learn about people and life through those experiences.”

He will forever be associated with that 1989 Class 3A championship game in Cedar City, where Todd had attended Southern Utah University. The Spartans won 84-83 in overtime on Steven Gordon’s 45-foot, 3-point shot at the buzzer. In a Salt Lake Tribune interview to observe the 25-year anniversary of the game, Todd acknowledged not formally drawing up the winning play. But whatever he said worked. 

The dramatic finish came in Bradley’s junior year; the Spartans would win another title the following year before the 7-foot-6 center headed from Castle Dale to BYU and then enjoyed a long career in the NBA.               

Todd was a teacher, coach and athletic director at Emery for 37 years before retiring in 2022. He taught computer science for 20 years and physical education, weights and health for 17 years. 

Emery High is a hub of the county that ties together Castle Dale and surrounding towns. In the post-education phase of his life, Todd has remained immersed in the community as co-owner/co-director of Castle Ridge Behavioral Health. Todd and his wife, Donn, herself a longtime educator, bought and renovated a 1910 elementary school and created a non-profit rehabilitation center. They also recently opened a public fitness center.  

Mike Maxwell

Mike Maxwell’s 500 coaching victories were more than enough to earn him Distinguished High School Coach recognition from the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation. 

Even so, it would be impossible to discuss Mike’s life in basketball without men-tioning two other huge numbers: 1,000 and 2,000. 

Mike and his father, Larry, combined for more than 1,000 coaching wins in equally legendary tenures. Mike contributed to his father’s totals as a 1979 state championship-winning player at Highland High School, where he topped 2,000 career points as a sharpshooting guard. 

Mike compiled a 500-305 record at Bountiful High from 1989-2023. No. 500 came in a 53-50 win over Bonneville. As he told the Deseret News that night, “I’ve learned to savor every moment and celebrate every victory; you never know when it may be your last one.”

His mother, Elaine, attended that milestone game. Larry Maxwell had passed away in 2022. “I like to think he may have been there tonight,” Mike said.

A common thread of the Maxwell family coaching style was the use of the “Highland press” attacking defense. In the late stages of his Bountiful career, Mike told The Salt Lake Tribune, “I’ve modified things a little over the years, because you have to. But it has a lot of the same elements.” 

Mike followed the highly successful Mike Hall as Bountiful’s coach. He had been an assistant coach at an Oregon high school, following his BYU basketball career.

Bountiful won state championships in 1997, 2014 and 2015. Sam Merrill, who would have an outstanding career at Utah State and now plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA, was the star of Bountiful’s 2014 team. That team was ranked No. 36 in the country by MaxPreps and was celebrated during the site’s Tour of Champions.  

The BHS cast changed the next year, leading Mike to reflect on the nature of high school sports. Speaking of his three state titles, he told KSL.com, “They’re all sweet, every one of them, because they’re different. Every kid is different. Even though we got a couple of guys back, this was a whole new team of guys and a whole different experience to take them to the championship.”

Jeff Pollard and future BYU player Zac Seljaas led the 2015 team that was known for finding ways to win. “They don’t care how,” Mike said. “It’s just about getting it done for Bountiful.”

Joe Periera

Joe Pereira loved coaching swimmers, mainly because the sport is a classic case of effort being rewarded. 

The finished product of winning individual races and team state championship is created stroke after stroke, hour after hour in the pool. In a society that seemingly demands instant results, Joe appreciated the process. 

As he once told The Salt Lake Tribune, “Swimming is sort of ‘old school.’ A lot of students today want things quicker, but you can’t succeed in swimming unless you’re willing to work hard every day.”

Joe’s swimmers did that year after year at Cyprus High School and Skyline. His boys teams won 10 state titles, between the two schools. All of his 10 girls championships came at Skyline. 

“One of the things that made Joe really good was he was so knowledgeable about swimming and technical aspects of the sport,” former Skyline principal Doug Bingham told the Millcreek Journal. “He loved kids, but pushed them. It wasn’t always easy.”

The swimmers understood, judging by two pages of endorsements of Joe’s coaching methods that were shared in his nomination for a Distinguished High School Coach award from the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation. Here’s one example from Amy McClellan Herrera: “Having Joe tell me he was proud of me, that he believed in me, was great motivation. Still on hard days, 21 years later, I hear his voice in my head reminding me I am capable of hard things, and through that reminder, I push through.”

Here’s another, from Eric Talbot: “I am more grateful for the lifelong lessons Joe taught me. … Joe often told us that learning to work hard consistently, especially when we thought we were too tired, would serve us throughout our lives. After all these years, I am convinced that Joe was right.”

A native of California and a graduate of the University of Utah, Joe assisted legendary Ute coach Don Reddish and then became head coach of Utah’s women’s team. He also worked under Jack Nelson, a former Olympic coach at the University of Miami.

Upon returning from Florida to Utah, where his family was happier, Joe became the Cottonwood Heights Aquatic head coach and a Brighton High assistant. Beginning in 1992, he spent 12 years at Cyprus and 17 years at Skyline, teaching math and coaching swimming, earning three national coaching awards.

Barry Pitt

The tradition of softball success runs deep at Tooele High School, where four state championship-winning coaches once threw ceremonial pitches to christen an on-campus field. 

Barry Pitt made a huge contribution to that history, claiming five state titles in six years at the start of this century. He compiled a 34-game winning streak over two seasons for a state record that held up until 2022.  

As illustrated in one championship-game story, having the discipline to not over-coach his players is part of Barry’s path to Distinguished High School Coach recognition from the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation.  

As detailed in the Deseret News, Tooele pitcher Lauren Folta lost a no-hit bid as Hurricane threatened to score in the seventh inning. Folta called her infielders to the mound to help her regroup, while Barry chose to stay in the dugout and let the players talk to each other. Barry said that was his way of showing confidence in his pitcher. The strategy worked; Folta completed the title-winning shutout. 

In his eight years as Tooele’s coach, Barry posted a 169-32 (.841) record, with two second-place finishes in addition to those five state championships. That’s a remarkable run, especially considering that it all started when he was asked to become the Buffaloes’ interim coach in 2001. 

Tooele went 17-5 and reached the state finals that season. After dipping to 13-9 the following season and not placing in the state tournament, the Buffaloes launched a dynasty. In Barry’s last six seasons, Tooele went 139-18. Barry also was an assistant coach for Grantsville’s three straight state titles from 2017-19.      

Barry was honored on the Tooele High School Wall of Fame in 2011. Among other awards, he was named the Western Sectional Coach of the Year by the National Federation of High Schools in 2007.    

“I was surprised and shocked,” Barry told the Deseret News. “I think it’s a great tribute to the players. Any coach who wins an award like that has great players. They’re the ones who go out and show what you teach.”

Barry certainly deserved his share of the credit, having been a driving force of girls softball developmental programs in the Tooele-Grantsville area. The opportunity to work with his three daughters was part of his motivation, but he kept coaching after they graduated from Tooele. 

He also was known for teaching life lessons to his players, tapping into his primary job of working with teens at Valley Behavioral Health.

Erik Thompson

A higher degree of difficulty brings out the best of Erik Thompson. 

That theory has been proven by the way he responded to the project of rebuilding Ogden High School’s downtrodden football program, especially while he began dealing with the challenges of an ALS diagnosis. 

The last phase of Erik’s coaching and teaching career clearly has been the toughest, and the most rewarding. As he recently told the Deseret News, “Ironically, I felt a lot of happiness and joy going somewhere where it was a lot harder to win. … Seeing the pride and the respect (the players) received and felt about themselves was really fulfilling for me.”

After a long, successful tenure at Northridge High, Erik moved to Ogden in 2017, inheriting a 33-game losing streak. The Tigers improved steadily in his eight seasons, topped by a 7-4 record in 2024. No wonder Erik was inducted into the OHS Hall of Fame in January 2025 and has earned Distinguished High School Coach recognition from the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation. 

In his final season, Erik said, “I was able to appreciate all the little things about this job that I got to do every day.”

Erik grew up in a coaching family as a son of Roy High legend Fred Thompson and played football and baseball for the Royals. He attended Snow College, Colorado Mesa University and Weber State University. 

After assisting Blaine Monkres and Fred Fernandes in Northridge’s football program, Erik was promoted to head coach in 2004 and posted a school-record 79 wins in 13 seasons. His father assisted him for all 21 years with both the Knights and the Tigers. Fred Thompson was able to witness the way the OHS players responded to his son. “It’s incredible to see the love these kids have for Erik,” he said. 

In that Deseret News story, Erik made a remarkable observation about his ALS challenges: “I hate this disease so much. But I don’t think I could have made the same positive impact on others if I didn’t have this disease.”

That influence is not as easily measured as the fact that Northridge and Ogden won 74% of their games during Erik’s involvement in 29 total years of coaching. Fair to say, his example of perseverance has created quite a legacy. Awards such as being named Ogden School District’s teacher of the year in 2020-21 are further signs of his success.

2024

Greg Allen

Greg Allen was one of most accomplished coaches in 1A High School history.   Greg attended Piute High School in the small city of Junction, Utah where he competed in basketball, baseball and track and field.  After graduating from Southern Utah University, Greg started his coaching career at St. John’s High School in Arizona, but soon was back at his alma mater at Piute High School.  Even though the student body population at PHS was barely over 100 students, he had great success coaching the same three sports in which he competed while there.  His teams were always competitive for the top spots in 1A.

The Piute basketball team was crowned the Region 8 Division 2 champions in 1981 and won the Region 12 basketball championship in 1984.  His baseball team won the Region 12 championship leading up to the 1A state baseball championship in 1984. 

Greg’s coaching success continued when he went to coach at Escalante High School where he had outstanding teams in basketball and track and field.  Escalante had Region 12 basketball championships in 2006 and 2009 and 1A state basketball championships in 2006, 2008 and 2009.  Under Coach Allen’s tutelage, Escalante had several cross country champions and a 1A State runner-up finish in track and field in 2007.

Greg was voted 1A Basketball Coach of the Year three times and he received the 1A UHSAA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Greg and his wife Debbie have 7 children and reside in Escalante, Utah. 

Don Andrews

Long time Spanish Fork High softball coach Don Andrews left quite a softball legacy when he stepped away from the Lady Dons program after the 2019 season.  From state championships to region championships to all-state players, there was little he didn’t accomplish. 

