Andy Reid. Tony Finau. Ryan Smith. Ashley Hatch. Bryce Harper: Call them influential Latter-day Saint influencers, movers and shakers, or power brokers in the wide, wide world of sports.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have become increasingly prominent in all corners of athletics — as coaches, competitors, team owners and executives.
Some Latter-day Saints — like basketball’s Danny Ainge — have been prominent in the sports pages for decades. And then there are church members such as Olympic medalists Kenneth Rooks or MyKayla Skinner who snagged wide influence and renown with a single, defining athletic performance on a world stage.
So who is the most influential Latter-day Saint in the sports world?
You can be the judge of that. Here, then is our “certain-to-trigger-debate” list of 40 of the most interesting or influential Latter-day Saints in the sports world in 2025:
1. Ryan Smith — NBA/NHL/MLS/NWSL team owner
A self-described sneakerhead and Qualtric’s co-founder/executive chairman, Smith is a relative newcomer to the sports world. But he joined the heavyweights of American professional athletics in 2020 after purchasing a majority stake in the Utah Jazz from fellow Latter-day Saints, the Larry H. and Gail Miller family.
Two years later, Smith became the majority owner of the crosstown Real Salt Lake soccer club before bringing the NWSL’s Utah Royals back to the Beehive State.
Smith wasn’t finished. Last year, he and his wife, Ashley, added the NHL’s Utah Hockey Club to the SEG sports empire.
A returned missionary (Mexico), the BYU alum often tweets #SundayThought quotes from Latter-day Saint and other spiritual leaders.
2. Andy Reid — Super Bowl winning coach/former BYU lineman/funny insurance guy
Pull out this NFL stat to impress your fellow gridiron fans: Andy Reid is one of only four coaches with career win-loss records 100 games over .500.
The others: George Halas, Don Shula and Bill Belichick.
But even with three Super Bowl rings on his former O-lineman’s finger, Reid’s legacy as a top-flight coach and developer of players is still perhaps understated.
Reid joined the church while playing for BYU. His stoic LaVell Edwards-like sideline demeanor hides his sense of humor — but his State Farm Insurance commercials opposite QB Patrick Mahomes reveal coach’s inner-Seinfeld.
The Chiefs coach just missed on his fourth Super Bowl ring last Sunday, which would be three-in-a-row for the first time in NFL history. But Reid says the Chiefs will be back.
3. Tom Holmoe — BYU athletic director; former NFL player and college coach
Cougar Nation felt its collective knees buckle a bit when longtime BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe announced Feb. 11 that he’d be retiring at the end of the 2024-2025 athletic season. But the church convert hasn’t lost a bit of influence.
For now, Holmoe directs BYU’s athletic department at a moment of unprecedented disruption in American college sports.
The three-time Super Bowl champ (he played defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers) has proven to be the guy for the job at his alma mater. Holmoe has guided the BYU athletic program from the Mountain West Conference, through the lonesome world of college football independence and, finally, to its successful entry into the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
The Cougar football and men’s basketball teams have already proven Power Four-worthy — and many of BYU’s women’s sports programs, including soccer and cross-country, are counted among the NCAA elite.
4. Kalani Sitake — BYU football coach and former Cougar player
During his nine seasons at the helm of BYU’s flagship sport, Sitake has been on a steady climb on the lists of excellent college football coaches. He was inducted this year into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
Once there was “LaVell.” Now there’s simply “Kalani.” No further intro needed.
No Latter-day Saint sports figure is perhaps as scrutinized and second-guessed as Sitake. That’s the reality of being the head football coach at BYU.
After struggling in their first season of Big 12 play, the 2024 Cougars finished on the brink of a conference title game and finalized their season at 11-2 with a high-profile Alamo Bowl win versus Colorado.
5. Bryce Harper — Major League Baseball player
Fifteen years ago, Philadelphia Philly Bryce Harper was a Sports Illustrated high school cover boy, a la LeBron James.
