Utah Utes football
Encyclopedia
The Utah Utes football program is a college football
team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12) of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah
. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles Stadium since 1927. They have won twenty-four conference championships in five different conferences during their history, and have a cumulative record of 621–427–31 (621 wins, 427 losses, and 31 ties).
The Utes have a record of 12–4 (.750) in bowl game
s, which is the highest winning percentage in the nation among teams that have had ten or more bowl appearances.
Among Utah's bowls are two games from the Bowl Championship Series
(BCS): the Fiesta Bowl
and the Sugar Bowl
. In the 2005 Fiesta Bowl
, Utah defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers
35–7, and in the 2009 Sugar Bowl
, they defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide
31–17. During those seasons, Utah was a member of the Mountain West Conference
, whose champion does not receive an automatic invitation to a BCS bowl. The Utes were the first team from a conference without an automatic bid to play in a BCS bowl game—colloquially known as being a BCS Buster—and the first BCS Buster to play in a second BCS Bowl.
. The Utes have played in five different conferences in their history. As of 2011, Utah football competes in the Pacific-12 Conference (South Division).
Timeline of Utah's conference history:
. The first two games were against the local YMCA
, but no one knows when these contests took place. Utah's first game against another college, Utah Agricultural College (now called "Utah State"), was scheduled for Thanksgiving Day
, but was postponed one day due to a snow storm. Utah A.C. won 12–0.
Utah did not field a team in 1893, but resumed playing in 1894. One other season in Utah's history has been cancelled: in 1918 Utah did not field a football team due to World War I
.
Utah had its first sustained success when, in 1904, it hired Joe Maddock
to coach football, as well as basketball and track. During his six seasons, he coached the football team to a record of 28–9–1 (.750). The school enthusiastically embraced the former Michigan Wolverine
. In 1905, the Galveston Daily News reported, "He has the Mormons all football crazy. He has written here to say that his team now holds the championship of Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and the greater part of Colorado. When he won the hard-fought battle with Colorado College a week ago the Salt Lake City papers said: 'Maddock' is a new way of saying success. The great Michigan tackle has taken boys who never saw a football before and made them the star players of the Rocky Mountain States." In early 1910, Maddock retired from coaching (although he later coached a year at Oregon
.)
Fred Bennion
coached the Utes from 1910 to 1913. 1910 was also Utah's first season as a member of a conference, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
(RMAC). Bennion finished with a record of 16–8–3 (.648) during his four seasons. Nelson Norgren
finished with a record of 13–11 (.542) during his coaching years from 1913 to 1917. Utah did not field a team for the 1918 season because of a shortage of players due to World War I. When play resumed in 1919, Thomas Fitzpatrick
started his football coaching career. He continued as football coach until end of the 1924 season. His teams finished with a record of 23–17–3 (.570). Utah won their first conference championships in these early years, in 1922.
was originally hired to coach both the mens basketball team and the football team. While he lasted only two years as basketball coach, in football he amassed a record of 141–55–15 (.704) during his twenty-five years as head coach, which places him first among Utah head coaches for total wins. Under Armstrong, Utah won thirteen conference championships, including six in a row from 1928 to 1933 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
. His teams produced three undefeated and untied seasons (1926, 1929, and 1930) and two more seasons where Utah was undefeated but tied (1928 and 1941).
The 1930 team only allowed 20 points by the opposition all year (2.5 points per game), but scored 340 points (42.5 points per game.) On offense, they averaged 463 yards a game that year, but were unable to find a post season opponent because the only bowl game at that time was the Rose Bowl
. Armstrong coached the Utes to their first bowl in the 1939 Sun Bowl
defeating New Mexico 26–0.
Armstrong also oversaw the opening of Ute Stadium. As the popularity of Utah football grew, Cumming's Field, an 11,000 capacity stadium that was just south of Presidents Circle
on campus, no longer met Utah's needs. The stadium was part of a larger trend of universities building larger stadiums during the 1920s. Ute Stadium initially had a 20,000 seat capacity and a cost of $125,000.
After the 1949 season, Armstrong accepted a job at University of Minnesota
as their athletic director
. In 1957 Armstrong was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame
.
, head coach from 1950 to 1957, Utah enjoyed moderate success. During his eight seasons as Utah head coach, the Utes compiled a record of 45–32–4 (.580) and won four conference championships in the Skyline Conference.
In contrast to his predecessor Ike Armstrong, Curtice focused his attention on offense and continually tinkered with his split-T
offense. His teams are perhaps best known for popularizing the Utah Pass, which is an overhand forward shovel pass of the ball. The play is commonly used today by teams which use a spread offense. Quarterback Lee Grosscup
caught the attention of the east coast press when he and the Utes had a close 33–39 loss to top ten program Army
at West Point, New York
. Grosscup threw for 316 yards against a tough Army defense in an era where most teams seldom passed the ball. Despite losing, Curtice referred to the game as "The time we beat Army."
After Curtice left to coach Stanford
, Ray Nagel
took the helm. He coached for eight seasons from 1958 to 1965 before leaving for Iowa
. During his tenure, the Utes had a record of 42–39–1 (.518) and were co-conference champions of the Western Athletic Conference
in 1964. As a reward, the Utes garnered an invitation to Atlantic City to play in the 1964 Liberty Bowl
, which was the first major college football game held indoors. Utah dominated the game against West Virginia
from start to finish and won by the score of 32–6. Utah finished the season ranked #14 in the Coaches' Poll.
Nagel's replacement, Mike Giddings
posted a record of 9–12 (.429) during the 1966 and 1967 seasons before resigning. Bill Meek
, coach from 1968 to 1973, failed to substantially improve the Utes, and they went 33–31 (.516) over his six seasons before he was fired.
and Brigham Young (BYU). To make matters worse, these years coincided with the emergence of BYU football under the tutelage of LaVell Edwards
.
Next in line was Wayne Howard, who coached from 1977 to 1981. He performed substantially better than his predecessor and his Ute teams posted a record of 30–24–2 (.554). Despite a record of 8–2–1 in his final season and being in contention for the Western Athletic Conference
Championship, Howard resigned at the end of the season. He cited several reasons for leaving, but he particularly disliked the Utah–BYU rivalry.
The Utes lost whatever progress they made under Howard during the Chuck Stobart
years, 1982–1984. During his tenure, the Utes compiled a 16–17–1 record (.485), and saw hated rival BYU earn a National Championship
.
The program regressed further during the Jim Fassel
era from 1985 to 1989, with a 25–33 record (.431). His teams were marked by high scoring offenses and abysmal defenses. In 1989, his final season, the Utes scored 30.42 points per game, but allowed 43.67 points per game. The lone bright spot of his tenure was a 57–28 upset of nationally ranked BYU to end the 1988 season, which was dubbed by Ute fans as The Rice Bowl.
in the 1992 Copper Bowl, losing to the Cougars 31–28.