In his 22 years as head softball coach, his teams won six state championships, seven times a runner-up, three third place finishes and 18 region championships.  His career record of 507 – 125, an .802 winning percentage, will go down as one of the greatest accomplishments in Utah high school softball history. 

Andrews’ accolades also included outstanding accomplishments by his Lady Dons-  seven state MVPs, 100 all-state 1st and 2nd team honorees, Gatorade P.O.Y. twice, Utah Valley P.O.Y. ten times and 58 players who went on to play on the college level.  Don was voted Region Coach of the Year twice and 5A Coach of the Year.  Don had a secret ritual before every game.  He would have the girls gather up all the bats and he would sprinkle his magic dust on them, and they would all say in unison, “bat be nimble, bat be quick, ball jump off this mighty stick”. Obviously, the magic worked. 

Don is a long-time resident of Spanish Fork.  He recently retired from his job at Intermountain Healthcare.  Coach Andrews went to work early (usually at 4am), put in a day’s work, and make it back to his daily practices.  Don and his wife, Jill, have three children, Josh, Marnie and James. 

Terry Bowler

Few high school coaches can match Terry Bowler’s success in winning champion-ships.  In his 34 years of coaching baseball at Enterprise high school, his teams won 15 region championships, 9 state champion-ships and placed second 4 times.  

You could say that Terry’s teams were extremely consistent at winning year after year.  Enterprise baseball set state records in consecutive wins with 64 victories and then backed that up with another 50 consecutive wins. 

Terry was honored during the halftime at the 2A Boys Basketball State Championship game on February 22, 2020 by receiving The Circle of Fame award given by the Utah High School Activity Association. The Circle of Fame award is one of the highest awards given by the USHAA. The State congratulated Coach Bowler for winning a baseball state record, 5 state championships in a row, and his 9 state championships is the 2nd most in Utah state baseball history.

Terry also was responsible for starting a wrestling program at Enterprise and he was the head coach for 15 years. 

Bowler prepped at Dixie High School and attended Southern Utah Univeristy.  His post graduate work was at Utah State University.

Terry and his wife Melanie Faye live in Enterprise.  They are parents of Adam, Jason, Amy, Joy, Nathan and Joel.  Terry was inducted into the Enterprise High School Athletics Hall of Fame. 

Sharon Christensen

Sharon Christensen had to be the most versatile coach in Utah high school history and probably the busiest.  She was an all-stater at Weber High School in volleyball and basketball and followed that by being selected all-region performer at Snow College.

She coached five different women’s sports in high school and was an athletic director and teacher.  She has degrees at four schools of higher education, worked at two different school districts and completed four administrator certifications.

Sharon started her coaching career at North Sanpete High School in 1987-2017 as head coach in volleyball and basketball.  She had four volleyball state championships in 3A classification, a 4A championship in 1986 and 11 region championships.  She coached  basketball from 1987-1996, was head softball coach for six years, and also coached girls track and golf.  In her spare time (yeah), she was athletic director for 15 years from 2002-2017.

In August of 2017, Sharon left Sanpete County for the warmth of St. George where she coached volleyball at Desert Hills High School.  She won two region titles along with a state runner-up finish in 2019.

Sharon started her higher education in 1981 attending Snow College, earned a Bachelor’s degree at Weber State University, a Master’s at the University of Utah and recently certified as a clinical medical assistant at Dixie Tech.  In addition, she is a Certified Master Athletic Administrator, has an NFHS Coaches Training Instructor Certification and is Bigger, Faster, Stronger Certified.   Sharon and husband Mark have three daughters, Holly, Angie and Kylee. 

Lisa Parker Housley

Lisa Parker Housley had an outstanding coaching career at Murray High School. Her accomplishments as the head softball coach are legendary. Lisa became the head coach of the softball team at Murray High School in 1992. Lisa’s hard work and dedication as a coach translated to consistency on the field as her teams made 24 state appearances in 25 years. Lisa’s teams also consistently finished at the top of the region as her teams won 17 region championships in 18 years between 1998 and 2016. The culmination of Lisa’s success was winning two state championships in 2005 and 2007. Lisa’s star player on those two state championship teams was her daughter Brittany. It was truly a highlight of Lisa’s career to be able to coach her daughter and share with Brittany those special seasons. Lisa’s 2007 championship team was particularly dominant as the team finished the season 24-4 and only allowed one run through their tournament run to the team’s second title in three years. 

Among her many accolades, Lisa was voted Utah State Softball Coach of the Year twice and received the Distinguished Service Award Coach of the Year. Lisa is also a Softball Hall of Fame Inductee. More important than any awards she received, however, Lisa was able to work with and influence hundreds of players that she coached over the years. Lisa served as a role model and mentor for her players, shaping not only their athletic skills but also their character and life skills.

In addition to coaching softball, Lisa was athletic director at Murray High School and a region softball representative for many years. Additionally, she served on the National Federation of High School Sports softball rules committee from 2010-2013. Lisa received her bachelor’s degree at Weber State University and earned a master’s degree from Utah State University.  Lisa played softball for Weber State University from 1979-1984.

Lisa and her husband, Tyler, have four children and five grandchildren. They reside in Washington, Utah and enjoy playing pickleball, bike riding, kayaking, swimming, traveling, and socializing with family and friends.

Richard Kaelin

In 1988, Taylorsville High School was fortunate to hire Richard Kaelin as a math teacher for the 1988-89 school year. This was also the year Rich began his long and successful coaching career. During his first year as an assistant coach at Taylorsville High School the baseball, volleyball and girls’ basketball teams all won the state tournament. In 1989, Rich became the head volleyball coach at Taylorsville High School. Two years later, in 1991, Rich also became the head softball coach. In all, Rich’s coaching career spanned 32 years at Taylorsville High School, with 28 of those years coaching two sports, volleyball and softball. 

Part of Rich’s legacy as a coach was the consistency of his teams–his teams were always competitive. His volleyball teams made the state tournament 25 times. Under his coaching prowess, Taylorsville won a state volleyball championship in 1989. Rich’s softball teams finished in the top eight every year he coached with an overall winning percentage of .760. Rich’s softball teams won two state championships in 1997 and 2007 and had four 2nd place finishes in 1996, 2008, 2014 and 2015. His volleyball and softball teams garnered 30 region titles. 

In 2002, Rich received the honor of Utah 5A Softball Coach of the Year. In 2004, Rich won the National Federation of High School Coaches State Coach of the Year award. In his over three decades of coaching, Rich’s greatest legacy is that he mentored, taught and inspired hundreds of student athletes, helping them to understand the importance of hard work and teamwork.

Rich was an outstanding athlete in his high school days, and he lettered in four sports at Skyline High School. Rich received his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah and his post graduate degree with the University of Phoenix.

Rich and his wife Mary have seven children: Katie, Michael, William, Lexie, Seth, Margaret and Trace. Just like their father, they all played high school sports. Rich loves to travel and he enjoys golf, tennis, skiing and softball. Rich is also a very talented musician. He and his brothers played in a band together for many years. 

laying pickleball, bike riding, kayaking, swimming, traveling, and socializing with family and friends.

William (Bill) Mikelson

Bill Mikelson was an outstanding coach for 21 years in Utah but before he settled down in Pleasant Grove, he had five outstanding football years at Port Sulphur, Louisiana.  In 1978-79 he was voted Jaycees Coach of the Year and in 1979 and 1981 he won 1A state championship. 

After his outstanding years in Louisiana with a record of 59-6 and five region titles, Bill moved to Grantsville, Utah where he coached there from 1983-87. His football success continued with three region titles and a state runner-up in 1986 and a 35-10 record.  His head coaching duties continued at Grantsville as he coached baseball and girls and boys basketball.  He certainly loved to stay busy.

Success continued for Bill at Pleasant Grove High School as Head Football coach from 1987-2004 with five region championships, a 1988 state runner- up and culminating with a State Championship in 1993. 

Not only was Bill an outstanding coach, he had well deserving achievements as an educator.   In 1986 he received the Tooele School District extra-curricular Teacher of the Year and in 2006 he received the Pleasant Grove P.T.A. outstanding educator Golden Apple Award.  In 1993, he was UFCA  4A Coach of the Year. 

Bill and his wife JoAnn currently reside in Washington, Utah.  They have two children, Billy and Amanda. 

2023

Kory Bosgieter

Kory Bosgieter was one of the most dominant high school football coaches in Weber
County for over 25 years, amassing a record that would be the envy of any coach.
He spent much of his career in Weber County.

He prepped at Bonneville High School where he played for legendary Laker coach, Thom Budge. After playing football at Weber State University, Bosgieter began his ascension in the coaching ranks. He spent 18 years as a head coach in his career including being an assistant coach at Snow College in 2003.

Bosgieter got his first head coaching job at Weber High School, where he coached form 1994-2002. His Warriors won the 4A state championship in 1999, the school’s second state championship in its 96 year history. He was selected as the 1999 UFCA Coach of the Year. He also served as the athletic director and was awarded the Weber School District’s E+ Team Award in 2002.

He succeeded Blaine Monkers at the helm of Fremont High School in 2008 where he stayed as head coach until 2016. In 2011, the veteran coach was named the UHSAA Coach of the Year. He was the 2014 All-Area Coach of the Year as well. His career included four Region One titles. Bosgieter coached the Silverwolves to the 5A state finals in 2010 and 2011 led by future NFL player, Nick Vigil.

Over his impressive career, he amassed a record of 108-87 with 5 region titles (1 at Weber and 4 at Fremont). His teams make the state playoffs 12 times in 18 years. His record at state included a 15-11 overall mark and a 3-1 record in the
state semifinals. In 2020, his alma mater honored him for his outstanding career by inducting him into the Bonneville Laker Athletic Hall of Fame.

He resides in Washington Terrace. He and his wife Diane have two children, Blake and Brooke.

Mike Favero

Long time Logan High football coach Mike Favero left quite a legacy when he stepped away from the Grizzlies’ program after the 2015 season. From state championships to allstate
players, there was little he didn’t accomplish.

In 17 years as head coach, his teams won five state championships, finished second once and amassed eight region titles. His career record was an eye-popping 149-60.

“I didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about winning,” Favero told the Logan Herald-Journal when he retired. “I tried to build a program that gave us the best chance to be successful. I’ve lost a lot and had my butt kicked many times.”

