Utah State University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame announces 2015 class

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State University’s 15th President, a two-time volleyball All-American, the most successful gymnastics coach in school history, the most prolific wide receiver in school history, one of the best men’s basketball players in school history, and the first female athlete to earn a scholarship in school history and most successful Aggie softball coach comprise the latest class of Utah State University’s Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame, announced Tuesday.

The dinner and induction ceremony for the Hall of Fame’s 13th class is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 4, 2015 at the Riverwoods Conference Center in Logan.

The six inductees include: Dr. Stan L. Albrecht, the University’s 15th president; Lucia Chudy, a two-time All-American volleyball player; Ray Corn, the most successful Aggie gymnastics coach ever; Kevin Curtis, the most prolific wide receiver in school history; Spencer Nelson, one of the best Aggie basketball players ever; and Lloydene Searle; the first female athlete to earn a scholarship in school history and the most successful Aggie softball coach ever.

“We are extremely proud of the wonderful collective achievements of this year’s class,” said USU Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes. “This group joins 81 other outstanding individuals, along with three teams, to further ensure the proud tradition of Aggie Athletics.”

A total of 87 individuals and three teams have now been inducted into the Utah State Athletics Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was founded in 1993 with 12 initial members, followed by eight members in 1994 and seven in 1995. The addition of any inductees was stopped until 2006 when five more individuals were added, followed by six recipients in 2007 and five in 2008 to go along with the first-ever team inducted. Seven more inductees were added in 2009, followed by six in 2010, five in 2011 plus two more national championship teams, eight in 2012, six inductees in 2013 and six more inductees in both 2014 and 2015.

Located inside the Steve Mothersell Hall of Honor, the Utah State Athletics Hall of Fame gives fans the opportunity to view biographical information and watch videos on each of the inducted members. Both the Hall of Fame and the Hall of Honor are located inside the Jim and Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex in the north end of Romney Stadium.

The Hall of Fame Committee made its final selections for this year’s class in January, 2015. The inductees must fit into one of five categories: student-athlete, coach, team, athletics staff member, or contributor/special achievement. Contributor/special achievement includes individuals who have contributed to the ideal of sports at the University. Each nominee must receive at least 75 percent of the committee’s vote to be eligible for induction.

Members of the committee are: Scott Barnes, Jana Doggett, Gregg Gensel, Patty Halaufia, Craig Hislop, Dee Jones, Lauren Keller, Hal Labelle, Al Lewis, Carl Lundahl, Dale Mildenberger, Jimmy Moore and Doug Hoffman (chairman).

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<strong><span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>2015 Utah State University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class</span></strong>

<strong>DR. STAN L. ALBRECHT</strong>

<strong>Utah State University President</strong>

<strong>Years: 2005-Present</strong>

Stan L. Albrecht was named Utah State University’s 15th President and assumed his new position on Feb. 1, 2005. At the time of the announcement, Albrecht was serving as Executive Vice President and Provost at Utah State, a position he held since 2001. He previously served as its dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences from 1998-2001. Albrecht has had many successes during his tenure as president. Under his leadership, the university launched a comprehensive fundraising campaign that raised $500 million at its completion in October, 2012. Albrecht has also had a significant impact on the Athletics Department at Utah State with the growth of its infrastructure with the construction of the Jim &amp; Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex, the ICON Sports Performance Center, the Wayne Estes Center and upcoming renovations to the west side of Romney Stadium. Albrecht was also instrumental in USU’s invitation for membership into the Mountain West Conference in 2012. He also serves on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and on the NCAA Board of Governors. Prior to his arrival at Utah State, Albrecht served as an administrator and professor at the University of Florida and at Brigham Young University. He began his career as an assistant professor of sociology at Utah State University. Albrecht received his doctorate from Washington State in 1970, a master’s degree from Washington State in 1968 and bachelor’s degree from BYU in 1966. All three degrees were in sociology.