They reached their peak under McBride when they finished the 1994 season ranked #10 in the AP Poll
and #8 in the Coaches' Poll and recorded a 16–13 victory over Arizona
in the Freedom Bowl
. That season, the Utes beat four teams who ended the season ranked: Oregon
, Colorado State
, BYU, and Arizona.
In 1995, Utah was co-champion of the Western Athletic Conference, which was the first time in thirty-one years Utah had been champion or co-champion in football. In 1999, Utah was again co-conference champion, this time in the Mountain West Conference
(MWC).
McBride also coached the Utes to a 10–6 victory in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl
over Southern California, which was quarterbacked by Carson Palmer
and coached by Pete Carroll
.
led Utah to a 10–2 record, an outright MWC championship, and a 17–0 victory in the Liberty Bowl
over Southern Miss
. They finished the season ranked #21 in both major polls. He also earned honors as The Sporting News National Coach of the Year, the first Utes' coach to do so.
In his second season as head coach, the Utes repeated as conference champions. They were a high scoring team; they scored 544 total points on the season, which is a team record, and averaged 45.33 points per game. They played key out-of-conference games against Texas A&M
, Arizona
, and North Carolina
, and they won every game by at least two touchdown
s (14 points). After completing an undefeated season, Utah became the first team from a non-automatically qualifying BCS conference to play in a BCS bowl. The Utes played Big East Conference
champion Pittsburgh
in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl
, winning 35–7. The Utes finished the season ranked #4 in the AP poll.
Later that year, Alex Smith, who during the 2003 and 2004 seasons compiled a 21–1 record as a starting quarterback, was drafted #1 by the San Francisco 49ers
in the 2005 NFL Draft
. He became the first player from a college in the state of Utah to ever be drafted first. This culminated in the University of Utah becoming the first school in history to produce two #1 professional draft picks in the same year when Andrew Bogut
became the #1 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft
.
After two years with Utah, Urban Meyer left after the 2005 Fiesta Bowl to coach Florida
. His record at Utah was 22–2 (.917), which is the highest winning percentage among Utah head coaches.
, helping Utah to defeat Pittsburgh.
During Whittingham's first six years as head coach, the Utes were 57–20 (.740) overall and 35–13 (.729) in conference play and have five of their bowl games: the 2005 Emerald Bowl
, the 2006 Armed Forces Bowl
, the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl
, the 2009 Sugar Bowl
, and the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl
. Utah lost the 2010 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas
. Whittingham worked for eleven years as an assistant coach at Utah; the final ten years were as the defensive coordinator. Thus far, in his seventeen years with the program, Utah has compiled a 143–61 record (.701), played in twelve bowl games (winning ten), captured five conference titles, and finished in the Top-10 three times.
In 2008, Utah posted a record of 13–0 on their way to winning the MWC Championship, and they were the only undefeated team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. During the regular season, the Utes beat Michigan
on the road and Oregon State
, TCU
, and BYU at home. Their undefeated 2008 season included an invitation to the 2009 Sugar Bowl
, which made them the first non-BCS school to be invited to a second BCS bowl; Utah won the Sugar Bowl and beat heavily-favored Alabama
by a score of 31–17. Four of the teams Utah beat ended the season in the Coaches' and AP Polls: Oregon State, TCU, BYU, and Alabama. Both TCU and Alabama ended in the Top-10. In the final Coaches' Poll and AP Poll, Utah finished at #4 and #2, respectively, for their highest ranking in each poll ever.
. In 1972, the stadium was rechristened Rice Stadium in honor of Robert L. Rice
who had donated money for a recently completed renovation. Spence Eccles
gave money for the 1998 renovation, which expanded the number of seats to its current capacity of 45,017 and improved the press box, so the university added his last name to the stadium's name.
s. Their 12–4 record gives them a winning percentage of .750, which is the highest in the Football Bowl Subdivision among teams with at least ten bowl appearances. The Utes also lost the 1947 Pineapple Bowl
, which the NCAA did not sanction as a bowl game and counts as a regular season game in official NCAA statistics. They have won twenty-four conference championships in five different conferences during their history,
Utah dominated the early years of the series. From 1922 until 1971, the Utes lost to BYU five times, won 38 times, with four ties. That changed when BYU hired LaVell Edwards
as head coach. From 1972, Edwards' first year as head coach, to 1992, Utah lost to BYU 19 times and won twice. Since 1993, the series has been relatively even. Utah has beaten BYU 12 times and lost seven times. Also, the recent games have tended to be close, with the final score of 14 of the last 19 games being within a touchdown
(seven points) or less.
. The two teams have a long running football series, which, at 109 games, is the twelfth most played rivalry in the nation. Utah leads the series 77–28–4 (.725). Both programs played their first game in history by playing each other on November 25, 1892, a game which Utah State won 12–0. They had played every year since 1944, but the series has taken a two year hiatus for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The teams have 4 more games scheduled from 2012 to 2015. Utah has won the last twelve games and twenty of the last twenty-two games.
maintain a storied rivalry dubbed the "Rumble in the Rockies" that was reignited with the admission of both teams into the Pac-12. Prior to the discontinuance of the rivalry in 1963, the two teams had played each other 57 times beginning in 1903, with Colorado leading the rivalry 30–24–3. This included an upset by Utah in 1962, when Colorado was ranked #8 in the nation. The two teams have discussed creating a trophy to "speed up" the development of the rivalry. In the most recent edition of the Rumble in the Rockies, Colorado defeated Utah 17-14, denying the Utes an opportunity to play for the Pac-12 Championship.
, which was each teams' first bowl game. Utah leads the series 31–17–2 (.640).
's "I Can't Turn You Loose
") while a female fan dances in front of them. The tradition was started by Bubbles, an elderly fan who danced enthusiastically to the song when the band first played it and thereby helped energize the crowd. The crowd so enjoyed the song and Bubbles' performance that is soon became a tradition. After years of doing her dance, Bubbles retired so Crazy Lady took over. Crazy Lady received her nickname from the MUSS, which is the "Mighty Utah Student Section". As the third quarter comes to a close, the MUSS chants for Crazy Lady to do her dance. Crazy Lady finds her nickname "endearing."
department has operated a cannon on the sidelines called Ute Thunder. A few ROTC cadets compose the cannon crew, which is trained to fire the cannon. After each Utah score, the cannon crew fires a 10-gauge shotgun blank. The cannon was built in 1904 and was used during World War I
for training. It was refurbished in 2003 to repair the firing mechanism and wooden wheels.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12) of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles Stadium since 1927. They have won twenty-four conference championships in five different conferences during their history, and have a cumulative record of 621–427–31 (621 wins, 427 losses, and 31 ties).
The Utes have a record of 12–4 (.750) in bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s, which is the highest winning percentage in the nation among teams that have had ten or more bowl appearances.
Among Utah's bowls are two games from the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
(BCS): the Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
and the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
. In the 2005 Fiesta Bowl
2005 Fiesta Bowl
The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a non-BCS conference, and the only BCS bowl to feature a...