The then-16-year-old “had faster bat speed than Mark McGwire … throws a fastball that has been clocked at 96 mph … and attends religious education classes nearly every morning before school.”
Harper has since surpassed all expectations, highlighted by his two National League MVPs and eight All-Star game selection. The Las Vegas native is also one of the game’s highest-paid players.
6. Kyle Whittingham — Utah football coach/former BYU player
How’s this for college coaching bragging rights?
Whittingham’s Utes are unbeaten in all games where Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh or Lincoln Riley were manning the opposite sideline.
Longtime Latter-day Saint pigskin fans have witnessed Whittingham evolve from an all-conference BYU linebacker to a stout defensive coordinator and, ultimately, into one of college football’s venerable statesmen.
During his 19 seasons as Utah’s head coach, Whittingham has presided over milestones that no Ute fan old enough to have grown up driving a stick shift could have imagined — including back-to-back Pac-12 titles and appearances in the Sugar Bowl and two Rose Bowls.
7. Tony Finau — PGA professional, Netflix star
Many who have never watched a single round of pro golf became acquainted with Tony Finau and his family while watching the popular Netflix series “Full Swing.”
Latter-day Saint sports fans already knew Finau’s unlikely golf story — growing up in Salt Lake City’s Rose Park neighborhood and driving balls into a mattress-covered garage because his family could not afford driving range balls.
Finau can now buy plenty of range balls after six career PGA tournament wins and top-5 finishes in all four majors.
He was also part of the Ryder Cup-winning American squad in 2021.
8. Gail Miller — co-founder of the Larry H. Miller Company
After selling the Utah Jazz to Ryan Smith in 2020, some believed Gail Miller and her family owned company were out of the big-league sports business.
Nope.
Gail Miller and the Larry H. Miller Company are now guiding the effort to bring a Major League Baseball franchise to Salt Lake City. A $3.5 billion mixed-use development that the company is pursuing on Salt Lake City’s west side would include a big-league stadium.
Miller and her family also own the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees and are nearing completion on a new stadium in southwest Salt Lake County at Daybreak.
9. Fraser Bullock — president & CEO of the Salt Lake City—Utah Committee for the Games
More than two decades after serving as chief operating officer for Utah’s 2002 Winter Games, Fraser Bullock (and the Beehive State) are back in the Olympics business.
The Canadian-born Latter-day Saint is the volunteer president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games. Five months ago, the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2024 Winter Games to Utah.
Former U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, who oversaw the 2002 Winter Games, has called Bullock “the best prepared of any Olympic CEO in history.”
Bullock has served in the church as an Area Seventy.
10. Mark Pope — Kentucky men’s basketball coach
In his maiden season at Lexington, Mark Pope has the Wildcats right where the Kentucky-faithful expect him to be: Enjoying a top-15 ranking and on the short list of 2025 NCAA champion contenders.
After competing on Kentucky’s 1996 national title team, Pope played professionally for almost a decade and suited-up for four different NBA squads.
The lure of coaching college basketball drew the would-be physician out of medical school. He eventually spent four years as a BYU assistant before taking the wheel at Utah Valley University (2015-2019) and, later, at BYU (2019-2024).
The Latter-day Saint now fills one of the most storied coaching seats in college basketball — a seat occupied at earlier moments by Adolph Rupp, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith and John Calipari.
11. Kevin Young — BYU men’s basketball coach
Months into his new job, BYU’s Kevin Young, has primarily established his “influencer” bona-fides off the court.
While BYU continues adjusting to the brutal Big 12 Conference on the hardwood, Young has Cougar Nation googly-eyed pondering the possibilities thanks largely to his recruiting success during his rookie campaign.
International star Egor Demin and 4-star recruit Kanon Catchings accepted Young’s invitations to ply their trade in Provo prior to their expected leaps to the NBA.
Last December, AJ Dybantsa, the country’s consensus No. 1 high school recruit, announced he would be wearing Cougar blue and playing for Young.