Favero coached 12 Utah National Football Foundation Scholar-Leader Athletes, six Utah Most Valuable Players and 56 first-team All-State players. His accolades included being the 2018 National Football Foundation and College Hall
of Fame Utah Chapter Outstanding High School Football Coach. In 2008, he was the UHSAA Coach of the Year and the National Federation of High School Coaches Western United States Coach of the Year. Favero was a five time Utah Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year.

He was also invited to be a national speaker for Glazier Football Clinics educating coaches and promoting the sport of football. “I view stepping down as a celebration as opposed to being sad,” Favero told the Herald Journal. “Obviously, there is some sadness associated with it. I love Logan High School. It’s been 28 years of joy.”

Favero was born in San Diego where he attended Helix High School, the same high school Bill Walton attended. He received graduate and post-graduate degrees from Utah State University. The Logan resident is married to Heidi and they have two sons, Jace and Easton.

Mike LaHargoue

Few high school coaches can match Mike LaHargoue’s record in four different sports. Over the course of a 27-year career, he coached boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer, softball and baseball, compiling an eye-popping record of 530 wins, 76 losses and four ties.

Where didn’t he have success?

He won four girls’ soccer state titles and one baseball championship. His teams finished second in state eight times, include six in soccer, one in softball and one in baseball. His women’s soccer teams played in 14 Final Fours. He coached softball for five years, making the state semifinals four times.

When LaHargoue coached soccer at Mountain View, two of his players were Shauna Rohbock and Noelle Pikus-Pace, who both earned silver medals in the Winter Olympics. As an assistant baseball coach, he helped develop players such as former BYU assistant Ryan Roberts, Los Angeles Dodger and Yankees player Mitch Jones, Angels player Casey Child and Salt Lake Community College coach D.G. Nelson.

As head coach at Lone Peak, his girls’ soccer team took home three second-place state finishes and three league titles. His baseball teams captured one state title, finished second once and won region twice.

These resulted in some nice honors over the years, including winning Utah Softball Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2000, Utah High School Soccer Coach of the Year and Salt Lake Tribune Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year in 2001. The Daily Herald named him Baseball Coach of the Year in 2008 and one of the top 100 People in the State of Utah in 2007. He was the Daily Herald Baseball Coach of the Year in 2010 and the Utah High School Coaches association Coach of the Year in 2010.

He and his wife Susan live in Highland. They are parents of Kamden and Trevor, and grandparents to two grandsons Ziggy and Sunny. LaHargoue attended BYU with post graduate work at Grand Canyon University. He is currently an adaptive PE teacher for the Alpine School District.

“I want to surround myself with quality assistant coaches who can help out,” he said. “This is not my show. I rely on them to help me out a lot.”

Steve Marsing

Only an elite few Utah swimming coaches can match the success of Steve Marsing, who found success in 10 years at Skyline, 15 years at Hunter and 8 years at Wasatch.

In his 33 years as a prep coach, Marsing won four state men’s swimming championships, one women’s swimming title, 10 state men’s and women’s water polo championships and 21 women’s and 17 men’s region titles.

Marsing, who now lives in Francis, graduated from Kearns High School and the University of Utah. He did post graduate work at BYU and Utah. He formerly served as the athletic administrator for Hunter and Wasatch High Schools and currently serves as the Swim Director for the UHSAA.

He has been honored with numerous awards recognizing his illustrious career. These include the1999 National women’s Swim Coach of the Year; the1999 and 2011 Section 7 Men’s Swim Coach of the Year; the USCA Coach of the Year 12 times, the 2011 UHSAA Men’s Coach of the Year, and the 2012 NISCA Outstanding Service Award. As athletic director, Steve received the 2008 UIAAA State Award of Merit.

Marsing served for over 30 years as the Utah High School State Swim Meet Director and over 15 years as the Utah State Water Polo Tournament director. He spent a term as the coaches’ representative at the USA local swim board and
served two terms as the Utah Swim Coaches Association President.

Steve served one term as President of the UIAAA and multiple terms on the UIAAA ADEC board.

Marsing and his wife of 45 years, Susan, are parents to Shawn, Chad, Ashley and Tyler. Steve and his wife are enjoying every moment with their 9 grandchildren.

Lee Mitchell

The best way to describe Lee Mitchell is that he was a pioneer for Utah high school soccer. And he was pretty darned successful in that capacity.

“Mitchell is a pioneer in the sport of soccer,” Utah High School Activities Association Executive Director Rob Cuff told Ron Bevan of City Journals. “He is a great ambassador to high school sports. His impact and influence on soccer in Utah will never be forgotten.”

Mitchell was the only soccer coach at Alta High School for 35 years. He coached boys and girls teams from their start as recognized high school sports in 1983 and 1989.

During that illustrious career, Mitchell won eight boys’ titles and eight girls’ titles. At one point, he captured a record four straight girls’ championships. The now retired coach was inducted into the Utah High School Activities Association’s Circle of Fame in 2020. He leads the state in total wins with 427 on the boys’ side and 414 girls’ victories.

Mitchell had never coached soccer when taking over Alta’s program. “We figured it out as we went,” he told Bevan. “I had a learning curve I had to go through. The first few years were rough.”

Mitchell built his programs on the principles of hard work, cohesiveness, respect and integrity. With many soccer players coming from club and comp teams, that cohesiveness was probably his biggest challenge.

In the end, Mitchell will always be known as one of the pioneers of Utah High School soccer.

Mitchell and his wife Kim have 6 children, Kelli (deceased), Ashley, Jessica, Elijah, Kaden and Mason.

Mike Ripplinger

In November of 2003, legendary Box Elder High School wrestling coach Mike Ripplinger was recognized on the floor of the United States Congress as an “Everyday Hero.” The hundreds of young men he mentored in 32 years of coaching at the Brigham City school would likely add a hearty “Amen” to that accolade.

Ripplinger’s record speaks for itself. He won six state wrestling titles and finished second 13 other times. He coached the Bees to 25 region championships. His wrestlers won 58 individual state titles while another 298 finished in the top 6 state places. Nineteen of his athletes captured all-American honors.

These accomplishments earned him Utah Wrestling Coach of the Year honors seven times. He was the National Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2005 and was four times the Western Regional Wrestling Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the Utah Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

Ripplinger also gave back to the sport he loved. He served six years as the USA Utah State Kids Wrestling Director and is a past president of the Utah Wrestling Coaches Association. The veteran coach also was a star in the classroom, being named Box Elder Teacher of the Year during the 2017-2018 school year.

Mike told Patrick Carr at the Ogden Standard Examiner in an interview when he retired, “Good support from family, my wife had to be really patient, she’s just a rock-solid support. I’ve had great assistants, so they’ve taken quite a bit of the
work. It’s a great community. A lot of good support.”

The native of Driggs, Idaho, is married to Tracey Kay. They are the parents of Britney Tyger, Brandon, Matthew, Holly Mellor and Kaylee Gutke. Ripplinger, who graduated from Ricks College and Weber State University, retired in 2018.

Cindy Stuart

Cindy Stuart seemed an unlikely person to become the winningest high school volleyball coach in Utah history.

She was a basketball player in high school and college. Her basketball playing days took her to UNLV, where her team destroyed Utah State by almost 100 points in 1977. That resulted in her being offered a job as the Aggies’ women’s basketball coach when she was 21.

According to a 2019 story on her retirement by KSL, Stuart coached the Aggies from 1978 to She met her husband, the late Bill Stuart, a cattle rancher who took her to tiny Randolph.

She was approached about coaching volleyball, not basketball. “They wanted me to coach their volleyball and I said ‘well I don’t even know how to keep score in volleyball.’” She was a quick study.

Coaching at tiny Rich High School, with a short stint at Evanston, Wyo., Stuart put together quite a record. From 1986 through 2018, she recorded 722 wins and 15 state championships. Those titles included four straight with her daughter Sammi.

In the KSL story, she credited BYU men’s coach Carl McGown for being a mentor. And, yes, Stuart also got a chance to coach girls’ basketball at Rich, taking the head job for four years.

Since retiring from coaching, Cindy has continued teaching both high school and elementary school kids. “Other than that,” she told KSL, “I’m probably going to help the grandkids and the calves.”

Cindy and the late Bill Stuart are the parents of Sammie, Louie and spouse Chelsie, Tyler and spouse Kylee and Parker and spouse Katie. They have 10 grandchildren.

2022

Roger Buhrley

A graduate of Weber High School and Weber State University, Roger Buhrley became synonymous with high school track and field in Utah during his coaching career.

As a head coach and assistant coach in track and cross country, he was involved in 12 state championships. In his 21 years at Davis High School, he built a dominant program from a modest starting point. His first state title is the most memorable, leading him to reflect in a Deseret News story, “I got a lot of satisfaction out of that one. I thought, maybe I’m not as a big a ‘loser’ coach as I thought.”

The rest of the track and field world would view him as a big winner in a sport where he once was described as “a world-class track geek.” Roger was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2011.

He not only loved the sport, but also those who participated in it. “I’ve never met anyone who is so concerned about kids,” said Corbin Talley, a former assistant to Roger. “And he has no ego. He hasn’t been in it for himself.”

The Salt Lake Tribune once labeled Roger “a beloved coach who built a model program at Davis.” Talley succeeded Roger as Davis’ head coach and has extended the Darts’ dynasty in the past 12 years.

The rewards of coaching were great for Roger, revolving around the feedback he received from former athletes. Those endorsements were missing from his history teaching career. As he said, “I don’t recall getting a letter from anyone about my lecture on the Industrial Revolution.” He thought it was a great presentation, just the same.

Roger taught and coached for seven years at North Layton Junior High, two years at Clearfield High, 21 years at Davis, eight years at the newly built Syracuse High and two years at Northridge High. His long list of successful athletes includes Paralympics star Hunter Woodhall.

Roger is a former president of the Utah High School Track and Field Coaches Association and served for four years on the National Federation of High Schools Track and Field Rules Committee. He was the NFHS Section 7 Coach of the Year in both boys and girls track. In Utah, he was known for decades a the go-to person for the media, fellow coaches and anyone interested in keeping up with meets, records and other developments in the sport.

In retirement, Roger lives in Huntsville.

John Colosimo

A graduate of Judge Memorial and the University of Utah, John Colosimo launched the football program of Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper and won a state record-tying eight state championships.

Those titles came in a 16-year period, while John’s success extended throughout his 21-season tenure as the school’s football coach. He won 80% of his games. Adding his record as Judge Memorial’s coach, he ranks No. 4 all-time in Utah high school coaching with 234 victories.

