University of Utah Athletics: A Legacy of Excellence

The University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City, boasts a rich athletic tradition. Known as the Utes, their intercollegiate teams compete in NCAA Division I, with the football program participating in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). A member of the Big 12 Conference for most sports and the ASUN for men's lacrosse, the athletic department proudly carries the name of the Ute tribe of Native Americans. With 19 varsity teams, encompassing men's, women's, and co-ed sports, the Utes have established themselves as a force in collegiate athletics.

A Conference Evolution

Formerly a member of the Pac-12 Conference, Utah joined in the 2011-2012 academic year. Prior to that, they were part of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), where they shared rivalries with Arizona and Arizona State. Utah holds the distinction of being the first school to depart the Mountain West Conference (MW) since its inception in 1999.

Comprehensive Sports Program

The University of Utah sponsors a diverse range of sports. Men's sports include baseball, football, golf, and lacrosse. Women's sports feature beach volleyball, cross country, gymnastics, indoor track & field, indoor volleyball, outdoor track & field, soccer, and softball. Both men and women participate in basketball, swimming & diving, and tennis. Skiing is a coeducational sport where the NCAA awards a single national team championship, even though separate men's and women's squads exist.

Baseball

The Utes baseball team comprises 32 Division I players from across the United States and internationally. A significant portion of the team hails from Utah, with additional players from Arizona, California, Nevada, Louisiana, Oregon, Idaho, and the Netherlands. Smith's Ballpark, also home to the Salt Lake Bees, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, serves as the team's home field. The Utah baseball team clinched a Mountain West Conference Championship in 2009, earning them a regional berth for the first time since the 1960s. Furthermore, in recent years, several Utah baseball players have been drafted into Major League Baseball.

Basketball

The Runnin' Utes basketball program stands among the elite, holding the 9th-most wins in college basketball history. Their impressive record includes 27 NCAA Tournament appearances, ranking 7th all-time, and 10 outright conference championships (28 championships overall), which is the 5th best in NCAA history. The program has produced notable NBA players such as Andrew Bogut, who was selected #1 in the 2005 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. Other prominent alumni include Delon Wright, Andre Miller, Keith Van Horn, Michael Doleac, Danny Vranes, and Tom Chambers. The Utes have reached the Final Four four times, securing the 1944 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and an NIT title in 1947. Jerry Chambers earned the MVP title at the 1966 Final Four. Gavin Petersen currently coaches the team.

The Utes have a strong presence in women's basketball as well, with 15 appearances in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship tournament. Former coach Elaine Elliott holds an impressive 536-212 record (.717). A highlight in the program's history came during the 2005-2006 season. The Utes advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, marking the first time a women's team from the Mountain West Conference had achieved this feat.

Football

The University of Utah college football program has a long history dating back to 1892. Rice-Eccles Stadium, built in 1998 on the site of Robert Rice Stadium, serves as their current home. The Utes boast a remarkable 13-4 (.765) record in bowl games, which is the highest percentage in the nation for teams with more than ten bowl appearances. After a period without bowl game appearances, the program experienced a resurgence in the early 1990s under head coach Ron McBride. The Utes achieved a peak in 1994, finishing the season ranked 10th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Utes have maintained a 171-89 (.658) record. The Utes achieved an undefeated season in 2004, finishing 12-0 and becoming the first school from a Bowl Championship Series non-AQ conference to play in a BCS bowl game, earning them the title of BCS Busters. They defeated the Big East Conference champion Pittsburgh Panthers in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, finishing the season ranked #4 in the AP poll. Alex Smith, the Utes' quarterback for the 2003 and 2004 seasons, was drafted #1 by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL draft. Kyle Whittingham currently coaches Utah.

During the 2008 season, Utah achieved another undefeated record, going 13-0, including a victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. The Utes finished the season ranked #2 in the AP poll. During their time in the MWC under Whittingham, the Utes had a 58-20 (.744) overall record, 35-13 (.729) in conference play, and won seven bowl games.

The University of Utah has produced many notable football players, including Pro Football Hall of Fame member Larry Wilson, Super Bowl Head Coach Winner George Seifert, Manny Fernandez, Marv Bateman, Norm Chow, Scott Mitchell, Kevin Dyson, Andre Dyson, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, Luther Elliss, Jamal Anderson, Mike Anderson, Bob Trumpy, Roy Jefferson, Paul Soliai, Barry Sims, Sione Pouha, Koa Misi, Chris Kemoeatu, Maake Kemoeatu, Jonathan Fanene, Jordan Gross, and Steve Smith Sr.