Young’s coaching resume includes assistant roles with the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers.
12. Danny Ainge — former BYU and pro basketball/baseball player, NBA executive
Remember when pro football’s versatile Kordell Stewart was nicknamed “Slash”?
The moniker aptly fits Danny Ainge.
Just count the slashes in this former bishop’s sport’s resume: college basketball’s Player of the Year/Major League Baseball infielder/NBA champ/NBA head coach/title winning NBA executive (Boston Celtics).
At 65, Ainge remains in the sports world mix in his current role as the Utah Jazz CEO of basketball operations.
13. President C. Shane Reese — BYU president
BYU President Shane Reese will likely never call a fourth-down play at LaVell Edwards Stadium or scheme offenses on the Marriott Center floor, but his sports influence is significant.
As president of the church’s flagship university, Reese presides over a Cougar sports program that represents the faith and is followed by ardent fans and alums across the globe. His job also offers him a powerful voice on the Big 12’s board of directors.
Prior to becoming BYU’s president, Reese utilized his training as a statistician to assist the Philadelphia Eagles and the U.S. Olympic men’s volleyball team. He still takes a look at statistical possibilities for Cougar victories even from his position running the university.
14. Steve Young — former BYU/NFL football player, analyst and author
A member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Young’s gridiron resume includes college All-American, NFL MVP (twice) and Super Bowl MVP honors.
A descendant of Brigham Young, he’s also a Latter-day Saint renaissance man. Young earned a law degree at BYU, worked several years as an ESPN NFL panelist, is a Deseret Book-published author and has had a lucrative second career in private equity.
His influence has never waned as his playing career was followed by stints as a broadcaster. He appears regularly on national sports talk outlets such as the Dan Patrick Show (Patrick has called him one of his favorite guests) and he still flies the BYU colors with other radio and talk show appearances, including on the Y’s Guys podcast and BYU Sports Nation program.
15. Puka Nacua — former BYU football player/rising NFL star
Utah sports fans who watched Puka Nacua play football and basketball at Orem High School already knew this guy was very, very special.
The rest of the sports world caught-up in 2023 when “Puka Mania” swept through the NFL. After two seasons in the League with the Los Angeles Rams, Nacua is already regarded as one of the game’s top receivers.
After waiting until the fifth-round of the 2023 NFL draft to be selected, Nacua set league rookie records for receiving yards and receptions and earned second-team All-Pro honors.
16. Fred Warner — former BYU player/perennial NFL All-Pro
The San Francisco 49ers knew they were getting a promising athlete when they drafted BYU linebacker Fred Warner with their 3rd round pick.
But c’mon — no one guessed Warner would be this good.
The Latter-day Saint and three-time first-team NFL All-Pro has played his way to the top of the NFL’s linebacking elite,
17. Cael Sanderson — Olympic wrestling gold medalist, NCAA coaching champion
“Legend” is perhaps the most hackneyed term in sports.
But what other word more aptly applies to wrestling’s Cael Sanderson — an Olympic gold medalist whose unbeaten college record at Iowa State (159-0) was classified by Sports Illustrated as “the No. 2 most outstanding achievement in collegiate sports history”?
Since being named head coach at Penn State, Sanderson’s Nittany Lions have claimed 11 NCAA titles.
It’s doubtful the sport of wrestling will ever again witness an individual enjoy such multifaceted success.
18. Ashley Hatch — pro soccer player, former BYU All-American
There’s always a roster spot for a soccer player with a gift for putting the ball in the back of the net. And at every level, Ashley Hatch has demonstrated that gift.
Following a prolific BYU career, the Latter-day Saint striker made a speedy impact in the National Women’s Soccer League, earning 2017 Rookie of the Year honors. She later claimed the league’s Golden Boot as its top goal scorer, played a key role in the Washington Spirit’s 2021 NWSL title run and took home an ESPY as the nation’s top soccer player.