, Utah defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
35–7, and in the 2009 Sugar Bowl
2009 Sugar Bowl
The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
, they defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
31–17. During those seasons, Utah was a member of the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
, whose champion does not receive an automatic invitation to a BCS bowl. The Utes were the first team from a conference without an automatic bid to play in a BCS bowl game—colloquially known as being a BCS Buster—and the first BCS Buster to play in a second BCS Bowl.
History
At the start of Utah's football history in 1892, the school did not have a conference affiliation so Utah played as an independent. That changed in 1910 when Utah joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceRocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with some members in Nebraska and New Mexico...
. The Utes have played in five different conferences in their history. As of 2011, Utah football competes in the Pacific-12 Conference (South Division).
Timeline of Utah's conference history:
- 1910–1937: Rocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceRocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceThe Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with some members in Nebraska and New Mexico...
- 1938–1947: Big Seven Conference
- 1948–1961: Skyline Conference
- 1962–1998: Western Athletic ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceThe Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
- 1999–2010: Mountain West ConferenceMountain West ConferenceThe Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
- 2011– Pacific-12 Conference
Beginning of Utah football: 1892–1924
During Utah's first year in 1892, the Utes won one game and lost two, including a loss to future rival Utah StateUtah State Aggies football
The Utah State Aggies are a college football team that competes in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I, representing Utah State University. The Utah State college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Romney Stadium since 1968...
. The first two games were against the local YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, but no one knows when these contests took place. Utah's first game against another college, Utah Agricultural College (now called "Utah State"), was scheduled for Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
, but was postponed one day due to a snow storm. Utah A.C. won 12–0.
Utah did not field a team in 1893, but resumed playing in 1894. One other season in Utah's history has been cancelled: in 1918 Utah did not field a football team due to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Utah had its first sustained success when, in 1904, it hired Joe Maddock
Joe Maddock (coach)
Joseph Herbert Maddock was a college football player and coach. He was an All-Western tackle for the University of Michigan's "Point-a-Minute" football teams from 1902–1903. He also set a Western Conference record in the hammer throw...
to coach football, as well as basketball and track. During his six seasons, he coached the football team to a record of 28–9–1 (.750). The school enthusiastically embraced the former Michigan Wolverine
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
. In 1905, the Galveston Daily News reported, "He has the Mormons all football crazy. He has written here to say that his team now holds the championship of Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and the greater part of Colorado. When he won the hard-fought battle with Colorado College a week ago the Salt Lake City papers said: 'Maddock' is a new way of saying success. The great Michigan tackle has taken boys who never saw a football before and made them the star players of the Rocky Mountain States." In early 1910, Maddock retired from coaching (although he later coached a year at Oregon
Oregon Ducks football
The Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...
.)
Fred Bennion
Fred Bennion
Fred Bennion was a college football coach at Montana State, and Utah. From 1910 to 1913, he coached at Utah, where he compiled a 16–8–3 record. From 1914 to 1917, he coached at Montana State, where he compiled an 11–11–5 record. As a head coach, his overall record stands at 27–15–8...
coached the Utes from 1910 to 1913. 1910 was also Utah's first season as a member of a conference, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with some members in Nebraska and New Mexico...
(RMAC). Bennion finished with a record of 16–8–3 (.648) during his four seasons. Nelson Norgren
Nelson Norgren
Nelson H. Norgren was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. As a coach, he led the University of Utah to a national AAU basketball championship in 1916...
finished with a record of 13–11 (.542) during his coaching years from 1913 to 1917. Utah did not field a team for the 1918 season because of a shortage of players due to World War I. When play resumed in 1919, Thomas Fitzpatrick
Thomas Fitzpatrick (coach)
Thomas M. Fitzpatrick was a basketball and football coach for the University of Utah Utes. From 1917 to 1925, he was the coach of the Utah men's basketball team where his teams had a cumulative record of 42–30 . For the Utah football team, he was coach from 1919 to 1924 and had a cumulative record...
started his football coaching career. He continued as football coach until end of the 1924 season. His teams finished with a record of 23–17–3 (.570). Utah won their first conference championships in these early years, in 1922.
1925–1949: Ike Armstrong era
Ike ArmstrongIke Armstrong
Ike J. Armstrong was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1925 to 1949, compiling a record of 141–55–15...
was originally hired to coach both the mens basketball team and the football team. While he lasted only two years as basketball coach, in football he amassed a record of 141–55–15 (.704) during his twenty-five years as head coach, which places him first among Utah head coaches for total wins. Under Armstrong, Utah won thirteen conference championships, including six in a row from 1928 to 1933 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with some members in Nebraska and New Mexico...
. His teams produced three undefeated and untied seasons (1926, 1929, and 1930) and two more seasons where Utah was undefeated but tied (1928 and 1941).
The 1930 team only allowed 20 points by the opposition all year (2.5 points per game), but scored 340 points (42.5 points per game.) On offense, they averaged 463 yards a game that year, but were unable to find a post season opponent because the only bowl game at that time was the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. Armstrong coached the Utes to their first bowl in the 1939 Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
defeating New Mexico 26–0.
Armstrong also oversaw the opening of Ute Stadium. As the popularity of Utah football grew, Cumming's Field, an 11,000 capacity stadium that was just south of Presidents Circle
University of Utah Circle
The University of Utah Circle, also known as Presidents Circle, is located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as a historic district.-History:...
on campus, no longer met Utah's needs. The stadium was part of a larger trend of universities building larger stadiums during the 1920s. Ute Stadium initially had a 20,000 seat capacity and a cost of $125,000.
After the 1949 season, Armstrong accepted a job at University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
as their athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
. In 1957 Armstrong was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
.
Fifties and Sixties
Under "Cactus" Jack CurticeJack Curtice
Jack C. "Cactus Jack" Curtice was an American football coach. From 1940 to 1941, he served as the head football coach at West Texas A&M, where he compiled a 15–5 record. From 1946 to 1949, he served as the head football coach at UTEP, where he compiled a 24–13–3 record. From 1950 to 1957, he...
, head coach from 1950 to 1957, Utah enjoyed moderate success. During his eight seasons as Utah head coach, the Utes compiled a record of 45–32–4 (.580) and won four conference championships in the Skyline Conference.
In contrast to his predecessor Ike Armstrong, Curtice focused his attention on offense and continually tinkered with his split-T
Split-T
The split-T is an offensive formation in American football that was popular in the 1940s and 50s. Developed by Missouri Tigers head coach Don Faurot as a variation on the T formation, the split-T was first used in the 1941 season and allowed the Tigers to win all but their season-opening match...
offense. His teams are perhaps best known for popularizing the Utah Pass, which is an overhand forward shovel pass of the ball. The play is commonly used today by teams which use a spread offense. Quarterback Lee Grosscup
Lee Grosscup
Clyde Lee Edward Grosscup is a former American football player and broadcaster.-Collegiate career:Grosscup was a quarterback for the Washington Huskies in 1955...
caught the attention of the east coast press when he and the Utes had a close 33–39 loss to top ten program Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
at West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
. Grosscup threw for 316 yards against a tough Army defense in an era where most teams seldom passed the ball. Despite losing, Curtice referred to the game as "The time we beat Army."
