Regular visitors of notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. Eventually, we will do the same with major college programs.  As such, it is important to us that the University of Utah has announced the four players, one coach, and one team that will be inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

The event will take place on September 18, with the inductees being honored the following day during the football game against Utah State.

The Class of 2026 members are:

Zan Beadles, Football, 2006-09.  In Beadles’ 2009 season, he was a First Team All-Mountain West Selection, playing Left Tackle on the squad that won the Sugar Bowl and finished the season ranked #2.  He went on to play nine seasons in the NFL for the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, and Atlanta Falcons and boasts a Super Bowl Ring with the Broncos (2015).

Daria Bijak, Women’s Gymnastics, 2007-10.  An eight-time All-American, Bijak won the 2008 Dahl Award, which is awarded to the Red Rocks’ top scholar-athlete.  She competed for Germany in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Jerry Pimm, Men’s Basketball Head Coach, 1974-83.  Pimm was an Assistant Coach for 13 years before he took over the reins in 1974, and as a Head Coach, he had a record of 173-86.  He led the Utes to five NCAA Tournaments, four Sweet Sixteens and three WAC Championships.

Katrin Smigun, Women’s Skiing, 2003.  A two-time Winter Olympian (1998 & 2002) while representing Estonia, Smigun competed only one season for Utah but went undefeated in 12 straight races and was a dual winner at the 2003 NCAA Championships. 

Delon Wright, Men’s Basketball, 2013-15.  A two-time First Team All-Pac-12 Selection and two-time Pac-12 Defensive Team Selection, Wright led the Utes to the 2015 Sweet Sixteen.  He had 1,022 Points over his NCAA career and went on to play 10 seasons in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks.

The 1991 Women’s Softball Team.  The team won the Regular Season and Tournament WAC Championships, and qualified for the College World Series. 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the Michigan State University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the University of Utah will be adding six names to its Athletic Hall of Fame.

The ceremony will take place on September 27.

The University of Utah Class of 2024 are:

Pipi Hollingsworth – Softball – 1984-87.  Hollingsworth batted .368 as a senior and took the school to a High Country Athletic Conference Championship. 

Ryan Khoury – Baseball – 2003-06.  Khoury was an ABVA First Team All-American and batted .438 as a senior.

Alison McInturff – Women’s Swimming – 2004-07.  McInturff won six Mountain West titles, and was an All-American in the 200 Freestyle in 2007.

Jane Quimby – Women’s Basketball – 1977-80.  Quimby’s Utes won three Intermountain Athletic Conference Regular Season Titles, and she scored 1,385 Points over his career.

Jeff Robbins—Men’s Tennis—1978-81. Robbins was an All-American in 1981 and was once ranked number one in college tennis.

Louie Sakoda – Football – 2005-08,  Sakoda was an All-American as both a Kicker and Punter.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the Utah Athletic Hall of Fame.

From the University of Utah, where he was a two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, Eric Weddle joined the San Diego Chargers as a Second-Round Pick in 2007.  He played off the bench as a rookie.  Weddle won the starting job at Free Safety as a sophomore and became one of the top safeties of the 2010s.

Weddle usually played at FS, but could slide into Strong Safety and provide elite man-to-man coverage when needed.  Lauded for his high football IQ, Weddle became a de facto on-field coach for his squads.  Weddle went to his first Pro Bowl in 2011, the same year he co-led the league in Interceptions (7) and was also a First Team All-Pro.  He added two more Pro Bowls (2013 & 2014) and a second First Team All-Pro as a Charger, but his run in the sun ended when he signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2016.

The Ravens had Weddle for three seasons, during which he was an annual Pro Bowl selection.  Recording 10 Picks as a Raven, Weddle was released as a cost-cutting measure, and he joined the Los Angeles Rams for 2019.  He had a good year but elected to retire, seemingly ending his career, but the Rams made an offer he couldn’t refuse. 

In 2021, Los Angeles made the playoffs but saw the Safety position decimated by injury. Weddle was coaxed out of retirement, and with his ability to learn defensive schemes quickly, he started in the Rams' Super Bowl LVI win over Cincinnati. Weddle retired a second time, but this time as a champion.  He accumulated 39 Sacks and 1,179 Tackles over his career.

Andre Miller is one of the best professional basketball players who was never was chosen for the All Star Game.  Miller was a former WAC Player of the Year (1999) and as an NBA player the former 8th overall Draft Pick of 1999 would later win the NBA Assists title in the 2001-02 season and was in the top ten in that stat seven other times.  The Guard would have four NBA seasons where he had over 16 Points per Game.