I was so excited when they decided to do that; I thought it was really cool. – Weber State coach Randy Rahe
OGDEN — For the first time in school history, the Weber State men’s basketball program retired the jersey of a former standout. Willie Sojourner was honored during halftime of the Wildcats’ win over Montana State Saturday night.
Sojourner played three seasons for the ‘Cats from 1968-71 and still ranks as one of the best players in both school and Big Sky history. In his three seasons in Ogden, Sojourner led his team to three straight Big Sky Conference titles and three consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament.
“I was so excited when they decided to do that; I thought it was really cool,” Weber State coach Randy Rahe said. “I know what he meant to this basketball program. That guy was absolutely phenomenal and one of the best players in Weber State and Big Sky history. It was really good for the basketball program.”
Sojourner led his team in scoring and rebounding and earned first-team Big Sky All-Conference honors in all three of his seasons at Weber State. He still ranks first in Weber State and Big Sky history in career rebounding average at 14.1 per game and is WSU’s career leader in rebounds with 1,143.
Sojourner also still holds the school record for rebounds in a single game (25), ranks fifth in school history in scoring (1,563), and is sixth in scoring average (19.3 ppg). In his three seasons, the Wildcats posted a 68-16 overall record and were 39-5 in Big Sky games. He went on to play four years in the ABA with Virginia and New York.
Ryan Love is a full-time student at the University of Utah studying communications, and has been a part-time sportswriter and scoreboarder for the Deseret News since Oct. 2012.
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EMAIL: rlove@deseretnews.com