After Curtice left to coach Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
, Ray Nagel
Ray Nagel
Raymond Robert "Ray" Nagel is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1958 to 1965 and at the University of Iowa from 1966 to 1970, compiling a career college football record of...
took the helm. He coached for eight seasons from 1958 to 1965 before leaving for Iowa
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
. During his tenure, the Utes had a record of 42–39–1 (.518) and were co-conference champions of the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
in 1964. As a reward, the Utes garnered an invitation to Atlantic City to play in the 1964 Liberty Bowl
1964 Liberty Bowl
The 1964 Liberty Bowl was the first major college football bowl game ever played indoors, the first broadcast nationwide in the United States and the only one ever played in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States...
, which was the first major college football game held indoors. Utah dominated the game against West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers football
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
from start to finish and won by the score of 32–6. Utah finished the season ranked #14 in the Coaches' Poll.
Nagel's replacement, Mike Giddings
Mike Giddings
Mike Giddings is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1966 to 1967, compiling a record of 9–12. Giddings was later the head coach of The Hawaiians of the short-lived World Football League in 1974 and...
posted a record of 9–12 (.429) during the 1966 and 1967 seasons before resigning. Bill Meek
Bill Meek
William M. Meek was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University , the University of Houston , Southern Methodist University , and the University of Utah , compiling a career college football record of 78–88–7.-Early life:Meek was born in...
, coach from 1968 to 1973, failed to substantially improve the Utes, and they went 33–31 (.516) over his six seasons before he was fired.
Seventies and Eighties
Utah replaced Meek with Tom Lovat, who has the lowest winning percentage among coaches of the Utah football program (with the exception of Walter Shoup who only coached one game in 1895.) During his tenure from 1974 to 1976, his teams posted a 5–28 record (.152), and had a 0–6 record against in-state rivals Utah StateUtah State Aggies football
The Utah State Aggies are a college football team that competes in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I, representing Utah State University. The Utah State college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Romney Stadium since 1968...
and Brigham Young (BYU). To make matters worse, these years coincided with the emergence of BYU football under the tutelage of LaVell Edwards
LaVell Edwards
R. LaVell Edwards is a former American football coach of Brigham Young University . With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time...
.
Next in line was Wayne Howard, who coached from 1977 to 1981. He performed substantially better than his predecessor and his Ute teams posted a record of 30–24–2 (.554). Despite a record of 8–2–1 in his final season and being in contention for the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
Championship, Howard resigned at the end of the season. He cited several reasons for leaving, but he particularly disliked the Utah–BYU rivalry.
The Utes lost whatever progress they made under Howard during the Chuck Stobart
Chuck Stobart
-External links:...
years, 1982–1984. During his tenure, the Utes compiled a 16–17–1 record (.485), and saw hated rival BYU earn a National Championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
.
The program regressed further during the Jim Fassel
Jim Fassel
-Professional:-Personal life:Before the 2003 NFL season, Fassel was reunited with a son, John Mathieson, whom he and his wife Kitty gave up for adoption in 1969. The couple was unmarried when he was born....
era from 1985 to 1989, with a 25–33 record (.431). His teams were marked by high scoring offenses and abysmal defenses. In 1989, his final season, the Utes scored 30.42 points per game, but allowed 43.67 points per game. The lone bright spot of his tenure was a 57–28 upset of nationally ranked BYU to end the 1988 season, which was dubbed by Ute fans as The Rice Bowl.
1990–2002: Ron McBride rebuilding
After a twenty-eight year stretch of not playing in a bowl game, Utah football experienced a resurgence in the early 1990s under head coach Ron McBride. After Armstrong, McBride has the most wins for a Utah head coach, compiling a record of 88–63 (.583) and leading the Utes to six bowl games in which the Utes went 3–3. The Utes ended their bowl hiatus by playing Washington StateWashington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football team is the intercollegiate football team of Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference...
in the 1992 Copper Bowl, losing to the Cougars 31–28.
They reached their peak under McBride when they finished the 1994 season ranked #10 in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
and #8 in the Coaches' Poll and recorded a 16–13 victory over Arizona
Arizona Wildcats football
The Arizona Wildcats football team is the football team of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.-Early years:...
in the Freedom Bowl
Freedom Bowl
The Freedom Bowl was an annual post-season college football bowl game played at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, from 1984 to 1994. Beginning with the 1995 season, the Freedom Bowl's WAC tie-ins were merged with that of the Holiday Bowl and the game was dissolved...
. That season, the Utes beat four teams who ended the season ranked: Oregon
Oregon Ducks football
The Oregon Ducks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the Football Bowl Subdivision and is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. Known as the Ducks, the...
, Colorado State
Colorado State Rams football
The Colorado State Rams football program, established in 1893, represents Colorado State University and is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mountain West Conference under head coach Steve Fairchild...
, BYU, and Arizona.
In 1995, Utah was co-champion of the Western Athletic Conference, which was the first time in thirty-one years Utah had been champion or co-champion in football. In 1999, Utah was again co-conference champion, this time in the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
(MWC).
McBride also coached the Utes to a 10–6 victory in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl
2001 Las Vegas Bowl
The 2001 edition to the Las Vegas Bowl was the 10th edition of that annual game. It featured the USC Trojans, and the Utah Utes.The game was dominated by defense. Utah opened the scoring on a 3 yard touchdown run by Adam Tate, leading 7–0. They increased their lead to 10–0 in the second quarter,...
over Southern California, which was quarterbacked by Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
and coached by Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
.
2003–2005: Urban Meyer years
Urban Meyer joined Utah for the 2003 season. In his inaugural season, the Utes showed a knack for winning close games. He implemented the spread offense and with quarterback Alex SmithAlex Smith
Alexander Douglas Smith is a professional American football player and starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Smith was drafted with the 1st-overall pick in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL Draft by San Francisco from the University of Utah...
led Utah to a 10–2 record, an outright MWC championship, and a 17–0 victory in the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
over Southern Miss
Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles football program represents the University of Southern Mississippi in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Eagles are members of Conference USA and player their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi...
. They finished the season ranked #21 in both major polls. He also earned honors as The Sporting News National Coach of the Year, the first Utes' coach to do so.
In his second season as head coach, the Utes repeated as conference champions. They were a high scoring team; they scored 544 total points on the season, which is a team record, and averaged 45.33 points per game. They played key out-of-conference games against Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
, Arizona
Arizona Wildcats football
The Arizona Wildcats football team is the football team of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.-Early years:...
, and North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels football
The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...
, and they won every game by at least two touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s (14 points). After completing an undefeated season, Utah became the first team from a non-automatically qualifying BCS conference to play in a BCS bowl. The Utes played Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
champion Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl
2005 Fiesta Bowl
The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a non-BCS conference, and the only BCS bowl to feature a...