<strong>LUCIA CHUDY</strong>

<strong>Hometown: Woonsocket, R.I.</strong>

<strong>Sports: Volleyball, Track &amp; Field</strong>

<strong>Years: 1977-79</strong>

One of just four volleyball players in school history to earn multiple All-America honors, Lucia Chudy was a great middle blocker for Utah State during its glory days in the late 1970’s. A two-time Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) All-American, Chudy helped Utah State volleyball to its only national championship in 1978 followed by a national runner-up finish in 1979, to go along with a 10th-place finish at the AIAW National Tournament in 1977. During the 1977 season, USU set the school-record for wins as it finished the year with a 46-11-2 record, including a 10-1 mark in the Intermountain Athletic Conference (IAC), as it went on to take first-place at the AIAW Regional Tournament. During its national championship run in 1978, USU posted a 42-4-2 record and began the season by winning its first 26 matches. USU also went 10-2 in conference play that season and concluded its national championship run by defeating UCLA in four sets in the AIAW National Championship match in Tuscaloosa, Ala. During the 1979 season, USU went 10-0 in conference play and finished with a 35-5-2 mark as it lost to Hawai’i in five sets in the national championship match. Chudy, who was also a two-time all-IAC selection, helped Utah State to a 123-20-6 (.846) record during her three-year career, including a 30-3 (.909) conference mark. While at Utah State, Chudy also excelled as a track &amp; field athlete and placed third in the high jump at the prestigious Jessie Owens Invitational during her senior season. Chudy’s success in volleyball continued after her college career, as she was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team in 1980-1981. She played professional volleyball in Italy for 10 years and was an assistant volleyball coach at Brown University from 1999-2004, helping the Bears win Ivy League championships in 2000 and 2002. In 2008, Chudy and the rest of the 1978 National Championship volleyball team were inducted into the USU Athletics Hall of Fame, the first-ever team inducted.

<strong>RAY CORN</strong>

<strong>Sport: Gymnastics Head Coach</strong>

<strong>Years: 1978-2008</strong>

Ray Corn was hired as Utah State’s first-ever gymnastics coach, transitioning the program from club level to NCAA status, and served in that capacity for 31 years before retiring in 2008. Corn, who had an overall record of 442-444-2 (499), with a regular-season mark of 389-284-2 (.578), led the Aggies to the postseason 26 times, including five trips to the national championships. In 1978, Corn took a club-level Utah State gymnastics team and transformed it into an Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) power, finishing 30-4 in his first season. The next year, the Aggies made the first of four consecutive trips to the AIAW National Championships, finishing as high as ninth in 1982. During his USU coaching career, Corn led the Aggies to four Big West Conference Championships (1992, 1996, 1998, 2001) and the 2005 Western Gymnastics Conference Championship. Overall, Corn coached three All-Americans, three Olympians, three World University Game Trials competitors and nine NCAA national qualifiers, and was a six-time conference coach of the year (1986, 1987, 1988, 1994, 1998, 2001), along with being named the 1991 Midwest Regional Coach of the Year. In 1991, USU finished 12th as a team at the NCAA Championships. Between 1991 and his retirement in 2008, 32 gymnasts earned academic All-America honors a total of 50 times under Corn, while 92 gymnasts received academic all-conference accolades. Furthermore, Corn’s 1990 team won the NCAA Academic Championship for the highest team grade point average in the nation. Along with the USU Athletics Hall of Fame, Corn has also been inducted into the National Association of College Professors of Phi Kappa Phi.

<strong>KEVIN CURTIS</strong>

<strong>Hometown: South Jordan, Utah</strong>

<strong>Sport: Football</strong>

<strong>Years: 2001-02</strong>

Regarded as one of the most explosive wide receivers in school history, Kevin Curtis earned Associated Press Third-Team All-American honors and Football News Honorable Mention All-American honors as a junior in 2001 and was a two-time first-team all-independent selection for Utah State during the 2001 and 2002 seasons after transferring from Snow College where he was a second-team All-American. During his junior year as a walk-on, Curtis led the nation with 9.1 receptions per game and set single-season school records for receptions (100), receiving yards (1,531), most double-digit reception games (6), most 100-yard receiving games (9), and most consecutive 100-yard receiving games (6), while adding 10 touchdowns. As a junior, Curtis also ranked third nationally in receiving yards per game (139.18) and 19th in all-purpose yards per game (141.45), and had 252 receiving yards against Weber State to rank as the second-most in a single-game in school history. Curtis again led the team in receptions (74), receiving yards (1,258) and receiving touchdowns (9) during his senior season as he ranked seventh in the nation in receiving yards per game (114.36) and 12th in the country in receptions per game (6.73). His 1,258 receiving yards as a senior still ranks fourth all-time in school history, while his 74 catches rank fifth all-time. Overall, Curtis had 16 career 100-yard receiving games to rank first all-time in school history to go along with two 200-yard receiving games, and also holds the school record for receiving yards per game for both a season (139.2) and career (126.8). His 7.9 receptions per game during his two-year career also ranks first all-time in school history, and he ranks second all-time in school history in both career receptions (174) and career receiving yards (2,789). Curtis, who had 19 receiving touchdowns during his Aggie career to rank tied for fifth all-time in school history, had four touchdown receptions of 79 or more yards during his Aggie career, which is a school record. Following his collegiate career, Curtis was selected in the third round of the 2003 National Football League Draft by the St. Louis Rams and spent nine years in the NFL with the Rams (2003-06), Philadelphia Eagles (2007-09), Miami Dolphins (2010), Kansas City Chiefs (2010) and Tennessee Titans (2011).