On Jan. 7, she was once again called-up by the U.S. Women’s National Team.
19. Taysom Hill — former BYU player/NFL ‘Swiss Army knife’
In 2019, two of the church’s most athletic General Authorities — Elder S. Gifford Nielsen (a retired NFL quarterback) and Elder Brian K. Taylor (a former BYU basketball player) — participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Pocatello Idaho Temple.
But both Seventies would surely concede they were not the best athletes turning soil that day. At their side was New Orleans Saint Taysom Hill, a Pocatello native and their fellow BYU alum.
The NFL’s “Swiss Army knife,” Hill’s versatility makes him a real-time folk hero in the Big Easy. He is a family man who overcame four significant injuries to win a spot in the NFL.
20. Penei Sewell — NFL All-Pro offensive lineman
ESPN analyst Mike Greenberg recently called Latter-day Saint offensive lineman Penei Sewell “the best offensive player in the National Football League.”
Read that quote again.
Not the best “offensive lineman.” The best “offensive player.” Take that, quarterbacks and receivers.
And Sewell is only 24 years old. If he can stay healthy, the Desert Hills High School (Utah) alum may ultimately redefine the O-line position.
21. Ed Eyestone — Olympic distance runner, BYU cross-country coach
Decorated BYU coach Ed Eyestone likes to say the secret to becoming an elite distance runner “is to choose your parents wisely.”
No doubt, genetics are a powerful thing — but so is great coaching.
A two-time Olympian, a multievent NCAA champ and a returned missionary (Spain), Eyestone has coached and developed dozens of All-American. Weeks ago, he celebrated as his Cougars won the 2024 NCAA men’s cross country national title.
Latter-day Saints have long been synonymous with elite distance running — and Eyestone is the Godfather of Latter-day Saint distance running.
22. Kenneth Rooks — Olympic medalist, former BYU steeplechaser
One of the aforementioned Eyestone’s proudest coaching moments happened last August in Paris when he watched one his recent BYU athletes, Kenneth Rooks, shock the track-and-field world by winning a silver medal in the 2024 Olympic steeplechase race.
A soft-spoken returned missionary with a knack for winning big races, Rooks also won the 2023 U.S. national title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase — after taking a tumble in the race.
23. Garett Bolles — former Ute All-American, NFL lineman
Garett Bolles’ circuitous route to becoming an NFL star offensive lineman reads like a Dickens novel.
As a teenager, he had brushes with the law and was kicked out of his home. He was eventually “adopted” by a devout Latter-day Saint family, placing him on a path to personal stability and lucrative athletic success.
After serving a mission in Colorado and playing at Utah’s Snow College and the University of Utah, the Denver Broncos selected the agile offensive lineman with their first pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
24. Jimmer Fredette — former BYU and pro basketball player
More than a decade has passed since Fredette “Jimmered” opponents in BYU’s Marriott Center.
But hoops fans from Provo to Shanghai can still call a random player’s prolific offensive performance as “Jimmeresque” — and everyone gets it.
College basketball’s 2011 consensus National Player of the Year, Fredette’s professional career trotted him across the globe, stretching across three different continents.
Most recently, he competed for Team USA’s 3x3 men’s basketball squad at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. He continues rehabing and training from the injury that cut short his Olympic competition.
25. Taylor Randall — University of Utah president
Hoping to spot President Taylor Randall on the sidelines of a Utah Utes game? Just look for the high-energy guy with the red sneakers (and glasses).
The returned missionary (Spain) isn’t shy about showing his school spirit at the public university founded in 1850 by Latter-day Saint prophet Brigham Young. “We come out of Utah’s pioneer heritage, and you still see that heritage in the university’s DNA,” he told the Church News shortly after becoming the school president.
Like his counterpart at BYU — President C. Shane Reese — Randall sits on the Big 12 Conference board of directors and was instrumental in transitioning Utah from the PAC-12 to the BIG-12.
