An induction ceremony and dinner honoring Utah State’s 10th Hall of Fame Class is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m., at the Riverwoods Conference Center in Logan. Cost of the banquet is $35 per person and reservations can be made by contacting the USU Athletics Department at (435) 797-1850 or by registering on-line at www.utahstateaggies.com/HOF.html. The 2012 inductees will also be recognized in conjunction with Utah State’s home football game against Utah on Friday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m.
The 2012 class includes Alfred Castro (1984-87), one of just two wrestlers in school history to be named a two-time All-American; Eric Hipple (1976-79), an= quarterback; Brian Jackson (1978-81), a former basketball player; Shae Jones-Bair (1998-2000, 2002), one of just two female track athletes in school history to earn All-American honors three times; James Murphy (1978-80), a wide receiver; James Parker (1995, 1999-2001), the most decorated student-athlete in Utah State history earning All-American track honors nine times; Kristie Skoglund (1984-87), one of six Aggie softball All-Americans; and Emmett White (1998-2001), the NCAA's active single-game all-purpose yardage record holder.
A total of 69 individuals and three teams have now been inducted into the Utah State Athletics Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was founded in 1993 with 12 initial members, followed by eight members in 1994 and seven in 1995. The addition of any inductees was stopped until 2006 when five more individuals were added, followed by six recipients in 2007, five more in 2008, as well as the first-ever team inducted, seven more in 2009, six in 2010 and five in 2011. Two more national championship teams were also added in 2011.
Located inside the Steve Mothersell Hall of Honor, the Utah State Athletics Hall of Fame gives fans the opportunity to view biographical information and watch videos on each of the inducted members. Both the Hall of Fame and the Hall of Honor are located inside the Jim and Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex in the north end of Romney Stadium.
Castro earned his first All-American honor as a sophomore in 1985 as he posted a 32-7-1 record and finished seventh at the NCAA Championships at 118 pounds. As a junior, he was named the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) Wrestler of the Year as he won the league's individual championship at 118 pounds. He then earned his second All-American that same year as he placed eighth at the NCAA Championships at 118 pounds. As a junior, Castro was ranked as the top wrestler in the nation at his weight class and was a member of the East-West All-Stars.
Hipple earned first-team all-Pacific Coast Conference honors as a senior in 1979 and led Utah State to a 14-7-1 (.659) record during his junior and senior campaigns, including its only back-to-back conference championships in school history in 1978 (4-1-0) and 1979 (4-0-1). As a senior, Hipple completed 60.2 percent of his passes to rank second all-time in school history. Overall, Hipple ranks fourth all-time at Utah State in completions (459) and total offense (6,121), fifth in passing yards (6,073), sixth in touchdown passes (34) and seventh in career completion percentage (.540).
Jackson earned first-team all-Big West honors as a senior in 1981 and was second-team all-conference in 1979 and 1980 as Utah State played in consecutive NCAA Tournaments. As a senior, Jackson scored 655 points and averaged 23.4 points per game to rank seventh all-time in school history. He finished his collegiate career ranking fourth all-time in school history with 1,900 career points, seventh all-time in rebounding (840), eighth all-time in double-doubles (27) and ninth all-time in games started (96).
Jones-Bair is one of just two female track athletes to earn All-American honors three times during her Aggie career. As a red-shirt freshman in 1998, Jones-Bair earned her first All-American honor by finishing eighth in the pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Her second All-American accolade came at the 1999 NCAA Indoor Championships as she placed fifth in the pole vault, and her final All-American honor was at the 2000 NCAA Outdoor Championships as she placed fourth in the pole vault.
Murphy earned honorable mention All-American honors from The Sporting News as a senior in 1980, along with garnering first-team all-Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) honors in each of his last two years as an Aggie. During his three-year Aggie career, Murphy helped Utah State to a 20-12-1 (.621) record, including a 12-2-1 (.833) league mark, as the Aggies won their only back-to-back conference championships in school history in 1978 (4-1-0) and 1979 (4-0-1). As a senior in 1980, Murphy caught 66 passes which ranks ninth all-time at Utah State, while his 1,067 receiving yards during his junior year ranks 10th all-time in school history. For his career, Murphy still ranks tied for seventh all-time at Utah State with 17 touchdown receptions, eighth all-time in receiving yards with 2,132 and ninth all-time with 133 receptions.
Parker earned All-American track honors a school-record nine times. During his Aggie career, Parker was a four-time All-American in the indoor 35-pound weight throw (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001), a four-time All-American in the hammer throw (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001) and an All-American in the discus (2001). Parker was also a seven-time Big West Conference champion in the discus (1995, 1999), hammer throw (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001) and shot put (1995), and was named the Big West's Male Athlete of the Year in 1995, along with being a two-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Champion in the weight throw (2000, 2001).
Skoglund is one of six softball players in Utah State history to earn All-American honors as she was named to the Converse first team as a utility player during her senior season in 1987. As a senior, Skoglund helped Utah State to a 33-14 record, including a first-place finish in the High Country Athletic Conference (HCAC) with a 7-3 mark. Skoglund also helped Utah State to the College World Series as a freshman in 1984. During her career, Skoglund was a four-time first-team all-HCAC selection and a four-time NCAA Central Region first-team honoree as a pitcher. She posted a 60-25 record as Utah State won back-to-back conference championships in 1986 and 1987. Skoglund still ranks tied for first all-time at Utah State in career saves (7), second all-time in earned run average (0.86), third all-time in career wins (60), fourth all-time in complete games (77), fifth all-time in innings pitched (617.7), seventh all-time in strikeouts (315), eighth all-time in shutouts (7) and ninth all-time in games pitched (96).
White earned Associated Press Third-Team All-American honors as a junior in 2000 as he scored 16 touchdowns, which still ranks third all-time at Utah State. During his junior year, White set the still standing NCAA single-game record for all-purpose yards with 578 as he had a school-record 322 rushing yards to go along with 134 receiving yards and two punt return yards at New Mexico State on Nov. 4, 2000. As a junior, White also led the country with 238.9 all-purpose yards per game which still ranks as the sixth-best average in NCAA history and averaged 120.2 rushing yards per game to rank 13th in the nation. All-time, White ranks second in school history in all-purpose yards (5,872) and punt return average (10.5); fourth in overall touchdowns (32) and rushing touchdowns (27); and sixth in rushing yards (2,791), rushing attempts (517), rushing average (5.4) and kickoff return average (23.9); and eighth in total points scored (194).
Doug Hoffman is the assistant athletic director for Utah State University Athletic Media Relations.