, winning 35–7. The Utes finished the season ranked #4 in the AP poll.
Later that year, Alex Smith, who during the 2003 and 2004 seasons compiled a 21–1 record as a starting quarterback, was drafted #1 by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
. He became the first player from a college in the state of Utah to ever be drafted first. This culminated in the University of Utah becoming the first school in history to produce two #1 professional draft picks in the same year when Andrew Bogut
Andrew Bogut
Andrew Michael Bogut is an Australian professional basketball player. He plays for the Milwaukee Bucks of the United States' National Basketball Association....
became the #1 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft
2005 NBA Draft
The 2005 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 2005 in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues...
.
After two years with Utah, Urban Meyer left after the 2005 Fiesta Bowl to coach Florida
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
. His record at Utah was 22–2 (.917), which is the highest winning percentage among Utah head coaches.
2005–present: Kyle Whittingham
Utah is currently coached by Kyle Whittingham, who was promoted from being defensive coordinator during Utah's undefeated 2004 season. Whittingham served as the co-head coach in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl2005 Fiesta Bowl
The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a non-BCS conference, and the only BCS bowl to feature a...
, helping Utah to defeat Pittsburgh.
During Whittingham's first six years as head coach, the Utes were 57–20 (.740) overall and 35–13 (.729) in conference play and have five of their bowl games: the 2005 Emerald Bowl
2005 Emerald Bowl
The 2005 Emerald Bowl, part of the 2005-06 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on December 29, 2005, at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. It featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the Utah Utes.-Game summary:...
, the 2006 Armed Forces Bowl
2006 Armed Forces Bowl
The 2006 edition to the Armed Forces Bowl, the 4th edition , featured the , and the Utah Utes, both former members of the Western Athletic Conference...
, the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl
2007 Poinsettia Bowl
The 2007 Poinsettia Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Utah Utes on December 20, 2007 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. Utah defeated Navy 35–32 in a game that came down to the final seconds. It was one of 32 games in the...
, the 2009 Sugar Bowl
2009 Sugar Bowl
The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
, and the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl
2009 Poinsettia Bowl
The 2009 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl was the fifth edition of the college football bowl game and was played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The game started at 5 PM US PST on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 on ESPN. The Utah Utes defeated the California Golden Bears...
. Utah lost the 2010 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas
2010 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas
The 2010 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas was an NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS post-season college football bowl game. The game was played Wednesday, December 22, 2010 at 5 p.m. PST at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium near Las Vegas and the broadcast was on ESPN. The game featured Utah against Boise State. -Utah...
. Whittingham worked for eleven years as an assistant coach at Utah; the final ten years were as the defensive coordinator. Thus far, in his seventeen years with the program, Utah has compiled a 143–61 record (.701), played in twelve bowl games (winning ten), captured five conference titles, and finished in the Top-10 three times.
In 2008, Utah posted a record of 13–0 on their way to winning the MWC Championship, and they were the only undefeated team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. During the regular season, the Utes beat Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
on the road and Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
, TCU
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
, and BYU at home. Their undefeated 2008 season included an invitation to the 2009 Sugar Bowl
2009 Sugar Bowl
The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
, which made them the first non-BCS school to be invited to a second BCS bowl; Utah won the Sugar Bowl and beat heavily-favored Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
by a score of 31–17. Four of the teams Utah beat ended the season in the Coaches' and AP Polls: Oregon State, TCU, BYU, and Alabama. Both TCU and Alabama ended in the Top-10. In the final Coaches' Poll and AP Poll, Utah finished at #4 and #2, respectively, for their highest ranking in each poll ever.
Current coaching staff
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Kyle Whittingham Kyle Whittingham Kyle Whittingham is the head football coach of the University of Utah Utes. Prior to becoming the head coach at Utah, Whittingham served as Utah's defensive coordinator for ten seasons. He was named head coach of Utah after Urban Meyer left for the Florida Gators in 2004... |
Head Coach |
| Norm Chow Norm Chow Norman Chow is the offensive coordinator for the Utah Utes, a position he started on January 22, 2011. He previously held the same position with UCLA, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, USC, North Carolina State, and Brigham Young University.... |
Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach |
| Kalani Sitake Kalani Sitake Kalani Sitake is from Nukuʻalofa, Tonga and is currently the defensive coordinator for the University of Utah Utes football team. He played college football as a fullback for Brigham Young and graduated in 2000.-Coaching career:... |
Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach |
| Tim Davis | Offensive Line Coach |
| Jay Hill | Special Teams Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach |
| Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (quarterback) Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009.... |
Quarterbacks Coach |
| Chad Kauha'aha'a | Defensive Line Coach |
| Aaron Roderick Aaron Roderick Aaron Roderick is from Bountiful, Utah and is currently the wide receivers coach for the University of Utah Utes football team. He played college football, as a receiver, at Ricks College and BYU.-Coaching career:... |
Wide Receivers Coach |
| Morgan Scalley | Recruiting Coordinator/Safeties Coach |
| Dave Schramm Dave Schramm (American football) Dave Schramm is from San Diego, California and is currently the running backs coach for the University of Utah Utes football team... |
Running Backs Coach |
Stadium
Utah's home games are played at Rice–Eccles Stadium. In 1998, the university completed a major renovation and gave the stadium its current name. In 1927, Ute Stadium opened with a Utah win over Colorado MinesColorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...
. In 1972, the stadium was rechristened Rice Stadium in honor of Robert L. Rice
Robert L. Rice
Robert L. Rice was a health club pioneer and a philanthropist. Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah, location of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics, bears his name. Rice donated $1 million dollars in 1972 to renovate the stadium, then known as Ute Stadium...
who had donated money for a recently completed renovation. Spence Eccles
Spencer Eccles
Spencer Fox Eccles is a prominent financier and philanthropist in Salt Lake City, Utah and chairman emeritus of the Intermountain Region of Wells Fargo Corporation...
gave money for the 1998 renovation, which expanded the number of seats to its current capacity of 45,017 and improved the press box, so the university added his last name to the stadium's name.
Notable players
Years in parentheses are the years the player lettered in football with Utah.- Jack JohnsonJack Johnson (American football)John "Jack" Denoil Johnson was a professional American football player who played offensive tackle for seven seasons for the Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1970....
(1930–1932) — Pro BowlPro BowlIn professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
offensive tackle - Mac SpeedieMac SpeedieMac Speedie was a football player who starred as a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League for seven years, and later served for two years as head coach of the American Football League's Denver Broncos.-Early life:Speedie was...
(1939–1941) — Pro Bowl wide receiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... - Larry WilsonLarry WilsonLarry Frank Wilson is a former American football free safety who played for the St. Louis Cardinals.Wilson attended Rigby High School, where a plaque now hangs noting his accomplishments...