<strong>SPENCER NELSON</strong>

<strong>Hometown: Pocatello, Idaho</strong>

<strong>Sport: Men’s Basketball</strong>

<strong>Years: 1999, 2003-05</strong>

One of the best all-around talents in school history, Spencer Nelson was named a Mid-Major All-American and the mid-major Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com as a senior in 2005 as he was the only player in the nation to average 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. During his senior season, Nelson was also named a first-team all-Big West selection, a Big West all-tournament team member, the league’s Hustle Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, and a member of the United States Basketball Writer’s All-District VIII team as he averaged 16.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. As a senior, Nelson shot 60.0 percent from the field and 78.7 percent from the free throw line, and finished the year ranked first in the Big West Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.92), second in rebounding (7.9) and field goal percentage (.600), third in scoring (16.0) and assists (4.8), and fifth in free throw percentage (.787). Nelson finished his Aggie career with 1,283 points, 800 rebounds and 62 blocked shots, and still ranks 19th all-time in school history in scoring, eighth in rebounding and 10th in blocked shots. He also ranks third all-time in school history in career field goal percentage (.617), seventh in games played (120), ninth in double-figure rebound games (29), 10th in double-doubles (22), 10th in both free throws made (384) and attempted (533), and 12th in assists (302). Nelson, who was named second-team all-Big West as a junior and to the honorable mention team as a sophomore, led USU in rebounding for three-straight years from his sophomore to senior seasons. Nelson also holds three of the top-10 field goal percentage marks in school history as he shot 65.3 percent as a senior to rank fourth all-time, and 60.0 percent as both a sophomore and junior to rank tied for ninth all-time in school history. Nelson also scored 513 points as senior, which ranks 44th all-time in school history, while his 152 assists that year ranks ninth. During his final three years at Utah State, Nelson helped the Aggies to a 73-21 (.777) mark, including a 42-12 (.778) ledger in the Big West as USU shared the regular season championship in 2004, and won Big West tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and 2005. Nelson was also a three-time academic all-Big West honoree and one of 16 Aggie greats named to USU’s All-Century basketball team in 2005. Nelson has spent the past 10 years playing oversees in Germany, Italy, Greece and Spain.

<strong>LLOYDENE SEARLE</strong>

<strong>Hometown: North Ogden, Utah</strong>

<strong>Sports: Women’s Basketball, Softball, Volleyball, Softball Head Coach</strong>

<strong>Years: 1972-75 – Student-Athlete; 1981-97 – Head Coach</strong>

Lloydene Searle was the first female to earn an athletic scholarship in Utah State history as she competed in volleyball, basketball and softball during her Aggie career and was named the school’s Female Athlete of the Year during her senior season in 1975. A four-year captain in each sport she competed in, Searle earned all-conference honors in both basketball and softball as well as a Kodak All-American basketball team nomination. Following her collegiate career, Searle played professional softball for one year before entering the coaching fraternity. In 1981, she was named Utah State’s head softball coach and led the Aggies to a national championship, its second-straight, in her first season. In 17 years as the Aggies head coach, Searle compiled a record of 467-345-2 (.739) and is the school’s all-time leader in wins and games coached. During her 17 years at Utah State, she averaged 30 wins per season and led USU to the Women’s College World Series five times (1981, 1984, 1989, 1992, 1993). Utah State won a school-record 43 games in 1992, and in 1993, Searle was named the Big West Conference Coach of the Year as the Aggies tied for the league title, its last in school history. Searle was also named the High Country Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1985. Overall, Utah State won five conference championships under Searle (1981, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1993) as she coached 15 All-Americans, 21 all-region selections and 30 all-conference honorees. In 2011, Searle and the rest of the 1981 National Championship softball team were inducted into the USU Athletics Hall of Fame.

<strong><span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Previous Inductees By Class</span>:</strong>

<strong>Class of 2014</strong>: Cordel Andersen (wrestling, 1981, 1984-86); Yolanda Arvizu (softball, 1979-82); Anthony Calvillo (football, 1992-93); Craig Carter (track &amp; field, 1988-91); Troy Collier (men’s basketball, 1963-64); Dale Mildenberger (contributor, 1975-2013).

<strong>Class of 2013</strong>: Candy Cashell (track &amp; field, women’s basketball, 1982-84); Jim Laub (contributor); Jimmy Moore (men’s basketball, 1972-75); Corey Murdock (track &amp; field, 1994, 1997-99); Roy Shivers (football, track &amp; field, 1964-65); Jim Turner (football, 1959-62).

