Karl Malone, the BYU football team, Rick Majerus and philanthropist Jon M. Huntsman will be among the honorees Wednesday night at the 19th annual Multiple Sclerosis Dinner of Champions at the Marriott Hotel in Salt Lake City.
Majerus, who led the University of Utah basketball team to the "Elite Eight" in the NCAA Tournament, is the Utah Sportsperson of the Year. Others who will receive awards for distinguished sports-related achievements in 1996-97 include NBA MVP Malone (professional of the year) and the Cougar football team (college team of the year).Huntsman, chairman and chief executive officer of Huntsman Corp. and Huntsman Chemical, is the T.K. McCarthey Silver Hope honoree, named for Thomas Kearns McCarthey, a Utah MS Chapter benefactor and an organizer of the Dinner of Champions.
Other honorees include Bountiful High soccer star Caroline Putz (prep female athlete of the year), former Murray High hoop star Brit-ton Johnsen (prep male athlete), Ute skier Christl Hager (college female athlete) and BYU volleyball player Ryan Millar (college male athlete).
Retired Southern Utah University president Gerald Sherratt, founder of the Utah Summer Games and a member of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee, will receive the first MS Amatuer Athletics Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tina Johnson is the MS Champion of the Year. Johnson, a nurse, was diagnosed with progressive MS in 1995. She continues to give countless hours to the the Utah Chapter and recently accepted the co-chair position of the Legislative Coalition for People with Disabilities.