(1957–1959) — Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
defensive backDefensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of... - George SeifertGeorge SeifertGeorge Seifert is a former NFL head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. Seifert joined the 49ers' coaching staff under Bill Walsh in 1980 as defensive backs coach and served as the team's defensive coordinator from 1983–1988.As a 49er assistant, his defenses finished...
(1959) — two time Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
winning head coach - Dave CostaDave CostaDavid Joseph Costa is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at the University of Utah and in the American Football League with the Oakland Raiders from 1963 through 1965, the Buffalo Bills in 1966, and the Denver Broncos from 1967 through 1969...
(1961–1962) — four time AFLAmerican Football LeagueThe American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
All-ProAll-ProAll-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
defensive tackle - Roy JeffersonRoy JeffersonRoy Lee Jefferson is a former American football wide receiver who played twelve seasons in the National Football League...
(1962–1964) — three time Pro Bowl wide receiver - Bob TrumpyBob TrumpyBob Trumpy is a former professional American Football tight end who played for the American Football League's Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 to 1969, and for the NFL Bengals from 1970 through 1977...
(1966) — Pro Bowl tight endTight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
and color commentatorColor commentatorA color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for NFL broadcasts - Norm ChowNorm ChowNorman Chow is the offensive coordinator for the Utah Utes, a position he started on January 22, 2011. He previously held the same position with UCLA, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, USC, North Carolina State, and Brigham Young University....
(1965–1967) — Broyles AwardBroyles AwardThe Broyles Award is an annual award given to honor the best assistant coach in college football. First awarded in 1996, it was named after former University of Arkansas men's athletic director Frank Broyles...
winner for best assistant coach in college football - Manny FernandezManny Fernandez (American football)Manuel Jose Fernandez is a former American football player of who played eight seasons for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League...
(1965–1967) — 2nd team All-Pro defensive tackle and starter on Miami's No-Name Defense1972 Miami Dolphins seasonThe 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only National Football League team to win the Super Bowl with a perfect season. The undefeated campaign was led by coach Don Shula and notable players Bob Griese, Earl Morrall, and Larry Csonka... - Norm Thompson (1969–1970) — cornerbackCornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
for nine seasons in the NFL - Marv BatemanMarv BatemanMarvin Fredrick Bateman is a former American football punter in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills. He was an All-Pro in the 1976 season as a member of the Bills....
(1969–1971) — 2nd team All Pro punter - Steve OdomSteve OdomSteve Odom is a former American football wide receiver and kick returner in the National Football League who played for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants . He went to the Pro Bowl after the 1975 season.Odom holds the Packers team record for the longest punt return for a touchdown...
(1971–1973) — Pro Bowl wide receiver - Scott Mitchell (1987–1989) — quarterback for eleven seasons in the NFL
- Jamal AndersonJamal AndersonJamal Sharif Anderson is a former American football running back of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played high school football at El Camino Real High School, where he was named to the CIF Los Angeles City Section...
(1992–1993) — All Pro running back for the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
during Super Bowl XXXIIISuper Bowl XXXIIISuper Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played on January 31, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion, following the 1998 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football... - Luther Elliss (1991–1994) — Pro Bowl defensive tackle
- Kevin DysonKevin DysonKevin Tyree Dyson is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Oilers 16th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah....
(1994–1997) — starting wide receiver for the Tennessee TitansTennessee TitansThe Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
during Super Bowl XXXIVSuper Bowl XXXIVSuper Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season... - Mike Anderson (1998–1999) — 2000 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
- Andre DysonAndre DysonAndre Dyson is a former American football cornerback. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah. Currently, he coaches cornerbacks at Weber State, in Ogden, Utah.He is the younger brother of former NFL wide...
(1997–2000) — cornerback with 22 interceptionsInterception (football)An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
in the NFL - Steve Smith (1999–2000) — All-Pro wide receiver with the Carolina PanthersCarolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
- Jordan GrossJordan GrossJordan Alan Gross is an American football offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers eighth overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah.-Early years:...
(1998–2002) — All-Pro offensive tackle with the Carolina Panthers - Alex SmithAlex SmithAlexander Douglas Smith is a professional American football player and starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Smith was drafted with the 1st-overall pick in the 1st round of the 2005 NFL Draft by San Francisco from the University of Utah...
(2002–2004) — first pick of the 2005 NFL Draft2005 NFL DraftThe 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after... - Eric WeddleEric WeddleEric Steven Weddle is an American football safety for the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League.-Early years:...
(2003–2006)— starting free safety with the San Diego ChargersSan Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Brian JohnsonBrian Johnson (quarterback)Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
(2004–2005, 2007–2008) — quarterback with most wins in school history, and current Utes' Quarterbacks coach. - Louie SakodaLouie SakodaLouie Sakoda is a kicker and punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. In college, he played for the Utah Utes...
(2005–2008) — consensus All-American placekickerPlacekickerPlacekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
and All-American punter - Sean SmithSean Smith (cornerback)Sean Smith is an American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
(2006–2008) — Miami Dolphins cornerback and second round pick 2009 draft - Paul KrugerPaul Kruger (American football)Paul Kruger is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah.-Early years:...
(2007–2008) — All-MWCMountain West ConferenceThe Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
defensive lineman, Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
second round draft pick
Achievements
The Utah Utes have played in sixteen officially NCAA sanctioned bowl gameBowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s. Their 12–4 record gives them a winning percentage of .750, which is the highest in the Football Bowl Subdivision among teams with at least ten bowl appearances. The Utes also lost the 1947 Pineapple Bowl
Pineapple Bowl
The Pineapple Bowl is a now-defunct college football bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Honolulu Stadium. Played on New Year's Day except in 1950, the Pineapple Bowl succeeded the Poi Bowl. The inaugural game was played in 1940 and the last game was played in 1952. After the bombing of...