Beyond that, Juan Diego former athletic director Chris Long once said, “The things the metrics cannot see is the love John’s players had for him and the respect that his fellow coaches have for him.”

One of those opponents, Morgan High coach Kovi Christiansen, told the Draper Journal, “John epitomizes everything that is special about a high school and an example of the type of coach that is fleeing far too fast from high school athletics.”

John thrived with an old-school offensive approach. His veer scheme used five basic plays, Long noted. Defenses may have known what was coming, but that didn’t mean they could stop it, as Juan Diego’s offense tormented opponents with a methodical, ball-control style. On the other side, as operated by John’s brother Joe, the Soaring Eagle defense had a knack for taking away the opponents’ best players.

The result was sustained success, as reflected by 17 region championships between the two schools, including 12 in a row. Juan Diego’s eight state titles included two “three-peats.”

The National Federation of High School Coaches Association recognized John in 2004, and in 2014, the Utah Chapter of the National Football Foundation honored him for his service to high school football. In his acceptance speech, as quoted by The Salt Lake Tribune, John reminded the athletes being recognized that evening to “think about the people who make you look good.”

John’s involvement in education began as a substitute teacher in his college days and has continued for nearly a half-century. In addition to football, he has coached boys and girls basketball and served as an athletic director.

The Colosimo family was instrumental in the founding of Juan Diego in Draper. John’s influence continues to extend far beyond football in his role as the school’s academic vice principal. John and his wife, Kathie, live in Sandy and are parents of three children, all products of Catholic education who are  involved in college athletics in Utah.

Gil Cordova

A graduate of Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Gil Cordova presided over the Bulldogs’ golden era of football.

In a span of seven seasons from 1969-75, the former Judge quarterback coached the Bulldogs to six appearances in state championship games, winning three titles. His unbeaten team of ‘72 is considered one of the best in Utah history and Gil’s program is among five schools that have played in five consecutive title games, according to prep football historian George Felt.

After coaching at Judge for 11 years, Gil led the programs at Kearns High and Skyline High for two seasons each, completing a career that produced 37 all-state players.

His sons Anthony and James were multisport athletes for Judge in the 1980s and James joined his father as a winner of multiple state titles as football coaches at their alma mater. That gives the father-son duo a distinction in the state’s high school football annals. John Colosimo, Juan Diego Catholic High School’s highly successful coach, also played for Gil at Judge.

A strong believer in Judge’s educational mission, Gil received a “Super Fan” award from the Utah High School Activities Association in 2016 for his support of a third generation of Cordova athletes at the school.

He’s known to espouse this motto: “You can lose a lot of things in life, but never can you lose an education.”

Having grown up in the Bingham and Rose Park areas before graduating from Judge, Gil played football at Westminster College and in the U.S. Army and then launched his teaching and coaching career, specializing in world history. He pursued graduate studies in psychology at Westminster, learning techniques that he would apply to coaching.

He was known to evoke heroes and giants from Greek mythology to inspire his players, always looking for a motivation edge. As he told the Intermountain Catholic, “We weren’t always the biggest or the fastest, but we played smart. All of us coaches wanted our players, no matter the sport, to be students of the game.”

His son Anthony said recently, “He inspired players to believe in one another to believe in themselves. Gil believed in the transformative power of high school sports to build character, tenacity, teamwork and community.”

A resident of Salt Lake City, Gil remains a big fan of high school sports in the state, especially the Bulldogs.

Gail Meakins

California native Gail Meakins won a total of 10 state swimming championships, while coaching the boys and girls teams of Park City High School and Judge Memorial Catholic High School.

Her six girls titles came via two “three-peats,” one at each school. She also won three boys championship at Judge, following her one title at Park City.

Her athletes were adaptable, as illustrated by Park City’s outdoor pool workouts in the winter, with no indoor facility available. In a Deseret News story that mentioned how she warned swimmers about ice on the deck, she said having to use an outdoor pool “doesn’t seem to hurt us, but it does make us unusual.”

So did her swimmers’ success, at each school. Just as rewarding as those state championships, she hoped, were the life lessons learned through the habit of getting into the water every day and putting in the work.

“Positive attitude, individual discipline, self-confidence and teamwork” were among those benefits, she said, as swimmers “thrived in the synergy of being part of a team.”

Beyond the trophies, Gail said, “The absolute joy and pride on the face of a swimmer who just improved their time or exceeded their expectations is a memory I will never forget.”

Gail was a five-time state Coach of the Year, between the girls and boys programs at the two schools. She served the sport as a two-time president of the Utah Swimming Coaches Association and maintained the USCA website and list of swimmers’ top times for six seasons.

She went from Judge to Cornell University as an assistant coach in a move that made the Bulldog swimmers lament losing her, but they understood the allure of an Ivy League school. As one swimmer said, “We miss our old coach, but who could blame her? I mean, Cornell?”

Her relatively short tenures at the Utah schools make her impact even more impressive.

A graduate of Sacramento State, Gail completed postgraduate work at the University of California in Berkeley and the University of Utah. Her own swimming career continued well beyond her college years, as she dominated the Utah Summer Games in the 1990s. She remains an avid swimmer, runner and hiker.

Gail and her husband Mark are parents of a daughter and son and live in Huntsville, where her background in urban planning led her to become the chair of the Ogden Valley Land Trust.

Alaina Parker

New Mexico native Alaina Parker coached Snow Canyon High School volleyball teams to six state championships, sharing some of those memorable moments with her daughters, star players Ciara and Alexsa.

No one enjoyed any Snow Canyon match more than her son, the late Camden Parker, a special-needs person who is remembered as the Warriors’ biggest fan.

Camden would “light up whenever ‘his girls’ ran into the gym or onto the court,” Alaina said. “They brought him so much joy.”

Having attended New Mexico Highlands University, Alaina took over Snow Canyon’s volleyball program in 2001 and coached through 2015 at the St. George school, where she continued to teach social studies.

She was a five-time Coach of the Year as recognized by the Utah Volleyball Coaches Association, received a Distinguished Service Award from the Utah High School Activities Association and was inducted into the Snow Canyon High School Coaches Hall of Fame.

Alaina’s teams were known for being fundamentally sound and having fun on the court. “I always tried to reiterate to them that we need to be able to do the ‘boring” stuff really well,” she said. “We also laughed a lot in our gym. It is important for kids to be able to understand that there is fun and humor in sports. Too often, we are so afraid of how we will look in front of our peers that we get too uptight to perform.”

A former player once said of the team’s culture, “Warrior volleyball is a program where you can bring anyone from anywhere and teach them the skills and fundamentals they need.”

Morgan High’s victory in the 2015 state title match kept Alaina from having a perfect ending of her career. Yet while racking up those six state championships, she posted a 355-84 record, winning eight region titles, sending 23 players to collegiate volleyball and coaching two Gatorade Players of the Year in Utah. Actually, she gave birth to each of those star players: Ciara, who went on to play for BYU, and Alexsa (known widely by her nickname of “Crash”), who played at New Mexico State and Saint Mary’s.

Honored prior to her final regular-season match, Alaina was thrilled that so many former Snow Canyon players were in attendance. She was especially happy “to see that they’re good moms and good people,” she told the Spectrum. “At the end of the day that’s what matters.”

Alaina and her husband, Jeffery, live in Santa Clara, Utah.

David Wigham

A graduate of Bountiful High School and Weber State University, Dave Wigham won a combined six state championships with the Bountiful girls and boys soccer programs.

Dave is the only soccer coach to have won state titles in Class 3A, 4A and 5A. He also posted three runner-up finishes, while winning more than 80 percent of his games and sending over 150 players on to college programs.

He won boys state championships in 1991 and ‘93 and girls titles in 1996, 2000, ‘03 and ‘06 at Bountiful before taking over the Viewmont High boys team.

Dave’s BHS girls program became a big success, from a starting point of fielding a team with only two girls who had played competitive soccer. Before long, it was difficult even for players with soccer experience to make the Braves’ varsity, with high expectations on the state level. As he once said, “It’s never been our goal to just win region.”

Dave always credited youth programs in Bountiful for helping develop players, while he further nurtured the skills of players such as Colton Cook, Lucas Cawley and Caroline Putz, a two-time Parade All-American.

In the process, he did everything he could to enhance the Davis County soccer legacy of his father, Hugh, who moved his family from London to Utah in the early 1960s when Dave was a child. “He taught me a passion for the game,” Dave told the Deseret News. “He had a passion for the game that very few had.”

The late Hugh Wigham was the first inductee into the Utah Soccer Hall of Fame. That recognition celebrated the growth of the sport in Davis County, which went from modest beginnings in soccer to claiming the highest per-capita participation rate in the nation. Among Dave’s tributes to his father was always naming his youth squads the “Gunners,” the nickname of Arsenal, Hugh’s favorite team in England – even though Dave preferred rival Chelsea.

Before channeling his efforts into coaching and teaching, Dave was known as a tireless promoter of high school sports coaches and athletes in his coverage area as a writer for the Davis County Clipper. He cared about how those teams were perceived around the state.

He later became involved with Real Salt Lake when the Major League Soccer expansion club came to town, and he was thrilled that his father was able to witness RSL’s home opener in 2005.

Dave and his wife, Annette, are parents of three children and live in St. George.


No honorees from 2020-21 due to COVID-19–

2019

Calvin Albrecht

A graduate of Beaver High School and Southern Utah University, Calvin Albrecht coached Beaver’s boys track and field team to six state championships and the basketball team to four state titles. He also won a state cross country championship and was an assistant for five football title teams.

Calvin was a Beaver assistant basketball coach for eight years and the head coach for 20 years. In those two decades, his teams made 18 state tournament appearances and won eight region championships to go with the four state titles (including the school’s first basketball championship in 1983). Those championships were spread over 20 seasons, with the last one coming in 2002.

His second state title is especially memorable. The roster included his son Clint, and Calvin said, “It was such a fun year, because no one cared who got the glory. Every player was unselfish and kept the ultimate goal in mind.” Having five scorers average in double figures is highly unusual for a high school team, and that’s what distinguished that Beaver squad.

The Beavers posted seven other top-four finishes and Calvin recorded 351 victories.  In his 29 years as head track coach, Calvin won six state titles and his teams finished second twice.  Calvin will always remember an invitational meet where he encouraged a runner who usually finished far back in the pack, hoping the boy could add a point or two to the team total. With a finishing kick, he finished eighth, and the point he scored made the difference. “This race not only made his day, but his season,” Calvin said. “From that day forward, he had so much more confidence. He never won a race, but he knew he was a contributing member of his team, a part of something greater than himself. Sometimes it just takes believing in a kid to help them achieve what they didn’t think they could. Every coach has those cherished moments.”

