OGDEN — Weber State University welcomed a new class to its Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night.
And what a class it was: former football coach Dave Arslanian; one of his star quarterbacks, Jeff Carlson; two former basketball stars, Jermaine Boyette and Stephanie Stanger Hale, who led their respective men's and women's teams to the NCAA tournament; and former women's golf standout Tenille Howe Slack.
Their stories were each somewhat unique, and they each took a different path to achieve the outstanding success they accomplished at Weber State.
But they all had something in common: Their deep love and sincere gratitude for all those coaches, players and teammates, as well as their parents, families, friends, school staff and the community support that helped them so much on their way to greatness.
Arslanian, himself a former football player and track athlete at Weber State, spent 17 years as a football coach for the Wildcats — the last nine as head coach.
Sure, he's the school's all-time winningest football coach with 53 career victories — breaking the record previously held by his father, fellow WSU Hall of Famer Sark Arslanian, a highly successful head coach for the ’Cats in the 1960s and early 1970s — and he guided his 1991 team to the national Division IAA playoffs.
But the thing Dave Arslanian should be best known, admired, appreciated, respected and remembered for is helping to save the Wildcats' football program from extinction in 1994.
Yes, a little more than 20 years ago, there was serious consideration of pulling the plug on Weber State's program due to financial reasons. After all, with its large number of participants, expensive equipment needs and subsequent travel costs, coupled with sagging home attendance figures, there were certainly some folks on campus and in the community who felt like it was time to drop football and its big budget.
But Dave Arslanian, along with his coaching staff and a determined seven-man committee who refused to let Wildcat football die, stepped up and made sure the program was saved and continues to this day with better facilities and infrastructure than ever before.
As Friday night's master of ceremonies, Carl Arky, told him: "Thank you for keeping Weber State football alive."
Not only did Dave and his guys help save WSU football but, over the last decade, he and his brothers Paul and Jim have been helping save young people's lives, too, as they launched the Eagle Ranch Academy for troubled teenagers 10 years ago in St. George.
What's more, a year ago, they were approached by a St. George physician to help build an adult alcohol and drug treatment and residential rehabilitation program.
Throughout his life, Dave Arslanian has certainly followed the counsel of Larry Fillpot, the man who gave Dave a coaching job at Scottsdale Community College 40-plus years ago and challenged him "to make a positive impact in the lives of others."
Friday's other inductees have definitely done the same thing.
Boyette climbed out of difficult surroundings in the suburbs of Chicago to lead the Wildcats to an undefeated Big Sky Conference season and an NCAA tourney berth in 2003. He went on to play pro basketball for 11 years and still has such an infectious enthusiasm for life and all that it has to offer.
Carlson helped lead the Wildcat football team to a 10-win season, a IAA playoff berth and a first-round playoff victory in 1987, and he still ranks as one of the school's best QBs ever. His NFL career was cut short by devastating health issues, but he has gone on to a successful career as a pharmaceutical salesman and sports broadcaster in Tampa, Florida.
The two former WSU women's athletes who were honored Friday were relatively unheralded home-grown products — Howe from Fremont High and Stanger from Northridge — who came to Weber State and were determined to improve. By the time they were done, with their great work ethic, they each turned out to be among the best athletes ever in school history, each leading their teams to conference championships in their respective sports and earning Big Sky MVP honors along the way.
They've all set extremely high standards and are tremendous examples and role models for their families and the youth of today.
And when it comes to a Hall of Fame class, that's something that this group certainly has in great abundance — class.
EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com