PROVO — During his many years of service to BYU's athletic department, Dale McCann never sought the spotlight. Instead, as director of the Cougar Club, he enjoyed being the man behind the scenes.

The tables were turned Wednesday night when McCann, who died in 1998 following an illness, was inducted into the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame.

McCann was joined by four former Cougar athletes as part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2002: football star Vai Sikahema; track standouts Tito Steiner and Anna Mosdell Jack; and tennis All-America Susanna Lee Noot.

Current Cougar Club director Mike Middleton delivered McCann's induction speech, saying the results of his mentor's efforts can be seen today throughout the athletic department. Under the direction of McCann, BYU's booster organization flourished. In 1975, the Cougar Club was comprised of a handful of members raising thousands of dollars. By the 1990s, the club had 4,000 members who raised more than $1 million per year. He was instrumental in the development of several programs to honor Cougar athletes, including the Athletic Hall of Fame.

McCann's son, David, a sportscaster in Las Vegas, gave the acceptance speech on behalf of his father.

Sikahema, who shined as a punt return specialist both at BYU and in the National Football League, was a key member of the Cougars' 1984 national championship team. As a freshman, he returned a punt for a touchdown in BYU's 46-45 comeback victory over Southern Methodist in the 1980 Holiday Bowl.

Sikahema played eight years in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. Today, he is the sports director and anchor for the NBC-TV affiliate in Philadelphia. He graduated this year from BYU with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

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Steiner, a native of Argentina, was a four-time All-America at BYU as a decathlete. Before arriving at BYU, he competed in the 1975 Pan American Games and the 1976 Summer Olympics. He won NCAA titles as a freshman, junior and senior. In his final campaign as a Cougar, in 1981, Steiner set an NCAA decathlon record with 8,279 points.

Mosdell Jack was one of the top female discus and shut put athletes BYU has ever produced. She came to BYU after earning Canadian junior national champion honors. As a sophomore in 1991, she claimed the NCAA discus title and became the first Canadian thrower to win an NCAA crown.

Noot was recruited to Provo from Korea and soon she earned the nickname "Ice" for her fearless approach to tennis. She won a pair of All-America titles and three All-HCAC titles in singles and doubles competition. Noot's parents flew to Utah from Korea for the event.


E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com

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