Calvin was inducted into the Beaver High Teacher Hall of Fame and the SUU Coaching Factory Hall of Fame. He was a two-time Class 2A Basketball Coach of the Year and earned a similar honor in track and field.  A farmer and rancher, Calvin and his wife Bonnie Sue are parents of seven children and live in Minersville.

Bryan Griffin

A graduate of Escalante High School and Utah State University, Bryan Griffin coached the Richfield High boys cross country and track and field teams to 11 state championships.  An a Escalante runner, Bryan established school records in the 880 and the mile that were never broken. He became a junior college All-American at the College of Eastern Utah, where he’s a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Bryan began his coaching career at Bonneville High in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and moved to Ben Lomond High in 1987 as the girls cross country and track and field coach. In 1991, he went to Richfield, where he built a boys track and field dynasty that started in the early 2000s, after he initially coached the girls teams.  His boys cross country teams claimed state titles in the fall of ’02, ’05, ’06, ’08 and ’12. His boys track teams won state championships in the spring of 2003, ’04, ’06, ’07, ’09 and ’13.  Between them, Bryan’s teams won 25 consecutive region titles, beginning in 2012. He collected seven state second-place finishes and 35 region championships, while his athletes continually broke school records. More than two dozen athletes went on to compete in college.

“I loved running with my cross country kids,” Bryan said. “I always told them I would never give them a workout, I wasn’t willing to do myself.”  He added, “Some of my best memories were not always the region and state titles, but watching some of the less gifted athletes exceed mine and their own expectations. Ever since high school, I have been surrounded by great people and coaches whom I admire and respect. I was taught by the best and coached against the best, and will be forever grateful for all they did for me.”  Among the honors Bryan has received are the Utah Class 2A Boys Track and Field Coach of the Year award in 2005 and ’09, the Utah Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year award in ’09 and the West Sectional Track and Field Coach of the Year in ’09 award from the National Federation of High Schools.

Bryan is known for the hours he spent preparing for and staging track meets, including the annual Nyle Norris Invitational and the Richfield Relays, as well as region championships hosted by the school.  A two-time participant in the Boston Marathon, Bryan and his wife, Sue, are parents of five children and live in Richfield. Each of his three girls and two boys competed for his Richfield teams.

Ladd Holman

A graduate of Delta High School and Southern Utah University, Ladd Holman coached nine consecutive state championship wrestling teams.

As a wrestler and coach, Ladd has been involved in the sport since 1965. Even now, with his primary occupation as a cattle rancher, he describes himself as “a grandpa wrestling coach.”  Ladd wrestled for Delta as a member of four state championship teams, setting the stage for his coaching career. He coached at Millard High for seven years and Delta for 12 years, compiling a phenomenal record. He coached 54 individual state champions, 34 runners-up and 61 third- or fourth-place finishers.

Delta’s domination was reflected in 1986 when the Rabbits had nine state champions in the 12 weight classes. In 1990, Delta claimed seven individual titles. In addition to those nine straight team championships (1985-93), two of Ladd’s teams finished second.  He credits assistant coaches Dave Wankier, Joe Morris, Kevin Singleton and Paul Pilkington for his success, along with many supportive wrestling families and his own coaches in high school and college that served as good examples of caring about their wrestlers.

Many of his former wrestlers are either coaching or having their own sons pursuing the sport. In Ladd’s case, four grandsons are wrestlers and his son Joel is Juab High’s coach, having led the Wasps to three consecutive state championships of his own (while working as an orthopedic surgeon). Joel told The Daily Herald that he tries to convey the same values with his wrestlers that he learned in his father’s Delta program.

The family enjoyed a great moment in 2018 when Ladd was inducted into the Utah High School Activities Association Circle of Fame, the night when Joel’s Juab team won a state title (coincidentally, beating Class 3A newcomer Delta).  Ladd was honored six times as the Utah Wrestling Coach of the Year and was named the 1990 UHSAA Coach of the Year. He has been inducted into the Utah Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Having retired from teaching and coaching, Ladd lives with his wife, Margo (they’re parents of four children), in the small Millard County town of Leamington. In a Deseret News story about the town, Ladd once contrasted the buzz of a high school environment to his current job by obsreving, “I shut the truck off and the cows were eating hay in the snow there, and I could hear their jaws munching. It’s that quiet.”

Dave Peck

A graduate of Cyprus High School and Southern Utah University, Dave Peck turned Bingham High’s football program into a state and national power.  Dave coached the Miners to five state championships at Utah’s highest level, while appearing in the championship game or the semifinals 10 times. His 2014 team was ranked No. 8 by USA Today and played in the inaugural State Champions Bowl Series in Florida and his 2010 team finished No. 4 nationally.

His career started at Grace High School in Idaho. He then became the head football and baseball coach at North Sanpete HS in Mt. Pleasant. Dave moved to Bingham as an assistant football coach in 1985. After a stop at Hunter High, he became Cyprus’ head coach in 1995 before going back to Bingham as head coach in 2000.

In 15 seasons with the Miners, Dave posted a 154-38 record and was a driving force in Utah high school football’s becoming nationally recognized. As a result, The Salt Lake Tribune named him one of the 25 Most Influential People in Utah Sports. He coached in the first high school football game played in the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Dave was inducted into the SUU Coaches Hall of Fame in 2015, when he also received the National Football Foundation-Utah Chapter’s annual award for outstanding contribution to amateur football. Other recognition has included South Jordan City’s Hero Award in 2010, the Utah High School Activities Association’s Class 5A All-Sports Coach of the Year Award in 2009 and the Bingham Teacher of the Year in 2008-09.

When Peck retired from Bingham High School, he wrote in his resignation speech: “I have always looked at our players and managers like they were my own sons and daughters,” I wanted every one of them to feel important whether they were all-staters or never hardly played at all. I always felt that we could build this program into a state power, but never dreamed that we would have the national recognition that has come our way.”

One of Dave’s favorite sayings is, “Help as many people get what they want out of life, and you will eventually get what you want out of life.” That has proven true in his case, many times over.

Dave returned to the sideline in 2016 as North Sanpete’s defensive coordinator, helping his nephew, Rhett Bird.  Dave and his wife, Christy, are parents of four children and live in Fairview.

Mel Roberts

A graduate of Tooele High School and the University of Utah, Mel Roberts coached Tooele’s boys and girls swim teams for nearly 50 years.  In his 49-year tenure from 1969 to 2017, Mel coached his teams to 11 state championships and 43 region titles. He compiled more than 1,000 combined victories, with a 549-103 record in boys meets and a 463-96 record in girls meets for an overall winning percentage of .784.

Mel coached six All-Americans and 42 scholastic All-Americans and was a two-time Coach of the Year as selected by the National High School Coaches Association, for girls in 2010 and for boys in 2017. He’s the only coach honored for both the boys and girls divisions.  Internationally, Mel coached the U.S. boys team in the Moscow Youth Games in 2003. Nationally, he has held several positions in the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association, including president, editor, state delegate, zone director, All-American clearinghouse, education chair and awards chair. He was inducted into the NISCA Hall of Fame in 2010 and served on the National Federation Swimming and Diving Rules Committee for four years.

In Utah, he was inducted into the Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Hall of Fame in 2010, was president of the Utah Swimming Coaches Association for 10 years and was the secretary/treasurer for 19 years.  Mel was shaped by his legendary swim coaches, Leigh Pratt at Tooele High and Don Reddish at Utah.

In the late stages of his coaching career, he reflected, “Coaches have such an influence on swimmers; they teach things that can’t be taught anywhere else. We teach kids more than just how to swim fast, we teach them about life. It’s a fantastic feeling when kids come back years after they have graduated to thank you for everything you’ve taught them.”  He added, “I never had a desire to move to a college coaching position. I have stayed in the one place for so long because I grew up here and Tooele is a huge part of my life.”

One of his former swimmers, Stuart Smith, told the SwimTopia website, “Mel did a good job empowering the older swimmers to be leaders, there was a real cohesiveness to the team. Mel fostered the kind of camaraderie where we lifted each other.”

Mel and his wife, Gwen, are parents of 13 children and live in Tpoele.

Larry Wall

A graduate of Viewmont High School and the University of Utah, Larry Wall defied a trend in his profession by coaching Bountiful High’s football team for 31 seasons.

In an era when high school coaching tenures are becoming shorter, due to the demands of the job, Larry stayed with the Braves for more than three decades. When he stepped down after the 2015 season, he was recognized as Utah’s second-winningest prep coach in history with a 238-116 record. Bountiful won four state championships, in pairs: in 1990 and ’91, and then in 2002 and ’03.

Larry was an outstanding defensive end for Utah in the 1970s. He began his coaching and teaching career in 1979 at age 23 and stayed with the profession until retiring from teaching in 2018.

Some of his recognition includes a Distinguished Service Award from the Utah High School Activities Association in 1992, a Bountiful Rotary Club Distinguished Educator Award and an acknowledgment of contributions to youth football in Hermosillo Sonora, Mexico. He also was a two-time winner of the Officials Association Sportsmanship Award and received a Davis School District Hall of Fame Award.

When he left coaching, Larry reflected on his Bountiful experience in a Salt Lake Tribune story.  “I’ve lived a charmed life here,” he said. “It’s been awesome. We’ve tried to do the right things and do it the right way. I tried to put the kids first and not some of the other things that creep in there, and I think, for the most part, we were successful in doing that.”

In the Deseret News, Larry said, “It’s a great community here, great school. Great administrators that support us and support me. We’ve built a really great tradition here, with that tradition we just tried to build on that every year. I think the guys learn from the previous group that came through, and then you have some stability.”

As former player Landon Layton once said, “Coach Wall bases everything on tradition. He is really old fashioned and isn’t one to go off and try new stuff when the old stuff is working. He really focuses on us playing Bountiful football, and everything else will take care of business. It’s fun to play for a program where you know they have that tradition and it’s all thanks to coach Wall.”

Larry and his wife, Connie, are parents of three children and live in Bountiful.

Jim Wiscombe

A graduate of Morgan High School and Utah State University, Jim Wiscombe played for a state championship basketball team in Morgan and then coached the Trojans to consecutive state titles 40 years later.