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Gymnastics

The women's gymnastics team, known as the Red Rocks, has secured the national gymnastics championship title 10 times, beginning with an AIAW national championship title in 1981. The Red Rocks have consistently been a top contender, often finishing in the top three. The Utah gymnastics team has qualified for a record 31st-consecutive national championship. Utah is the only program to qualify for all 25 NCAA Championships. The Utes won the 2006 women's gymnastics attendance title, averaging 12,747 spectators to their six regular season home meets, marking the second-highest attendance average in Utah and NCAA gymnastics history. Utah has won twenty-two of the last twenty-five gymnastics attendance titles.

Skiing, Soccer, and Lacrosse

The Utah men's skiing team claimed a national championship in 1981, while the women's team won in 1978. Utah's women's soccer team has made six appearances in the NCAA tournament, with their most recent appearance in 2016. The Utah lacrosse team officially became a Division I lacrosse team in its 2019 inaugural season.

Rugby

Utah rugby competes in Division 1 in the Pacific Athletic Conference and participates in the Varsity Cup Championship during the postseason. The program has consistently been one of the top college rugby teams in the country, reaching the national championship game in 2002 and 2005, and the national semifinals in 2006 and 2011. Utah's rugby program has also achieved success in rugby sevens, with two appearances in the Collegiate Rugby Championship.

Nickname, Mascot, and Fight Song

Before 1972, Utah athletics were referred to by various nicknames, including "Utes," "Crimson," and "Redskins." In 1972, the university formally adopted "Utes" as its official nickname. Swoop, a red-tailed hawk, serves as the mascot for the Utah Utes sports teams, introduced with the consent of the Ute tribe in 1996. The Utah fight song, "Utah Man," was written in 1904 by Harvey Holmes and the football team. Due to some portions of the song's lyrics potentially being interpreted as insensitive or discriminatory, there have been attempts to change portions of the song.

Utah Grizzlies: A Minor League Success Story

The Utah Grizzlies are a minor league professional hockey team playing in the ECHL. The team has a rich history, experiencing success in multiple leagues.

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IHL Era

In 1994, Salt Lake City experienced its first winter in several decades without hockey. The sport returned to Denver in an IHL expansion team known as the Denver Grizzlies. Those Grizzlies won fifty-seven regular-season games en-route to a Turner Cup Championship. The Denver team would be the victim of their own success, however, as shortly thereafter the NHL's Quebec Nordiques relocated to the Mile High City, thus leaving the Denver Grizzlies packing a moving van to Salt Lake.

Fresh off a Turner Cup Championship, during the 1995-96 season, the Utah Grizzlies repeated as the best in the IHL. In 1997, the Grizzlies moved into the state of the art E-Center in West Valley City, which would host hockey in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

AHL and ECHL Eras

In 2001, Salt Lake would watch another hockey league evaporate into thin air when the IHL ceased operations. The Grizzlies then moved to the AHL where they conducted business for four seasons until the summer of 2005.

On June 14, 2005, the Grizzlies announced a move to the ECHL. Jason Christie was hired as the Head Coach after five winning seasons at the helm of the Peoria Rivermen. Moving to the ECHL brought back many regional rivalries such as Phoenix, Las Vegas and Long Beach that were ignited during the Grizzlies' IHL days. In 2007-2008, the Grizzlies renewed ties with the New York Islanders and returned to the conference finals for the first time since 1996 as the E-Center hosted hockey beyond the second round for the first time ever.

In 2008-2009, in Kevin Colley's first season as the Grizzlies Head Coach, he led Utah back to the playoffs for the third time in four years even as the team experienced stretches of playing with 12-13 players due to injuries and call-ups for weeks at a time. Also during the 2008-2009 campaign, four former Grizzlies in Andrew MacDonald and Trevor Smith from the 2007-2008 season made their NHL debuts with the Islanders while Joel Rechlicz and Peter Mannino, who played for Utah just this past season also made their NHL debuts. 15 former Grizzlies were on NHL rosters at the start of the 2010-2011 season.

Utah advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the second-straight year capping off their best four-year stretch of the decade in 2010-2011 in the team's second season with the Calgary Flames. In June 2010, the E-Center was renamed Maverik Center as West Valley City, the building and Maverik entered into a longterm partnership. Nathan Lawson and Mikko Koskinen made their NHL debuts with the New York Islanders in 2010-2011.

