BCS Crashers!
BCS Crashers!
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
3
YEAR OF THE UTE
Alex Smith was named National Player of the Week by The Sporting News after leading Utah to a 41-21 rout of Texas A&M in game one.
UNDEFEATED! 12-0 Record 12 Wins Sets A New School Record First Unbeaten, Untied Season At Utah Since 1930 7-0 In the Mountain West Conference No. 4 Final Associated Press Ranking No. 5 Final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Ranking
Steve Savoy had 154 receiving yards to help Utah blow past North Carolina, 46-16, in Utah’s first-ever game against an ACC opponent.
4
Eric Weddle and his teammates romped past Colorado State 63-31 before an ESPN2 national television audience.
Defensive tackle Steve Fifita rushed for the game’s last TD in Utah’s 52-21 blowout win over rival BYU.
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
YEAR OF THE UTE
MWC CHAMPIONS Utah 49, Air Force 35 Utah 28, New Mexico 7 Utah 63, UNLV 28 Utah 51, San Diego State 28 Utah 63, Colorado State 31 Utah 45, Wyoming 28 Utah 52, Brigham Young 21 First Back-To-Back MWC Champions (2003-04)
Urban Meyer led Utah to back-to-back MWC Championships for the first time ever in 03-04.
Utah players sang the school fight song, Utah Man, to the MUSS after every game in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The goal posts came down after Utah completed a 7-0 MWC year.
The Utes took this sign in sold-out Rice-Eccles Stadium to heart in the season finale vs. BYU. Lee Corso earned cheers from U fans after picking Utah to beat BYU.
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
5
YEAR OF THE UTE
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit was a big hit at the College GameDay presentation. ESPN College GameDay television and radio were on location in Salt Lake City for two days in late November for the Utah-BYU game and thousands of fans came out to participate.
COLLEGE GAMEDAY ESPN College GameDay came to Salt Lake City on Nov. 20, 2004 Thousands of Utah fans attended the GameDay festivities ESPN televised the Ute victory that secured a historic BCS bid Utah finished 5-0 in nationally televised games (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC)
This sign reflected the sentiments of all Utah fans in 2004. They got what they wished for when Utah made history with its BCS invitation.
The Rice-Eccles Stadium parking lot was packed the morning of November 20 for the ESPN College GameDay show.
6
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
YEAR OF THE UTE
Utah fans packed the tailgate party at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
FIESTA FROLIC Beat Big East Co-Champion Pittsburgh 35-7 Co-Head Coaches Urban Meyer and Kyle Whittingham Alex Smith, Offensive Co-MVP Paris Warren, Offensive Co-MVP Steve Fifita, Defensive MVP MWC champion Utah dominated Big East co-champion PIttsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl, winning 35-7.
Swoop kept the Ute fans lively before and during the game.
The Utes came charging out of the lockerroom (photo on right) and never let up in their Fiesta Bowl victory.
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
7
YEAR OF THE UTE
Alex Smith (seated at the far left and pictured at the right) at the 2004 Heisman Trophy presentation in New York City.
ALEX SMITH • UTE QB No. 1 NFL Draft Pick Heisman Trophy Finalist The Sporting News National Player of the Year Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year FWAA Cingular Wireless/ABC Sports First-Team All-American SI.com First-Team All-American CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year Davey O’Brien Finalist Walter Camp Player of the Year Finalist Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year Fiesta Bowl Co-Offensive Most Valuable Player
Alex Smith accepts jersey No. 1 from NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue after the 49ers made him the first pick of the draft.
Sports Illustrated also recognized Alex Smith as its 2004 National Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. The Fiesta Bowl co-Offensive MVP celebrates Utah’s 35-7 victory over Pittsburgh.
8
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
Alex Smith and 2004 Utah head coach Urban Meyer were honored at the Home Depot Awards Show.
YEAR OF THE UTE ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 JAN. 4, 2005—FINAL No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
Team ........................Record .....Points USC (62) ..................13-0 ............1,622 Auburn (3) ...............13-0 ............1,559 Oklahoma ................12-1 ............1,454 Utah .........................12-0 ............1,438 Texas .......................11-1 ............1,391 Louisville.................11-1 ............1,261 Georgia....................10-2 ............1,204 Iowa .........................10-2 ............ 1,111 California.................10-2 ............1,060 Virginia Tech ...........10-3 ...............996 Miami .......................9-3 .................917 Boise State..............11-1 ...............888 Tennessee ...............10-3 ...............868 Michigan ..................9-3 .................842 Florida State ...........9-3 .................754 LSU ..........................9-3 .................711 Wisconsin ...............9-3 .................482 Texas Tech ..............8-4 .................476 Arizona State ..........9-3 .................463 Ohio State ...............8-4 .................423 Boston College .......9-3 .................314 Fresno State ...........9-3 .................203 Virginia ....................8-4 .................157 Navy.........................10-2 ...............126 Pittsburgh ...............8-4 .................919
ESPN/USA TODAY COACHES TOP 25 JAN. 4, 2005—FINAL No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 24.