Jim was named the Class 3A MVP for an unbeaten (24-0) Morgan team coached by the late Ron Abegglen in 1974, while also playing football and baseball for the Trojans. He played basketball and baseball for the College of Eastern Utah before graduating from Utah State.

His first coaching and teaching job was at Delta High School, where he worked with the football, basketball and baseball teams in various roles.  He went home to Morgan in 1987 and was the head basketball coach for 24 years, while teaching Spanish and then becoming the school’s head counselor. He also was Morgan’s athletic director for five years. Jim took three years off from coaching to complete a master’s degree, then returned to the sideline for 13 more seasons.

In addition to his state championships in 2013 and ’14, concluding his coaching career, Jim won 10 region titles, including two runs of four championships in a row. Two of his teams were state runners-up, two other teams were unbeaten going into the state tournament, and he won the last 35 region games of his career. He was named the Wilbur Braithwaite 3A Coach of the Year three times and received a Distinguished Service Award from the Utah High School Activities Association in 2013.

When he stepped down as Morgan’s coach, Jim praised his players in a Deseret News article, saying, “They’ve been great to work with, they’re great kids. They’re there to learn, they’re there to improve, it’s just a great teaching environment. I’ve learned more from the kids than I’ve ever taught them. You learn a lot from high school kids.”  He also said, “It’s been fun, had a lot of great experience with great kids, and I’ll miss the experience. We’ll move on and try and do something else.”

Jim and his wife, Liz, are parents of three children and live in Morgan, after he grew up on a farm with nine siblings in the tiny Morgan County town of Richville, where he said his love of work was created. He continues to serve as an MHS counselor. In January 2019, the Morgan County News spotlighted him as a school employee of the month.

2018

View Video of 2018 Inductees

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Craig Gladwell

A graduate of Bonneville High School and Weber State, Craig Gladwell won four state basketball championships in the 1990s as North Sevier High School’s coach.  In the modern era, few varsity head coaches of high-profile sports stay in the game for anything approaching the length of Craig’s 43-year tenure. “I just kept plugging along, and loving it, right up until now,” he said when he retired in 2012.  His career choice was inspired by the legendary Dick Motta, who taught a coaching methods class at Weber State, where Craig was a baseball star. After working at the junior high level, Craig moved to Idaho and enjoyed successful stints of coaching multiple sports at two small high schools, Aberdeen and West Side. His 1980 West Side football team won a state title.

Following four years at the larger Blackfoot High School, Craig came back to Utah at North Sevier, where his consistent success turned into a basketball dynasty over 16 years. The Wolves’ basketball teams won Class 2A state championships in 1990, ’91, ’96 and ’97, in addition to a runner-up performance and three third-place finishes. In 1998, he was voted by his peers as the state of Utah’s best small-school coach in a Salt Lake Tribune survey.

In 1990, North Sevier beat county rival Richfield High for the first time in 17 years on the way to the school’s first state title in 12 years. At one time, he was the only Utah high school teacher to act as an athletic director and head coach in football, basketball and baseball.  Craig concluded his career with a 10-year run at Lehi High School, leading the Pioneers to second place in the 2004 state tournament. He finished with a basketball coaching record of 489-265.

The committees he was involved with in the Utah High School Activities Association (“play where you live” and “sportsmanship”) speak of his efforts to retain traditional values. Wayne Henderson, one of Craig’s multisport athletes at West Side, said he appreciates how his coach “did not forget about us when he moved to positions at other places,” remaining interested in their lives.

Craig was named the basketball “Coach of the Year” in his classification five times in Utah and was honored as the state’s “Athletic Director of the Year” in 1999. He received a distinguished service award from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in 2006 and earned a citation from the National Federation of State High Schools in 2011.  Craig and his wife, Karen, are parents of four children and live in Murray.

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Esther Halliday

A graduate of Murray High School and the University of Utah, Esther Halliday won three consecutive state championships as Bingham High School’s girls volleyball coach.  Esther’s 42-year career in education included 31 years as a volleyball coach, among other assignments. She started in 1974 as a coach in three sports at Judge Memorial Catholic High School and retired from Indian Hills Middle School last June. In between, she spent 30 years at Bingham, with long tenures as the Miners’ volleyball coach and chair of the physical education department. Records were not kept prior to 1980, but she posted a 626-31 record from 1980-2005. The Miners won state champion-ships in 1989, ’90 and ’91. “All three championships are cherished battles but the third was unexpected,” Esther once wrote. “Placing third in  region, this team, with only one experienced senior, whose desire carried the team of five juniors beyond its wildest imaginations, advanced to the championship and stole away the title from a team whose destiny seemed certain, a story definitely worthy of an inspirational Hollywood movie.”

Bingham also finished second in the state in ’94. Her teams won six region titles and only once, early her career, did Bingham miss the state tournament. Nearly half of her teams finished in the state’s top eight. She also was the Miners’ head coach in basketball and track and field in the late 1970s. “Esther’s coaching experience speaks for itself,” said former Bingham Athletic Director Brad Bevan. “Her trademark was her organization skills and her ability to teach a variety of skill sets to her physical education students.”

Esther has received many awards along the way. She earned a Utah Coaches Association “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2004 and a Bingham “Candlelight Lifetime Service Award” in 2006. The Bingham Alumni Foundation’s tribute credits her for taking “a personal interest in all her students and putting her whole heart into the structure of teaching, coaching and student behavior at Bingham that was followed by elite coaches and teachers long after her retirement.”

In recounting her life story, Esther once wrote about how “in the early 1970’s women’s sports was in its infancy and struggling to make a significant presence in a male dominant sports world. Title IX compliance forced schools to make high school sports available to their female athletes as well as the male athletes. Female coaches were in demand, placing me in the role of a lifetime.” In retirement, Esther lives in Salt Lake City.

Hansen

Mike Hansen

A graduate of Teton High School in Idaho and Brigham Young University, Mike  Hansen won three state championships as Layton’s wrestling coach. The Lancers also finished second three times during his 31-year tenure and he was a four-time Utah wrestling “Coach of the Year.” Among the more than 150 individual state place-winners he coached were his sons Tyrone, Blake and and Braden. Mike wrestled for BYU in 1970-74, winning two Western Athletic Conference titles and earning All-America honors. Mike served three terms as president of the Utah Wrestling Coaches Association and was inducted into the Utah High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007.  In 2000, he earned “Coach of the Year” awards in both the Utah High School Activities Association and Section VII of the National Federation of State High Schools and was presented the “Utah Champions Award.” In 2003, he was NFHS Wrestling “Coach of the Year.”

Mike was known for his teaching style, technique instruction and development of team culture in an individual sport. And when he received his national award, he made sure his wrestlers joined him on the stage during a school assembly.  Mike always wanted his athletes to learn lessons from the demanding sport. “If they can finish wrestling,” he once told the Deseret News, “they can finish anything in life.”

At age 40, he was involved in an epic match in the Utah Summer Games with his brother  Brad, who was then 31 and the wrestling coach at Spanish Fork High School. Competing in the 220-pound open division in 1989, the brothers battled to an 11-11 tie with 45 seconds remaining, when the power went out in Southern Utah University’s arena. Each scored another point in regulation, and agreed to a draw rather  than go into overtime.

Beyond his own teams’ achievements, Mike is recognized as an innovator of wrestling tournaments in Utah. His 18-team Layton Invitational became an annual state classic. Prior to the early 1980s, the UHSAA did not permit in-season invitational tournaments to exceed eight teams, although the state meet included 16 teams in each classification. Mike appealed and presented to the UHSAA a 16-team plan that would fit within the time-out-of-school constraints, decrease costs, improve revenue and expand competition. To the surprise of Layton administrators, the UHSAA then approved 16-team invitationals. Mike applied, hosted and won the first 16-team invitational. (Invitationals now are even bigger).

Mike also was instrumental in the UHSAA’s move to allow two wrestlers in the same weight class from the same school to qualify for the state tournament, rather than one of them having to make weight adjustments to compete in the region meet.  Parents of six children, Mike and his wife, Sherisse, live in Layton.

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Brian Kuhlmann

An Iowa native and a graduate of Iowa State University, Brian Kuhlmann enjoyed pheno-menal success as the coach of  Timpview High School’s cross country and track and field programs with 14 state championships and 13 second-place finishes.  After coaching at high schools in Wisconsin and Illinois, Brian came to Timpview in 1979 and launched a 28-year tenure that would include his cross country teams qualifying for the state meet every season. His boys teams won eight state championships, including four in a row in 1986-89. Timpview produced seven individual state champions and 35 all-state runners.  In track and field, the Thunderbirds had 41 individual and relay state titles, with seven state records.

Brian was known for emphasizing the team concept in an individual sport. The boys and girls teams were always considered one program.  “What I really enjoyed the most was seeing kids improve every year on their events,” Kuhlmann once told The Daily Herald of  Provo. “I never say a kid can’t achieve what he wants to achieve. Sometimes a kid would say to me, ‘Coach, I’m going to set the school record,’ and in the back of my mind I’d think, ‘No way.’ But I’ll be goll-danged if they didn’t.”

The National Federation of State High Schools named him cross country “Coach of the Year,” in 2006, adding to many honors from the Utah High School Track and Field Coaches Association. The coaches in Utah Valley asked him to stage an annual track invitational that served as a state qualifying meet, along with a Utah Country cross country developmental meet.

BYU’s cross country program, in particular, has benefited from homegrown athletes from nearby Timpview in a state that consistently has produced outstanding runners. Brian credits high school coaches such as Dave Houle, Roger Buhrley and Jeff Arbogast for creating a culture of running in the state that he developed at Timpview.  Those coaches “helped get kids excited about running,” Brian told The Daily Universe  of BYU. “We now have been blessed with lots of good kids, and  those kids bring their friends along. Because of the accomplishments of the past, our kids look beyond the state meet, thinking they can run in college.” His influence continues with several former student teachers and interns who have become high school coaches, along with Timpview alumni who have gone into the profession. Brian and his wife, Janet, are parents of seven children and live in Provo.

Pyper

Roger J. Pyper

A native of Nevada and a graduate of Weber State University, Roger Pyper won four state championships as Wasatch High School’s girls basketball coach.  Roger started work-ing at the Heber City school in 1977 and coached the boys tennis team to second place in the state in ’79, the program’s highest finish at that time. In 15 seasons as the Wasps’ baseball coach, he won five region titles and received two Class 2A “Coach of the Year” awards, while Wasatch took second place in 1988 and finished in the top four in three other seasons. The baseball program had been cut from the curriculum for six years, before Roger revived it. Using community volunteers, he built and main-tained the field that now is known as one of the best facilities in the state.