, which the NCAA did not sanction as a bowl game and counts as a regular season game in official NCAA statistics. They have won twenty-four conference championships in five different conferences during their history,
| BOWL HISTORY | FINAL RANKING | |||||||
| Date | Bowl | Score | Coach | AP | Coaches | |||
| January 2, 1939 | Sun Bowl | Utah | 26 | 0 | Ike Armstrong Ike Armstrong Ike J. Armstrong was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1925 to 1949, compiling a record of 141–55–15... |
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| January 1, 1947 | * | 19 | Utah | 16 | Ike Armstrong | |||
| December 19, 1964 | Utah | 32 | 6 | Ray Nagel Ray Nagel Raymond Robert "Ray" Nagel is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1958 to 1965 and at the University of Iowa from 1966 to 1970, compiling a career college football record of... |
** | #14 | ||
| December 29, 1992 | Washington State 1992 Washington State Cougars football team The 1992 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 1992 NCAA college football season.-Regular season:The Cougars non-conference games were against Montana, Fresno State and Temple.... |
31 | Utah 1992 Utah Utes football team The 1992 season, Ron McBride's third with the team, saw the Utes return to postseason play for the first time since the 1964 Liberty Bowl with an appearance in the 1992 Copper Bowl.-Schedule:... |
28 | Ron McBride Ron McBride Ron McBride is the current head coach of Weber State University's football team. Coach "Mac" has over 40 years of coaching experience, including 13 years as head coach at the University of Utah.... |
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| December 30, 1993 | Southern California | 28 | Utah 1993 Utah Utes football team In 1993, the Utes went to a bowl game for the second season in a row. This time it was the where they lost, 28–21, to the USC Trojans. This season also marked a change in the Utah-BYU rivalry, dubbed the Holy War... |
21 | Ron McBride | |||
| December 27, 1994 | Utah 1994 Utah Utes football team The 1994 season was the most successful under McBride's tenure at Utah, with the team going 10–2, beating three ranked teams including a 16–13 win over 15th ranked at the , finishing the season ranked 10th in the AP Poll and 8th in the Coaches Poll.... |
16 | 13 | Ron McBride | #10 | #8 | ||
| December 27, 1996 | Wisconsin 1996 Wisconsin Badgers football team The 1996 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season.-Schedule and results:-Season Summary:... |
38 | Utah 1996 Utah Utes football team The 1996 season started with a loss at , but the team quickly turned things around, winning the next 7 games and climbing to a #20 ranking in the AP Poll. This run came to a crashing halt when the Utes suffered their worst loss in six years to the , giving up 496 yards rushing... |
10 | Ron McBride | |||
| December 18, 1999 | Utah 1999 Utah Utes football team The 1999 season was the inaugural season for the Mountain West Conference, created by 8 teams from the Western Athletic Conference splitting off. The Utes were conference co-champions this season, sharing the title with and .-Schedule:... |
17 | 16 | Ron McBride | ||||
| December 25, 2001 | Utah 2001 Utah Utes football team The Utes went 8–4 in the 2001 season, starting 7–2 before losing the last two conference games. They finished the season with a victory over a Carson Palmer-led USC Trojans team in the 2001 Las Vegas Bowl.-Schedule:-NFL draft:... |
10 | Southern California 2001 USC Trojans football team The 2001 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2001 NCAA Division I-A college football season. It was Pete Carroll's first year as head coach.... |
6 | Ron McBride | |||
| December 31, 2003 | Liberty Bowl 2003 Liberty Bowl The 2003 AXA Liberty Bowl, played on December 31, 2003, was the 45th edition of the Liberty Bowl. The game was played between the Utah Utes, and the , in front of 55,989 fans.... |
Utah 2003 Utah Utes football team The Utah Utes 2003 football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2003-2004. This was Urban Meyer's first year coaching at the school, after being hired from Bowling Green... |
17 | 0 | Urban Meyer Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer, III is an American football coach and former player. He is head football coach at Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011... |
#21 | #21 | |
| January 1, 2005 | Utah 2004 Utah Utes football team The 2004 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2004–2005. This team was the original 'BCS Buster', meaning, this was the first time that a team from a non-BCS conference was invited to play in one of the BCS bowl games. The team, coached by 2nd... |
35 | Pittsburgh 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2004 college football season in which they won a share of The Big East Conference Championship and were awarded with a BCS berth to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :... |
7 | Urban Meyer | #4 | #5 | |
| December 29, 2005 | Utah 2005 Utah Utes football team The 2005 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2005–2006. This was Kyle Whittingham's first year as head coach after having been promoted from defensive coordinator following the departure of Urban Meyer for Florida. Their 4–4 conference record... |
38 | Georgia Tech 2005 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team The 2005 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the college football season of 2005-2006. The team's coach is former Dallas Cowboys, Samford Bulldogs, and Troy Trojans coach Chan Gailey... |
10 | Kyle Whittingham Kyle Whittingham Kyle Whittingham is the head football coach of the University of Utah Utes. Prior to becoming the head coach at Utah, Whittingham served as Utah's defensive coordinator for ten seasons. He was named head coach of Utah after Urban Meyer left for the Florida Gators in 2004... |
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| December 23, 2006 | Utah 2006 Utah Utes football team The 2006 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2006–2007. The team was coached by 2nd year head football coach Kyle Whittingham. The Utes played their homes games in Rice–Eccles Stadium.-Schedule:... |
25 | 13 | Kyle Whittingham | ||||
| December 20, 2007 | Utah 2007 Utah Utes football team The 2007 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2007-2008. The team was coached by 3rd year head football coach Kyle Whittingham... |
35 | Navy | 32 | Kyle Whittingham | |||
| January 2, 2009 | Utah 2008 Utah Utes football team The 2008 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium... |
31 | Alabama 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division... |
17 | Kyle Whittingham | #2 | #4 | |
| December 23, 2009 | Utah 2009 Utah Utes football team The 2009 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, coached by 5th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, played its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.... |
37 | California 2009 California Golden Bears football team The 2009 California Golden Bears football team represented the University of California, Berkeley in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition during the 2009 season... |
27 | Kyle Whittingham | #18 | #18 | |
| December 22, 2010 | Maaco Bowl 2010 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas The 2010 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas was an NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS post-season college football bowl game. The game was played Wednesday, December 22, 2010 at 5 p.m. PST at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium near Las Vegas and the broadcast was on ESPN. The game featured Utah against Boise State. -Utah... |
Boise State 2010 Boise State Broncos football team The 2010 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Broncos were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Petersen and played their home games at Bronco Stadium. They entered the 2010 season with winning streaks of 14 games... |
26 | Utah 2010 Utah Utes football team The 2010 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by sixth year head coach Kyle Whittingham and played their homes game in Rice–Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were members of the Mountain West... |
3 | Kyle Whittingham | #23 | |
| * The Pineapple Bowl was not sanctioned by the NCAA and counts as a regular season game in official statistics ** From 1962 to 1967, the AP only ranked teams in the Top-10 |
||||||||
| Conference Championships | ||
| Conference | Year | Coach |
| Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with some members in Nebraska and New Mexico... |
1922 | Thomas Fitzpatrick Thomas Fitzpatrick (coach) Thomas M. Fitzpatrick was a basketball and football coach for the University of Utah Utes. From 1917 to 1925, he was the coach of the Utah men's basketball team where his teams had a cumulative record of 42–30 . For the Utah football team, he was coach from 1919 to 1924 and had a cumulative record... |
