The Utah Athletics Hall of Fame, formerly the Crimson Club Hall of Fame, announced its inductees for 2020 on Wednesday morning.
At least two of the names should be very familiar to Ute fans.
Headlined by 2005 consensus National Player of the Year Andrew Bogut and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, Alex Smith, Utah’s 2020 Hall of Fame class is scheduled to be enshrined on Sept. 11 at The Tower at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Utes will play Montana State the following day at Rice-Eccles.
As a sophomore in 2005, Bogut was named Associated Press Player of the Year, while taking home the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award. He was selected No. 1 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Draft that spring.
(Steve Griffin | Tribune file photo) Utah's Andrew Bogut boxes out during second half action against the UNLV Rebels at the Pepsi Center in Denver, March 11, 2005.
In 2004, Smith quarterbacked a Utes team that was the original “BCS Buster,” becoming the first non-BCS school to play in a BCS bowl game. The Utes blew out Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl, 35-7, to finish 12-0 and ranked No. 4 in the final AP Top 25. At the wheel of head coach Urban Meyer’s high-octane offense, Smith, who finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting that season, threw for 2,952 yards and 32 touchdowns against just four interceptions.
The rest of Utah’s 2020 Hall of Fame class includes 2008 Mountain West Volleyball Player of the Year Lori Baird, All-American offensive lineman Anthony Brown, All-American outfielder Casey Child, softball standout Amy Timmel Hogue, 2008 women’s basketball All-American Leilani Mitchell and star running back Eddie Johnson.
Johnson was Utah’s all-time leader in rushing yards (3,219) and touchdowns (35) before Zack Moss claimed both records as a senior in 2019.
“This is a great class, in quantity and absolutely in quality," Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement. “Their accomplishments as University of Utah student-athletes are well-document and just phenomenal, but they are also such good people who went on to do great things after they left our campus and brought great distinction to Utah Athletics. I appreciate the great work of our selection committee to stay focused on this important priority to bring forward a terrific class so we can celebrate these outstanding individuals as we do annually."