Girls basketball became the source of his greatest success, beginning with the 1989-90 season. In 21 years, he went 339-177, with some remarkable season records. Wasatch went 25-0, 24-1 (twice) and 23-2. Roger’s teams won state championships in 1996, 2002, 2008 and 2009 and claimed 16 region titles. In 14 of his 16 state appearances, Wasatch finished in the top six. Roger coached four state MVPs and one player who was named “Miss Basketball” in Utah. In 2002, he was selected as the Western Regional Girls Basketball “Coach of the Year” by the National Federation of State High Schools. In Utah, he was named the Class 3A “Coach of the Year” four times and the region “Coach of the Year” 11 times.

Roger’s impact in the Heber Valley began at the youth level. He and his wife, Susan, once worked together to launch the Wasatch Junior High girls basketball team and they voluntarily conducted the Junior Jazz program for girls in grades 2-8 for 18 years.  Roger and Sue are known as creative and committed fund-raisers, helping to launch those high school baseball and junior high basketball programs. With parental help, they sold chili, hot chocolate, hot dogs and baked goods at dogsled races and football games. They also raised money through a tennis skills tournament and by selling candy and hundreds of homemade suckers.

And the athletes had to buy into the program with their dedication. They were required to do field and gym maintenance, set up equipment and help create practice plans. “We tried to instill in them that it is a privilege to play and represent a school team, and the need to take extreme pride in the team,” Roger said. “Our former players will tell you that they learned the value of hard work.” Roger and Susan are parents of two children and live in Midway.

Larry Swim

Larry Swim

A graduate of Kearns High School and the University of Utah, Larry Swim coached Murray’s boys and girls teams to 17 state swimming championships.  Larry coached the Spartans for 30 years and his state titles were divided almost evenly, with nine gold trophies in girls competition and eight in boys meets. His teams won a combined 42 region titles. In water polo, conducted separately from the Utah High School Activities Association, he added another 16 state championships. In 1990, Larry was named the UHSAA’s Class 3A “Coach of the Year.” As voted by the Utah High School Coaches Association, he was a seven-time “Coach of the Year” for girls swimming and a five-time “Coach of the Year” for boys swimming. He served as president of the Coaches Association for six years and directed the high school state meet for more than 10 years.

Larry also coached the Murray Aquatic Club for 30 years.  While coaching many top-level swimmers, Larry always tried to maximize the potential of athletes with less talent. “That’s more rewarding to me,” he told the Deseret News after retiring in 2006. “Don’t get me wrong, you like to see those (elite swimmers). But to watch a kid that barely gets (to state) as a freshman or sophomore and are big players when they’re juniors or seniors, that’s what it’s about to me.” Coaches such as Larry have long-lasting impact. That became evident during a party that was organized by former swimmers and their parents, after he tried to slip quietly into retirement. “He’s probably one of the biggest influences of my life,” said Carrie Hartman, who set several Murray High records during the 1990s. “He’s been a father, a coach, a friend, a colleague, a teacher. He’s been a lot of things.”

Larry almost became something other than a swimming coach. He once planned to follow his father into accounting, only to steer himself to an alternative career.  “Boy, when I took my first accounting class, that was enough for me,” he once said.  He cited his Kearns swimming coach, Larry Tracy, for influencing his ultimate path. Several friends from Kearns also went into education.  Larry taught health education and was a counselor at Murray and once was named the Murray “Teacher of the Year”  by the Board of Education.  He and his wife, Denice, are parents of two children and live in Draper.

Warren

Jody Warren

A native of Wyoming and a graduate of Weber State University, the late Jody Warren produced 26 individual state wrestling cham-pions in 25 years.  After wrestling for Weber State, he coached for two years at Ogden High School and 23 years at Weber High School. His athletes included five All-Americans and 86 state place-winners. His 2006-07 Weber team went unbeaten on the way to the state championship. The Warriors also finished second in the state five times. Weber’s ’07 team featured Jody’s son, Shay, a four-time state champion who went on to wrestle for Harvard University. The Warriors beat powerful Viewmont in five head-to-head matches in the Region 1 tournament. And then in the Class 5A state meet, Weber earned the school’s first wrestling title in 51 years.

2017

Kerry Anderson

A graduate of Piute High School and Brigham Young University, Kerry Anderson coached Wayne High School’s wrestling and track teams for 39 years and won a Utahrecord 16 state wrestling championships. Kerry also coached the Badgers to seven state titles, including six in a row, in girls track and field. He once said, “Time spent in sports cannot be deducted from a man’s life.” If that’s true, he still has many years ahead of him in retirement as a Distinguished High School coach as bestowed by the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation.

Kerry also was quoted, “High school activities are the other half of education. They teach you how to stick with something when times get tough.” All sports require dedication and commitment, but those words are especially true of wrestling. Kerry coached 99 individual state champions and 24 All-Americans.

His own sons accounted for 11 of those state titles. In the 1998 state meet, Wayne sent 10 wrestlers into championship matches, an amazing display of depth. In addition to the Badgers’ 16 state championships on the mat, which included a memorable run of eight titles in 10 years, Kerry’s teams finished second eight times. Wayne won 20 region titles. As he once said, “The kids take a lot of pride in keeping the tradition going.”

Kerry also is credited with launching Wayne’s successful baseball program, coaching for 20 seasons and producing many all-region and all-state players, and he got the Badgers’ softball team started, coaching for two years. He served as Wayne’s athletic director for 27 years. Some of the names in the Salina native’s coaching tree include George Chappell, Brian Pace, Rhett Jeffrey, Mitch Stevens and Blake Turner.

A 24-time Utah Wrestling Coach of the Year honoree, Kerry has been widely recognized. In 2003, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in a class that included Fred Davis, his coach at BYU. He was selected by the Utah Wrestling Hall of Fame the previous year and, more recently, has been honored in the Utah High School Activities Circle of Fame and the Southern Utah University Circle of Fame. Kerry was a longtime Utah Cadet and Junior National wrestling team coach and accompanied the 1996 USA National Greco-Roman team to Slovenia.

Parents of four sons, Kerry and his wife, Sherrie, live in Loa.

Don Hall

An Arkansas native and a graduate of Arkansas Tech, Don Hall made an impact at Ogden High School as a Junior ROTC instructor and coach of the Tigers’ track and field and cross country teams for nearly a quarter-century. His move to OHS followed a 21-year career of active duty with the U.S. Army, prior to his retirement as a lieutenant colonel.

Don held assistant coaching positions in football and baseball before taking over the Tigers’ track program. His teams won 11 state championships and posted 20 other top-four finishes. He’s credited with elevating the Tigers’ running program to the highest levels in the state, region and country. Don was known for recruiting the hallways of OHS, personally inviting students to try running. Stories are told of some students hustling into their classrooms to avoid his persuasive pitches, so he accomplished something in the process, regardless of whether he attracted more runners into his program. “Some coaches are of the attitude that if (students) want to do it they will come out, but running isn’t always easy, so I go to them,” Don once said. He also was known for his motivational speeches that tended to be lengthy, always ending with, “Hallelujah and Amen!”

Don has produced many Division I athletes and many families have had three or more athletes advance through his program. He believes that running teaches life lessons such as discipline, commitment and determination, and his runners have said Don’s military background helped him as a coach, holding his athletes to standards of consistency. In an interview with the Standard-Examiner when he was inducted into the Ogden High School Hall of Fame, Don said, “I was really blessed with an incredibly great group of athletes. Great athletes make great coaches.” Alydia Barton, who assisted him for 10 years, said Don’s influence went well beyond the track: “He took the time to make a difference in their lives.” In turn, Barton is one of many assistants and administrators whom he credits for contributing to the program’s success.

In Utah, Don was recognized as Coach of the Year in both boys and girls cross country. He also was a two-time West Sectional “Coach of the Year,” as honored by the National Federation of State High Schools Coaches Association.

Parents of three children, Don and his wife, Kristine, live in the Weber County town of Uintah.

Danny Hill

A graduate of Gunnison Valley High School, Danny Hill spent 42 years working at the school in central Utah and coached basketball for 32 seasons. Danny’s Bulldogs won four basketball state championships, all in the 1970s. He also coached Gunnison to four state baseball titles during his 19 years as coach and he served as the school’s athletic director for 12 years.

His basketball teams also posted a secondplace finish, while making four more semifinal appearances and earning seven other top-eight placements. He retired with records of 422-311 in basketball and 182-39 in baseball. His basketball and baseball teams played for a combined nine state championships and won eight of those games. Danny was so well regarded in the basketball coaching profession in Utah that three different coaches chose him to assist them in all-star games. No wonder he’s being honored as a Distinguished High School Coach by the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation.

In 2016, Danny was inducted into the Gunnison High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a coach and athletic director. The school now stages the Danny Hill Invitational Basketball Tournament every December. In 2010, he received an Outstanding Service and Achievement Award from the Gunnison Alumni Association. He also has been recognized by the Jaycees, locally and statewide.

As a Gunnison student, Danny was a teammate of his cousin, Gary Hill, who still holds the Utah high school basketball all-time scoring record of 2,283 points. When Danny started teaching and coaching in 1970, he emphasized education for his athletes. He always believed that players who were successful in the classroom would thrive on the basketball court and the baseball field. The Bulldogs also dressed sharply and followed the rules he established for them. For all basketball games, players wore shirts and ties, slacks and dress shoes – no jeans, T-shirts, earrings or caps during the basketball season.

Hill’s Gunnison High teams were known for representing the school well and receiving compliments about their behavior from custodians, principals and other observers for being conscientious and behaving well. It has been said that his players always left “the school, the gym floor, dressing room, bus, restaurants and motel rooms better than they found them.” In retirement, Danny is a volunteer for the Mission Care Center, a nursing home and community living rehabilitation facility, in the nearby town of Centerfield.

Parents of five children, Danny and his wife, Mary, live in Mayfield.

Jim Nelson

A graduate of Spanish Fork High School and Southern Utah University, Jim Nelson won six state championships as Spanish Fork’s baseball coach. Commonly known by his nickname of “Shoe,” he coached the Dons to a winning record in each of his 29 seasons. As he once observed, “The only one who calls me Jim is my wife (Patsy), and then only if she is mad at me.” About that nickname: It stems from his older siblings trying to “shoo” him away when he wanted to join their games. In any case, for the purposes of this formal occasion of being recognized as a Distinguished High School Coach by the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, he’s “Jim.”