Victor Bartley (Utah, 2009-2010) made his NHL debut with Nashville on March 9, 2013, as 13 former Grizzlies were on NHL rosters at the start of the 2012-2013 season. From December 28, 2012-January 5, 2013; Utah native and Los Angeles Kings forward Trevor Lewis totaled three goals and six assists for 9 points and scored in all six games he played with Utah during the NHL lockout. The tenure with Utah came less than six months after Lewis brought the Stanley Cup home to the fans at Maverik Center on August 30, 2012.

Tim Branham was named the Grizzlies Head Coach/General Manager in July of 2014 and led the team to the third-best record in the Western Conference in 2013-2014 at 38-24-3-6 in his first season behind the bench. During the season, the team tied the record for fewest home losses in a season at 6 and set an all-time team unbeaten streak at home in 11-straight games from December 28, 2013-January 29, 2014. Aaron Dell was named Goaltender of the Month in January and Igor Bobkov in February and March, marking the first time in league history that a team has had the Goaltender of the Month in three-straight months.

In 2014-2015, the Grizzlies finished one win off of the total from the year before with 37. Utah qualified for the playoffs for the ninth time in ten years and for the eighth consecutive season, which is the second-longest streak in the ECHL. Ducks prospect and Goaltender Igor Bobkov was voted the team MVP for the second-straight year. Utah defeated Idaho four games to two in the first round and lost to Ontario in the second round.

Utah went 39-27-6 in 2015-2016, clinching their ninth-straight playoff appearance and advancing to the second round for the second-straight year. The last three seasons the Grizzlies have earned their three best winning percentages since 1999-2000. From 2013-2016, the Grizzlies led the ECHL with 67 home wins. Barry Almeida was one of two ECHL players to win Player of the Week twice as Utah finished second only to Toledo with three Players of the Weeks in 2015-2016.

In 2016-2017, Utah rebounded from a 9-16-2 record on December 16, 2016, and a 14 point playoff deficit on January 6, 2017, to finish 27-13-6 and clinch their tenth-straight playoff appearance. The Grizzlies playoff roster consisted of eight players acquired in midseason trades as Branham was constantly reassembling the roster on the fly. Despite leading four of five first-round playoff goings going to the third period, the Grizzlies fell to two-time defending champion Allen 4 games to one.

Over the last 24 years, the Grizzlies have been at .500 or better 19 times and made the playoffs in 18 seasons.

Utah Hockey Club: NHL Comes to Salt Lake City

The Utah Hockey Club has arrived in Salt Lake City as the newest expansion team in the National Hockey League. The team will play at the Delta Center.

Origins

The origin story of the Utah Hockey Club started in Phoenix, where the franchise’s NHL predecessor the Arizona Coyotes launched in 1996. Following the team’s temporary move in 2022 from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona to Mullett Arena on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, Arizona, the Coyotes were in need of a permanent home. Meanwhile, Utah-based businessman and Smith Entertainment Group chairman Ryan Smith had been in discussions with the NHL to bring a team to Salt Lake City since 2022. In June 2024, the Utah Hockey Club was established as the NHL’s new expansion team. In a $1.2-billion deal between the NHL, Smith and Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, the new Utah team acquired Arizona’s assets, including their roster, staff and draft picks.

Home Arena and Conference

Delta Center, home of the Utah Jazz, will serve as the home ice for the Utah Hockey Club. The multipurpose arena can hold 16,200 in a hockey configuration, and has previously hosted games for the 2002 Winter Olympics and the NHL preseason, starting in 2021. The Utah Hockey Club is a member of the National Hockey League (NHL). Utah plays in the Central Division of the Western Conference. The team’s official placement transitions directly from the Arizona Coyotes.

Team Name and Logo

For now, the NHL has temporarily designated its newest franchise as the Utah Hockey Club. However, the permanent team name is not yet decided. A selection process that has involved an initial pool of 20 options and two rounds of fan voting is still underway. The six finalists for the franchise’s permanent name are the Utah Blizzard, Utah Hockey Club (Utah HC), Utah Mammoth, Utah Outlaws, Utah Venom and Utah Yeti. Utah’s team logo and designs for the 2024-25 regular season were revealed in June 2024. Spearheaded by the design firm Doubleday & Cartwright, the Utah Hockey Club’s debut look will feature team colors Rock Black, Salt White and Mountain Blue.

Relationship with the Utah Grizzlies

The Utah Grizzlies are a minor league professional hockey team playing in the ECHL. Although the Grizzlies’ home ice at Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah is just under 10 miles from Utah Hockey Club’s Delta Center, the two teams are not currently affiliated.

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