26, Ken Niumatalolo — college football coach
“Coach Ken” will never have to buy his own crab cakes in Annapolis.
The former coach at the U.S. Naval Academy remains beloved across Crabtown and the Navy fleet for his defining 10-5 record: that’s 10 wins against only five losses in the storied Army-Navy rivalry game.
Niumatalolo returned to head coaching last year, leading San Jose State University to a winning season.
27. Olivia Moultrie — pro soccer player
Olivia Moultrie, 19, made her pro debut with the Portland Thorns at the age of 15 — becoming, at the time, the youngest player to compete in an NWSL regular-season game. Two months later, she scored her first professional goal.
At that point, the California teen was already a veteran influencer. She was, after all, a Nike-endorsed athlete by age 13.
Expect to see Moultrie, who has almost a half-million Instagram followers, in the mix for a Team USA roster spot for the next decade.
28. Anson Dorrance — retired college soccer coach/21-time NCAA champ
As noted, Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson has won 11 NCAA coaching titles — which means he only needs to claim 10 more national titles to match a fellow Latter-day Saint, retired North Carolina soccer coach Anson Dorrance.
Dorrance set a collegiate soccer coaching bar that will likely never be cleared again.
He coached some of women’s soccer’s most celebrated players — including Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Tobin Heath and Crystal Dunn.
29. MyKayla Skinner — Olympic gymnastics medalist, former Ute All-American
Latter-day Saint MyKayla Skinner followed an unorthodox competition path for an elite gymnast — claiming an Olympic silver medal in 2021 after winning national collegiate titles at the University of Utah.
She famously secured a spot in the Olympic vault final in Tokyo when Team USA teammate Simone Biles dropped out due to mental health issues. Skinner seized her unexpected opportunity, finishing second.
Now retired from competition, Skinner remains a social media influencer with almost 400K Instagram followers.
30. Liz Darger — BYU senior associate athletic director
Liz Darger must have a clone or two — she seems to be everywhere.
Attend almost any BYU sporting event and you will likely spot the always-approachable administrator wearing a blue ball cap and rooting for the Cougars.
Darger’s bridge-building skills are often cited as playing a key role in helping BYU land a spot in the Big 12 Conference. She previously served on the church’s Young Women’s General Board.
31. Sam Merrill — pro basketball player
Bountiful native Sam Merrill served a mission to Nicaragua before beginning an ongoing basketball career that started in Logan before winding through NBA cities such as Milwaukee, Memphis and, currently, Cleveland.
The 2019 Mountain West Player of Year (Utah State) ended his rookie season in the pros with a championship ring on his finger after the Bucks claimed the 2021 NBA Finals.
Since then, Merrill has established himself as a 3-point shooting specialist. He holds the Cavalier’s franchise record for most bench 3-pointers in a season.
32. Bronco Mendenhall — college football coach
Most college football coaches aspire to land a coveted head coaching job at a Division I football program at some point in their career.
Bronco Mendenhall has done that at four universities: BYU, Virginia, New Mexico and, currently, Utah State.
The Aggies struggled in 2024, so they were quick to hire the Latter-day Saint field general with a record for improving programs.
Mendenhall enjoyed multiple double-digit winning seasons in Provo. He then turned around a struggling Virginia program before making immediate strides last year at New Mexico.
33. U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens — congressman, former NFL safety
Church convert Owens is just one of 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. But something sets him apart from the rest of his fellow lawmakers in Congress’s lower body — a fat, jewel-encrusted Super Bowl ring on his finger.
The Republican representing Utah’s 4th District was a safety on the Oakland Raiders’ 1980 Super Bowl XV championship team.
Now the 10-year NFL vet serves on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.
34. Greg Wrubell — BYU sports broadcaster
If there’s a harder working guy in sports radio than Greg Wrubell, step forward.
The “Voice of the Cougars” seems ubiquitous — providing BYU play-by-play calls for football, women’s soccer, men’s basketball and baseball for the school’s global alumni/audience.
