Two former basketball players, a football quarterback, a top ranked tennis player and a man who coached everything will be inducted into the University of Utah Crimson Club Hall of Fame. The induction ceremonies take place May 8 at the Red Lion Hotel (255 South West Temple). A no-host social hour begins at 6:15 p.m. with dinner set for 7:15 p.m.
The event is open to the public. Cost is $25 per person. For reservations call Carolyn Johnson at 581-5456. This year's Ute seniors in all sports will also be honored at the affair with the annual Senior Blanket Awards.Inductees into this year's Hall of Fame are basketball players Art Bunte and Merv Jackson, All-America quarterback Lee Grosscup, former Davis Cup tennis player Jim Osborne and Coach Pete Carlston.
Art Bunte
Bunte played for the Utes from 1954 to 1956 and at 6-3 was the shortest post man in major college basketball. During the two years that he played Utah went 46-10, won two conference championships and made it to the NCAA Basketball Tournament both years, losing to eventual national champion San Francisco each time. Bunte averaged 20.6 points per game during his career, making him only the fifth player in Ute history to average over 20 points per game for his career.
The 614 points he scored his senior season is the eighth best season scoring total in school history. He scored a career-high 43 points against Utah State, was the Skyline Conference MVP and was named to several All-America teams. He was also named to Bill Russell's all-opponent team. Bunte has spent his career in the trucking industry and is currently president of Trucking Management, Inc. the national collective bargaining arm of the motor carrier industry.
Merv Jackson
Jackson's career at Utah ran from 1964-68. As a sophomore he helped the Utes to the WAC Championship and the 1966 NCAA "Final Four. His senior year he led the conference in scoring, averaging 23.9 points per game and was named the conference's player of the year. He was also named All-America.
Drafted in the second round by both the Los Angeles Stars of the ABA and the NBA'S Seattle Supersonics, Jackson signed with the Stars where he averaged 15.7 points per game his rookie season and was named to the ABA All-Star team. When the Stars moved to Utah Jackson came with them and was a significant part of their 1971 ABA Championship team. Jackson left pro basketball in 1974 and has since been involved in media and sales and marketing. He is currently an advertising executive with KWGN-TV in Denver.
Lee Grosscup
Grosscup, the first great Ute passing quarterback, played for Utah during the 1957 and 1958 seasons. As a junior he led the nation in passing and finished sixth in total offense. He set school records that still stand for season completion percentage (.686) and against Colorado State that year he hit on 12 of 13 passes for a .923 percentage. Grosscup was a first round draft choice of the New York Giants and played seven years of pro football.
From 1967-85 he worked for ABC Sports as a football color commentator and is currently doing radio color for University of California football. Grosscup also has a career as an actor in television commercials and movies. He has been seen in such feature films as The Towering Inferno and Magnum Force. He is also a hand model and his hands have been seen on many T.V. spots.
Jim Osborne
Osborne was a three-time tennis All-American for the Utes. He was also an NCAA semifinalist and won the WAC singles crown in 1965 and 1966. He helped the Utes to a pair of WAC net crowns in 1965 and 1967. From 1967 to 1972 he played on the professional tour where he was ranked as high as seventh in singles and second in doubles nationally. He holds wins over such outstanding players as Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Rod Laver and Jimmy Connors.
He made four appearances at Wimbledon and played for the United States on the 1968 Davis Cup that beat Australia in the finals. In 1980 he played on the U.S. World Cup team where he beat John Newcombe in the finals and was named Most Valuable Player. He has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in men's 35 and over in both singles and doubles. He has been the pro at the Canyon Racquet Club and the Fort Douglas Country Club and has served two stints as assistant Ute men's tennis coach. He is currently the head men's tennis coach at BYU.
Pete Carlston
Pete Carlston was a coach at the University of Utah for 32 years, during which time he coached almost every sport. He served as an assistant football coach under Ike Armstrong, Jack Curtice and Ray Nagel. He also served as an assistant basketball coach under Vadal Peterson and as head golf coach. As swimming coach he won two conference championships and as baseball coach his 1951 team won the conference championship and finished fourth at the College World Series. He spent 15 years as Ute track coach and developed many fine athletes. He started several popular sports schools in the Salt Lake Valley including the Pete Carlston Sports School, the Ute Swim School and a ski school.
Carlston attended Utah where he helped the Utes to two conference championships in football.
The first inductees to the Crimson Club Hall of Fame came in 1985. To date there have been 27 individuals and one team inducted.