Utah had its fair share of memories created during the 2000s. It had four governors, a population growth of about one-half million people, and, of course, sports stories. As the decade closed, it's time to look back on some of the notable performances, tragedies, rumors, events, honors and changes that took place in the sporting world.
1. WELCOMING THE WORLD
For two weeks in February of 2002, Salt Lake City and the surrounding cities showcased its hospitality and beauty by hosting the Winter Olympics. From Rice-Eccles Stadium, the site of the opening and closing ceremonies, to Kearns to Park City to Provo to Ogden, athletes competed in sports that aren't always on center stage. The most popular and hardest tickets to get were at the then-Delta Center for figure skating and the E Center for men's hockey. While there may have been some controversy surrounding the bidding process that brought the Olympics to the Beehive State, the consensus was that the actual games went off brilliantly and with few glitches.
2. BEATING UP THE BIG BOYS
The University of Utah football team made history when it received the first bid to play in a Bowl Championship Series game for a school from a non-automatic qualifying conference following the 2004 season. The Utes finished with a perfect regular season mark at 11-0 as they beat Texas A&M, Arizona and North Carolina from three different BCS conferences. Led by Alex Smith, the Utes capped their perfect season with a win over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 4 final ranking in the AP polls. Five years later, Utah became the first school to go to a BCS bowl twice from one of the "little" conferences as it earned another undefeated season in 2008. This time, the Utes were decided underdogs going into their game against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. A shocking, dominating performance for a 34-17 win gave Utah a school-best No. 2 final ranking and started some people, including Congress, wondering about the fairness of the BCS system.
3. CHANGING OF THE GUARD
The Stockton-to-Malone era came to a close for the Utah Jazz. Following the 2003 season, John Stockton retired and Karl Malone took his services to the Los Angeles Lakers. It closed nearly a 20-year chapter in Jazz history that included two NBA Finals appearances, a combined 24 All-Star games between the duo, a combined four Olympic gold medals and two retired jerseys. Stockton was put in the basketball Hall of Fame in 2009, with the Mailman to follow later this year. The end also marked the beginning of many new faces for the Jazz. Drafted No. 3 in 2005, Deron Williams has become the new go-to guy for the franchise. Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer are the players fans root for now. The one constant through it all is recent Hall-of-Fame inductee coach Jerry Sloan. He has seen the team go through the transition of perennial contender, to rebuilder before heading back to the Western Conference Finals yet again.
4. KICKING IT AROUND
Utah gained its second top-level professional franchise in 2005 when Real Salt Lake made its debut in Major League Soccer. After missing the playoffs in its first three years, and its first-ever player becoming a first-time coach in Jason Kreis, the team advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2008 and won the MLS Cup in 2009. While soccer fans know of the team's accomplishments on the field, the franchise may be better known for the off-the-field controversy of getting a stadium built. Owner Dave Checketts wanted some public funding for the infrastructure of the stadium. It took months of debate, and just before it looked like the team would end up moving before getting its stadium, then-Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. stepped in to approve the funding, and Rio Tinto Stadium eventually was built in Sandy.
5. HEAD OF THE CLASS
Plenty of coaching moves were made at the state's colleges and universities. For football, BYU coaching legend LaVell Edwards retired, making room for Gary Crowton. After one good season, and three not-so-good follow-ups, Bronco Mendenhall was given the reins of the Cougar program. He has led the team to 49 wins over the past five years. Utah saw the end of Ron McBride's tenure as the Utes' head man — he later resurfaced as the head coach at Weber State — as Urban Meyer took over a program called stagnant. Two years later Meyer left for Florida, leaving the job for assistant Kyle Whittingham. Basketball saw the Utes go through a couple of changes as Rick Majerus called it good. Ray Giacoletti took over but was eventually run off, and Jim Boylen took over. Steve Cleveland left BYU and Provo for Fresno, and BYU has never been in better shape than it is now under Dave Rose. Roger Reid and Dick Hunsaker also took over programs in the state at Southern Utah and Utah Valley after being at BYU and Utah, respectively.
6. WE KNEW THIS GUY
Without Larry Miller, who knows if the Jazz would still call Utah home. There wouldn't be a Triple A baseball team named the Bees — the team may still be in Salt Lake, but it wouldn't be known as the Bees — and there probably wouldn't be a motor sports park that rivals many in the country. Unfortunately, Miller passed away in 2009 following complications from diabetes, but he left behind a legacy in sports that Utahns can always be proud of.
7. LIVING LEGEND
It was rare to see BYU coaching great LaVell Edwards smile as he roamed the sidelines, but the program he built and wins he accumulated left many a Cougar fan grinning from ear to ear. So great were his accomplishments — he left with 257 career wins, good enough for No. 6 on the all-time list — that the university renamed its football stadium after him. LaVell Edwards Stadium holds 64,045 screaming fans during the season and is one of the top venues in the country to watch a college football game because of what Edwards accomplished with his team. Many college football pundits call Edward the coach who brought the forward pass to the college game after his revolutionary attack brought prominence to BYU.
8. TOP DOGS
It had never happened before, and hasn't happened since, that one school supplied both the NFL and NBA with the No. 1 draft choice. But the University of Utah's Alex Smith and Andrew Bogut changed that. After an undefeated season and a fourth-place finish in the Heisman voting following his junior year at quarterback, Smith was the top pick in the NFL Draft in 2005 by the San Francisco 49ers. As a sophomore, Bogut led the Utes to the Sweet 16 of the 2005 NCAA tournament and was named the AP Player of the Year while also winning the Naismith and Wooden Awards as the top player in the country. He was the first overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.
9. TOURNAMENT TRIUMPHS
The Beehive State had all five of its Division I basketball teams make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament — Utah Valley earned its full status only this season, bringing the state's total to six. BYU, Utah and Utah State all made the field of 64 teams six different times during the span. BYU lost in the first round in each of its appearances, including 2001, '03, '04, '07, '08 and '09. Utah lost in the second round in both 2000 and '03. It lost in the first round in 2002, '04 and '09, the second round in 2000 and '03 and lost in the Sweet 16 in 2005. Utah State lost in the first round in 2000, '03, '05, '06 and '09, and bowed out in the second round in 2001. Weber State made two appearances with first-round losses in 2003 and '07, and Southern Utah made an appearance in 2001, losing in the first round.
10. PREP MADNESS
High school sports never had more participants, more interest or more fans than during the 2000s. A couple of realignments to classifications and regions took place to varied success. Football playoffs continued to pull in the biggest crowds with its semifinals and finals taking place at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and Rio Tinto Stadium became the new host for soccer championships. Girls sports saw the biggest rise as new sports such as golf were introduced. Dynasties like Skyline's girls swimming, Alta girls soccer, Millard wrestling, Wayne baseball and Timpview football grew while others ended. Stories of inspiration were prevalent, and the beginnings of college and even pro careers in athletics began.
e-mail: mblack@desnews.com