Wrubell’s passion for BYU sports is matched only by his preparation. Folks who have shared the broadcast booth with Wrubell marvel at his grasp of stats, team histories and trends.
35. Kellen Moore — NFL head coach, Super Bowl winner
What a week to be Kellen Moore.
On Feb. 9, he reveled in Super Bowl LIX victory as the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator. Days later, he took the top job for the New Orleans Saints, becoming the youngest head coach in the league.
He joins a short list of Latter-day Saints who have filled the top job on an NFL squad. The others: Andy Reid and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Dave Campo.
A two-time All-American at Boise State, Moore suited-up for the Detroit Lions and the Cowboys.
36. Dale Murphy — retired MLB star
Each year when a new class of ballplayers are inducted into pro baseball’s Hall of Fame, fans demand to know why Murph’s plaque isn’t found in Cooperstown.
They have a legitimate gripe.
The church convert was a two-time National League MVP and perennial all-star who belted 398 dingers during his 18-year career, primarily with the Atlanta Braves.
After retiring, Murphy served as a mission president in Boston and is now advocating for a Major League Baseball team in Utah.
37. Dame Valerie Adams — 4-time Olympic shot put medalist
Arguably history’s most dominant shot putter, Dame Valerie Adams’ trophy case is crowded with medals from two decades of international competition — including four Olympic medals (two gold, a silver and a bronze).
The New Zealander once enjoyed a staggering streak of 56 wins at elite-level competitions and, in 2014, was the IAAF World Athlete of the Year. Her homeland popularity was evident when she was chosen to be her country’s flag bearer for the closing ceremonies of the 2020 Olympic Games.
38. Eric Weddle — retired NFL player, former Ute
Weddle’s wildly successful NFL career should make him a lock for Canton.
Lightly recruited out of high school, Weddle made an immediate impact for the Utah Utes. He carried that success into the pros where he was selected for a half-dozen Pro Bowls and the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team. He closed his career in 2022 in style, winning a Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams.
Weddle’s gridiron achievements make him a strong candidate for a spot in the NFL Hall of Fame. He becomes eligible for induction in 2027.
39. Jennifer Rockwood — BYU soccer coach
Here’s indisputable evidence that BYU women’s soccer coach Jennifer Rockwood is an A-list sports influencer: Ice cream that bears her name.
A few years ago, the BYU Creamery unveiled a new chocolate ice cream flavor called Cherry Rockwood. A tasty and well-deserved honor, considering Rockwood has been the Cougar’s soccer coach for three decades. She’s the only head coach in program history.
Rockwood’s career highlight came in 2021 when her squad reached the NCAA finals.
And, finally, a bonus “influencer” to include on the list:
40. Blair Buswell — sculptor
A figurative sculptor might seem a curious inclusion on a “sports influencer” list — but who else has hosted the likes of John Madden, Troy Aikman, Ray Lewis and dozens of other NFL legends in their workplace?
From the confines of his Pleasant Grove, Utah, studio, Blair Buswell has sculpted the bronze busts of scores of inductees displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
His sports-themed subjects are not limited to gridiron stars. The returned missionary’s heroic-sized monuments include likenesses of legends John Wooden, Mickey Mantle, Jack Nicklaus and Oscar Robinson.
Buswell was a backup running back for BYU in 1981.
Let the debates begin
This is a living, breathing, evolving list — and we’ve likely missed one (or two) of your personal favorites.
Others who could easily have joined the ranks of this list include elite distance runners Courtney Wayment, Conner Mantz, Clayton Young and Whittni Morgan.
And former professional athletes like Vai Sikahema, Gifford Nielsen and Thurl Bailey, who transitioned into sports media roles and still maintain high visibility today.
NFL players Kyle Van Noy and Britain Covey would also be worthy candidates — along with World Series veteran Jeremy Guthrie and Jake Reynolds, president of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.
So join the debate — and let us know what you think.
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