<strong>Class of 2012</strong>: Alfred Castro (wrestling, 1984-87); Eric Hipple (football, 1976-79); Brian Jackson (men’s basketball, 1978-81); Shae Jones-Bair (track &amp; field, 1998-2000, 2002); James Murphy (football, 1978-80); James Parker (track &amp; field, 1995, 1999-2001); Kristie Skoglund (softball, 1984-87); Emmett White (football, 1998-2001).

<strong>Class of 2011</strong>: Jerry Cerulla (track, 1965-67); LaVell Edwards (football, 1949-51); Dean Hunger (men’s basketball, 1977-80); Henry King (football, 1965-66); Rick Parros (football, 1976-79); 1980 National Championship Softball Team; 1981 National Championship Softball Team.

<strong>Class of 2010</strong>: Tom Foster (wrestling, football, 1963-66); Louie Giammona (football, 1973-75); Lauren Goebel Keller (volleyball, 1979-82); Shaler Halimon, Jr. (men’s basketball, 1967-68); Earl Lindley (football, men’s basketball, 1951-53); Glenn Passey (track, 1959-62).

<strong>Class of 2009</strong>: Bob Carlson (wrestling, wrestling coach, administrator, 1969-87); Greg Grant (men’s basketball, 1983-86); Dave Kragthorpe (football, baseball, administrator, 1951-54); Tom Larscheid (football, 1959-61); Alisa Nicodemus (cross country/track, 1991-93); John Pappas (football, 1966-68); Ralph Roylance (football, track, 1947-50).

<strong>Class of 2008</strong>: Jay Dee Harris (contributor/advisor); MacArthur Lane (football, 1965-67); Chuck Mills (football coach, 1967-72); Max Perry (men’s basketball, 1959-61); Kelly Smith (softball, 1984-86, 1988); 1978 National Championship Volleyball Team.

<strong>Class of 2007</strong>: Ladonna Antoine-Watkins (track, 1994-97); Robert Broughton (football and wrestling, 1963-65); Rulon Jones (football, 1976-79); John Ralston (football coach, 1959-62); Jay Van Noy (baseball and football, 1946-49); Nate Williams (men’s basketball, 1970-71).

<strong>Class of 2006</strong>: Kris Stano Lilly (gymnastics, 1982-83); Marvin Roberts (men’s basketball, 1969-71); Al Smith (football, 1984-86); John Clyde Worley (baseball, men’s basketball, football, and track, 1917-19); Dr. John Worley (football and track, late 1940’s, team physician).

<strong>Class of 1995</strong>: Tony Adams (football, 1970-72); Jay Don Blake (men’s golf, 1980-81); Karolyn Kirby (volleyball, 1979-81); Clark Miller (football, 1960-61); Bill Staley (football, 1965-67); Conley Watts (men’s basketball, 1933-34); Glen Worthington (football, men’s basketball, and track, 1926-29).

<strong>Class of 1994</strong>: Ladell Andersen (men’s basketball, men’s basketball coach, and Athletics Director, 1949-51, 1961-71, 1973-83); H. Cecil Baker (men’s basketball, track, and men’s basketball coach, 1922-25, 1950-61); Mark Enyeart (track, 1974-77); Phil Olsen (football, 1967-69); Eddie Peterson (football and track, 1934-36); Len Rohde (football, 1957-59); Elaine Roque (volleyball, 1979); Frank “Buzz” Williams (football, track, wrestling, Athletics Director, 1942, ’46-48, 1964-1973).

<strong>Class of 1993</strong>: Annette Viola Cottle (volleyball, women’s basketball, volleyball coach, 1976-79, 1982-84); Wayne Estes (men’s basketball, 1963-65); Mary Lou Ramm Flippen (softball, 1981-83); Fern Gardner (women’s basketball, softball, tennis, volleyball, women’s basketball coach, softball coach, volleyball coach, 1972-79); Cornell Green (men’s basketball, 1960-62); Ralph Maughn (men’s basketball, football, track, men’s basketball coach, football coach, track coach, 1942-46, 1951-88); George “Doc” Nelson (Athletics Director and wrestling coach, 1923-58); Merlin Olsen (football, 1959-61); E.L. “Dick” Romney (Athletics Director, baseball coach, men’s basketball coach, football coach, track coach, 1919-49); Kent Ryan (men’s basketball, football, track, 1934-37); L. Jay Silvester (track, 1956-59); Elmer “Bear” Ward (football and track, 1932-35).

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