The school has retired Jim’s No. 25 and Spanish Fork City has named the baseball park Nelson Field, in honor of his family. With a 572-183 record, he ranks No. 2 among baseball coaches in Utah high school history and first in wins at one school. His six state titles came in four decades and three classifications. The Dons also finished second three times, third eight times and fourth five times, while posting a 94-44 record in state tournament play in his tenure (and appearing in the tournament for all 29 seasons). In 2009-14, Spanish Fork won 55 consecutive region games, contributing to Jim’s total of 17 region championships.

The sport is big in Spanish Fork, obviously. The city’s youth programs long have been a model in Utah County, contributing to the remarkable consistency of the high school program. “Baseball is and will always be king in this community,” Jim said in a Salt Lake Tribune story.

And he perpetuated the town’s success, while earning a National Coach of the Year award from the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2011, when the Dons were ranked as high as No. 2 nationally. Jim has been inducted into Halls of Fame by SUU, Nebo School District and Mountain West Baseball.

While he sent more than 80 players into collegiate programs, his impact went beyond baseball. Jade Nielsen, the catcher on his last team in 2014, said, “He teaches you to be a better person. Coach always says that if you are a better person in school and in the community, you will be a better person on the field.” Jim initially was an assistant baseball coach at Spanish Fork and also helped with football and basketball.

Parents of four children, Jim and his wife, Patsy, live in Spanish Fork, where he still works at the ballpark.

Glen Partridge

A graduate of Tooele High School and Brigham Young University, Glen Partridge enjoyed a distinguished high school coaching career highlighted by a state-record seven consecutive state track and field championships at two schools. Glen coached Delta to state titles in 1973 and ’74 and then moved to North Sevier, where his boys teams won championships from ’75-’79. In all, Glen earned 10 state titles and seven second-place finishes while coaching at Delta, North Sevier and Panguitch.

“When I began as an educator in 1970, little did I know there would be so many surprises in store,” Glen said. “I had only wanted to teach in the classroom.” Delta High School’s coaches steered him into athletics. “Thus began a remarkable journey through (Delta) and other schools, while gaining mentors along the way,” he said.

In addition to his credentials as a head coach in boys track, he assisted five state championship teams in girls track at North Sevier. In cross country, his boys or girls teams finished second in the state three times. In wrestling, his North Sevier team was a state runner-up. In football, he coached the Wolves to 16 playoff appearances, including nine semifinal games. And in basketball, he was a head coach or assistant for five state championships and four second-place finishes at Delta, North Sevier and Panguitch. Add it all up, and Glen was involved in 20 state championships, 15 second-place finishes and 35 region titles in various sports at the three schools. He coached more than 250 individual state champions or all-state selections.

Glen’s level of success in such a broad spectrum may be unmatched in Utah coaching history. He’s thankful to so many coaches who have influenced him, or whom he “pestered to glean information,” in his words. In fact, he wrote the names of 38 of them, while observing, “You should learn something new every day.” Just a few of those notable names include Clarence Robison, Wilbur Braithwaite, Jack Bishop, Dean Fowles, Greg Excell, Craig Gladwell, Jim Porter, Clint Barney and one of tonight’s fellow honorees, Danny Hill. Many other coaches themselves undoubtedly learned from Glen. He was named the “Utah Track Coach of the Year” nine times, in three different decades, and was similarly honored in wrestling and football. In retirement, he has assisted with the Panguitch basketball program in a continuing effort to “be a part of something greater than myself,” he said.

Parents of two children, Glen and his wife, Kaelyn, live in Panguitch

Jay Welk

A graduate of Clearfield High School and Weber State University, Jay Welk enjoyed remarkable consistency in his 24 seasons as Davis High School’s basketball coach. The Darts won the 2002 state championship, finished second three times and reached the semifinals four other times in Jay’s tenure. He compiled a 351-199 record at Davis. Counting two years as Weber High’s coach, his career record is 365-228.

As with all Distinguished Coaches honored by the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, the numbers tell only part of his story. When he retired from coaching, Jay told the Standard Examiner, “I had good coaches when I was young and I wanted to influence kids the way they did.” Jay succeeded in that regard, and he’s proud to have contributed to the experiences of his players. “Competitive sports provides an arena to simulate life – setbacks, triumphs and teamwork,” he said. Jay also is the only Utah basketball coach who can say one of his former players has competed in the Masters golf tournament. Daniel Summerhays, a member of Davis’ 2002 state championship basketball team, made his debut at Augusta National Golf Club in 2017.

Having played for Roger Reid at Clearfield and worked under Ted Smith at Roy, Jay applied the lessons he learned from them and other coaches. He competed in football, basketball and track at Clearfield and was voted by coaches as the school’s most outstanding athlete in 1976. As a teacher, the North Dakota native launched his career in math, economics and geography at Millcreek Junior High in Bountiful. He had two stints as Davis’ athletic director and currently works for the Davis School District as a healthy lifestyles supervisor. He earned a Master’s degree from Utah State in 1994.

During his time as athletic director, Davis was the top school in its classification in the Deseret News All-Sports Award competition in 2008, 2010 and 2012 and was twice a runner-up. Jay helped promote the Darts’ overall success in a Kaysville community that is highly supportive of the school’s athletic programs.

Jay has received several awards along the way, including 2014 recognition as the West Region Basketball Coach of the Year from the National Federation of State High Schools. He received a Meritorious Association in Service Award from the Utah Interscholastic Athletic Administrators in 2015.

Parents of seven children, Jay and his wife, Luann, live in Kaysville

2016
Doug Berry
Bruce Bitner
Hal Hale
Ray Jenson
Rand Rasmussen
Stan Young

2015
Ron Carling
Steve Cramblitt
Roger DuPaix
Wes Roesler

2014
Deb Bennett
Paul Clark
Jim Fuller
Marcus Garrett
Jerre Holmes
Davie Swensen

2013
Brad Bevan
Ferril Heaton
Jon Hoover
Linda Mayne
Phillip Robison
Philip Russell
Jim Yerkovich

2012
Carol Benson
Dean Fowles
Lynn Christensen
Russ Lauber
Steve Sanderson
Val Cullimore

2011
Ralph Johnson
Don Wayne Nelson
Sonny Sudbury
Bart Thompson

2010
Gary Alverson
Curg Belcher
Paul Jeppesen

2009
Jeff Arbogast
Perry Christensen
John Flint
Shauna Kay
Jill Porter

2008
Marie Bone
Thom Budge
Jim Dickson
Mike Hall
Ron Rushton

2007
Dan Cox
Arlyn Hafen
Art Hansen
Susan Rydalch
Anita Rowland
Bill Siebenberg
George Sluga

2006
Ivan Christensen
Carol De Monge
Tom Fullmer
Richard Hobbs
Dave Nordquist
Ted Taylor
Kayla Walker

2005
Thom Crittenden
William Delaney
Barbara Dickson
Nyle Norris
Jennifer Orison
Phil Olsen

2004
Stephanie Doutre
Gary Hansen
Jim Jimas
Tim Lewis
Neville Peterman
Kathy VanWyngarden
Mitch Wilcox

2003
Earl Blonquist
Joan Burdett
Bob Cuff
Dan Dean
Clark Godfrey
Fred Thompson

2002
Kent Draayer
Janet Keim
Don Lay
Doug Moon
Debbie Peel
Vern Roundy

2001
Betty Clark
Ernest Jacklin
Leila Ogden
Dennis Preece
Thomas Rabb

2000
Dick Conolly
Enid Enniss
Evan Excell
Lewis Monsen
Margaret Price
Heber Whiting

1999
George Bruce
Kent Frazier
Raynor Pearce
Ted Smith

1998
Al Cornum
Jim Porter
Ed Preece
Fred Rowland

1997
John Dawson
Larry Maxwell
Joe Martinez
John Pino

1996
Joel Gardner
Carl Ingersoll
Michael Jacobsen

1995
Don Crump
Paul Kitchen
Glen Richeson

1994
Don Mower
Don Neff
Don Snow

1993
Jay Cullimore
Don Jespersen
Dean Stringham

1992
Gus Black
Dick Hill
Berdean Jarman

1991
Alan Davis
Jim Hill
Jack Kobe
Cluff Snow
Mack Wilkey

1990
Don Gust
Gil Meier
Rex Olson
Gene Plaga
Jim Spencer

1989
Wilbur Braithwaite
Alma Garrett
Earl Holmstead
Clarke Johnsen
DelMar Schick

1988
Ken Farrell
Ray Oliverson
Gerald Purdy
Mel Wood
Buck Young

1987
Dolph Church
Val Church
Les Dunn
Deb Smith
Bry Sorensen

1986
Bruce Decker
Bill Fickinger
Vernal Harris
Dick Milne
George Souvall

1985
Grant Cullimore
James Durrant Jr
Eddie Isaacson
Grant Martin

1984
Dolan Condie
Jim Crittenden
Robert Crookston
Don Fuller
Jackson Jewkes
Bill Knibbe
Larry Palmer

1983
Monte Bailey
Woody Beck
Leo Nelson
Leigh Pratt
Keith Trane

1982
Joe Johnson
George Pehrson
Marion Tree
John Vranes

1981
Jack Croft
Cleo Petty
Cliff Poole
Udell Wankier
Jay Whitman

1980
Sonny Alsop
Walt Brooks
Dave Crowton
Jimmy Gilbert
Frank Klekas
Floyd Slater

1979
Mark Ballif
Art Hughes
Durrell Hughes
Conley Watts

1978
Sanky Dixon
Tally Stevens
Taft Watts
Udell Westover

1977
No Inductees

1976
Grant Ingersoll
Stubby Peterson
Henry Richardson
Reed Swenson
Stan Wilson

1975
Ernest Brunger
Lee Liston
Nate Long
Bailey Santistevan

1974
Cecil Baker
Sterling Harris
Dixon Kappel
Howard Linford
Don Overly
Glen Simmons

1973
Sterling Anderson
Earl Ferguson
Lee Hafen
Silky Knudson
Thomas McMullin
J. Wallace West

1972
Roy McIntyre
Mickey Oswald
Rex Sutherland
Dunn “Snide” Taylor