| 1926 | Ike Armstrong Ike Armstrong Ike J. Armstrong was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1925 to 1949, compiling a record of 141–55–15... |
|
| 1928 | Ike Armstrong | |
| 1929 | Ike Armstrong | |
| 1930 | Ike Armstrong | |
| 1931 | Ike Armstrong | |
| 1932 | Ike Armstrong | |
| 1933* | Ike Armstrong | |
| Big Seven Conference | 1938 | Ike Armstrong |
| 1940 | Ike Armstrong | |
| 1941 | Ike Armstrong | |
| 1942* | Ike Armstrong | |
| 1947 | Ike Armstrong | |
| Skyline Conference | 1948 | Ike Armstrong |
| 1951 | Jack Curtice Jack Curtice Jack C. "Cactus Jack" Curtice was an American football coach. From 1940 to 1941, he served as the head football coach at West Texas A&M, where he compiled a 15–5 record. From 1946 to 1949, he served as the head football coach at UTEP, where he compiled a 24–13–3 record. From 1950 to 1957, he... |
|
| 1952 | Jack Curtice | |
| 1953 | Jack Curtice | |
| 1957 | Jack Curtice | |
| Western Athletic Conference Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS... |
1964* | Ray Nagel Ray Nagel Raymond Robert "Ray" Nagel is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1958 to 1965 and at the University of Iowa from 1966 to 1970, compiling a career college football record of... |
| 1995 1995 Utah Utes football team During the 1995 season, the Utes went 7–4 and were conference co-champions, along with , , and . Despite this, the team was not invited to play in a bowl game, after playing postseason ball for three consecutive seasons previously... * |
Ron McBride Ron McBride Ron McBride is the current head coach of Weber State University's football team. Coach "Mac" has over 40 years of coaching experience, including 13 years as head coach at the University of Utah.... |
|
| Mountain West Conference Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999... |
1999 1999 Utah Utes football team The 1999 season was the inaugural season for the Mountain West Conference, created by 8 teams from the Western Athletic Conference splitting off. The Utes were conference co-champions this season, sharing the title with and .-Schedule:... * |
Ron McBride |
| 2003 2003 Utah Utes football team The Utah Utes 2003 football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2003-2004. This was Urban Meyer's first year coaching at the school, after being hired from Bowling Green... |
Urban Meyer Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer, III is an American football coach and former player. He is head football coach at Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011... |
|
| 2004 2004 Utah Utes football team The 2004 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2004–2005. This team was the original 'BCS Buster', meaning, this was the first time that a team from a non-BCS conference was invited to play in one of the BCS bowl games. The team, coached by 2nd... |
Urban Meyer | |
| 2008 2008 Utah Utes football team The 2008 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium... |
Kyle Whittingham Kyle Whittingham Kyle Whittingham is the head football coach of the University of Utah Utes. Prior to becoming the head coach at Utah, Whittingham served as Utah's defensive coordinator for ten seasons. He was named head coach of Utah after Urban Meyer left for the Florida Gators in 2004... |
|
| * Denotes shared championship | ||
The Holy War: BYU
The Holy War specifically refers to the annual football game within the larger Utah–BYU rivalry. Despite its religious overtones, fans and journalists continue to use the name, and it was recognized by SI.com as the #6 best nickname for a rivalry game. Utah leads the all time series against Brigham Young (BYU) 55–34–4 (.609). BYU does not recognize the first six meetings that were held 1896–1898, which the schools split 3–3. BYU argues that because it was then known as Brigham Young Academy those games do not count in the series record. However, BYU recognizes its founding date as October 16, 1875.Utah dominated the early years of the series. From 1922 until 1971, the Utes lost to BYU five times, won 38 times, with four ties. That changed when BYU hired LaVell Edwards
LaVell Edwards
R. LaVell Edwards is a former American football coach of Brigham Young University . With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time...
as head coach. From 1972, Edwards' first year as head coach, to 1992, Utah lost to BYU 19 times and won twice. Since 1993, the series has been relatively even. Utah has beaten BYU 12 times and lost seven times. Also, the recent games have tended to be close, with the final score of 14 of the last 19 games being within a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
(seven points) or less.
Battle of the Brothers: Utah State
The Battle of the Brothers refers to the rivalry between Utah and Utah StateUtah State Aggies football
The Utah State Aggies are a college football team that competes in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I, representing Utah State University. The Utah State college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Romney Stadium since 1968...
. The two teams have a long running football series, which, at 109 games, is the twelfth most played rivalry in the nation. Utah leads the series 77–28–4 (.725). Both programs played their first game in history by playing each other on November 25, 1892, a game which Utah State won 12–0. They had played every year since 1944, but the series has taken a two year hiatus for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The teams have 4 more games scheduled from 2012 to 2015. Utah has won the last twelve games and twenty of the last twenty-two games.
Rumble in the Rockies: Colorado
Despite not having played each other in nearly 50 years prior to the 2011-12 season, Utah and ColoradoUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
maintain a storied rivalry dubbed the "Rumble in the Rockies" that was reignited with the admission of both teams into the Pac-12. Prior to the discontinuance of the rivalry in 1963, the two teams had played each other 57 times beginning in 1903, with Colorado leading the rivalry 30–24–3. This included an upset by Utah in 1962, when Colorado was ranked #8 in the nation. The two teams have discussed creating a trophy to "speed up" the development of the rivalry. In the most recent edition of the Rumble in the Rockies, Colorado defeated Utah 17-14, denying the Utes an opportunity to play for the Pac-12 Championship.
The Bowl: New Mexico
The Bowl is a nickname that fans gave to the annual game between Utah and New Mexico. The name arose at a time when Utah had lost four of the last five meetings against New Mexico. Some Utah fans began to sarcastically refer to the annual matchup as "The Bowl" in the hopes that Utah (who has won most of its bowl games) would defeat New Mexico (who has lost most of its bowl games) on a more frequent basis. The two teams first met on January 2, 1939 in the Sun BowlSun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
, which was each teams' first bowl game. Utah leads the series 31–17–2 (.640).
Traditions
Blues Brothers' theme
At the start of the fourth quarter for each home game, the Utah marching band plays the Blues Brothers (Otis ReddingOtis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
's "I Can't Turn You Loose
I Can't Turn You Loose
"I Can't Turn You Loose" is a song written and first recorded by American soul singer Otis Redding. It was released as the B-side to his 1965 single "Just One More Day"...
") while a female fan dances in front of them. The tradition was started by Bubbles, an elderly fan who danced enthusiastically to the song when the band first played it and thereby helped energize the crowd. The crowd so enjoyed the song and Bubbles' performance that is soon became a tradition. After years of doing her dance, Bubbles retired so Crazy Lady took over. Crazy Lady received her nickname from the MUSS, which is the "Mighty Utah Student Section". As the third quarter comes to a close, the MUSS chants for Crazy Lady to do her dance. Crazy Lady finds her nickname "endearing."
Third Down Jump
When the opposing team is trying to convert a third down, the MUSS and various other fans jump up and down and make as much noise as possible to distract the opposing team. The MUSS dubbed this the Third Down Jump. The closer the opposition is to their goal line, the more frenetic the fans become. In front of the MUSS is a running tally of the number of false starts the opposition has had during the season.Ute Thunder
Since 1968, the University of Utah's Army ROTCReserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
department has operated a cannon on the sidelines called Ute Thunder. A few ROTC cadets compose the cannon crew, which is trained to fire the cannon. After each Utah score, the cannon crew fires a 10-gauge shotgun blank. The cannon was built in 1904 and was used during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
for training. It was refurbished in 2003 to repair the firing mechanism and wooden wheels.