Team ....................... Record .....Points USC (61) ................. 13-0 ............1,525 Auburn ................... 13-0 ............1,460 Oklahoma ............... 12-1 ............1,366 Texas ...................... 11-1.............1,324 Utah ........................ 12-0 ............1,300 Georgia................... 10-2 ............1,191 Louisville................ 11-1.............1,166 Iowa ........................ 10-2 ............1,022 California................ 10-2 ...............937 Virginia Tech .......... 10-3 ...............906 Miami ...................... 9-3 .................903 Michigan ................. 9-3 .................802 Boise State............. 11-1................792 Florida State .......... 9-3 .................776 Tennessee .............. 10-3 ...............771 LSU ......................... 9-3 .................693 Texas Tech ............. 8-4 .................478 Wisconsin .............. 9-3 .................449 Ohio State .............. 8-4 .................430 Arizona State ......... 9-3 .................377 Boston College ...... 9-3 .................245 Fresno State .......... 9-32 ...............206 Virginia ................... 8-4 .................157 Navy........................ 10-2 ...............129 Florida .................... 7-5 .................101
UTAH’S 2004 WEEKLY RANKINGS Date 7-30* 8-14* 8-29 9-5 9-12 9-19 9-26 10-3 10-10 10-17 10-24 10-31 11-7 11-14 11-21 11-28 12-5 1-4
AP 20 17 15 14 14 11 11 9 9 7 7 5 5 5 5 4
Coaches BCS 21 19 16 14 14 14 11 10 10 10 8 8 6 6 6 6 5
7 6 6 7 6 6 6 6
Opponent none none Texas A&M Arizona Utah State Air Force New Mexico none North Carolina UNLV San Diego State Colorado State Wyoming Brigham Young none none none Pittsburgh
Result W, 41-21 W, 23-6 W, 48-6 W, 49-35 W, 28-7 W, 46-16 W, 63-28 W, 51-28 W, 63-31 W, 45-28 W, 52-21
W, 35-7
TOP 5 RANKING Ranked Ranked Ranked Ranked
No. 4 in the final Associated Press poll No. 5 in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll every week of the season in both polls all eight weeks in the BCS standings
UTAH’S FINAL 2004 TEAM RANKINGS Category ...........................Avg. ...... MWC .....NCAA Rushing Offense ..............236.1 ..... 2 ............13 Passing Offense ..............263.7 ..... 2 ............19 Pass Efficiency ................173.45 ... 1 ............3 Total Offense ....................499.8 ..... 1 ............3 Scoring Offense ...............45.3 ....... 1 ............3 Rushing Defense .............140.2 ..... 3 ............48 Passing Defense ..............203.2 ..... 2 ............45 Pass Efficiency Defense .108.92 ... 1 ............24 Total Defense ...................343.4 ..... 2 ............39 Scoring Defense ..............19.5 ....... 2 ............22
UTAH’S FINAL 2004 INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS Player, Category ............................ PG ............MWC ..... NCAA Alex Smith, pass efficiency .......... 176.52 ......1 ............ 2 Alex Smith, total offense............... 298.6 ........1 ............ 5 Alex Smith, passing ...................... 246.0 ........1 ............ n/a Morgan Scalley, interceptions ...... 0.50 ..........1 ............ 4 Paris Warren, receptions .............. 6.67 ..........1 ............ 17 Steve Savoy, scoring..................... 8.5 ............1 ............ 18 Paris Warren, receiving yards ...... 89.7 ..........2 ............ 19 Steve Savoy, receptions ............... 5.58 ..........3 ............ 28 Steve Savoy, receiving yards ....... 80.1 ..........5 ............ 29 2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
9
YEAR OF THE UTE If the NCAA compiled a lunar calendar, 2004-05 would go down as the “Year of the Ute.” From the Utah football team’s historic BCS bowl game berth, to the men’s basketball team reaching the NCAA Sweet 16, to Utah becoming the first school in history to produce both the No. 1 NFL and NBA draft in the same year, to the women’s gymnastics and ski teams finishing third at the NCAA Championships, Utah’s accomplishments in 2004-05 collectively rank among the best years in the history of college athletics. The U. was one of six NCAA Division I schools that had both its football and men’s basketball teams claim regular season championships in 2004-05. However, Utah was the only school to also have its women’s basketball team win a regular season conference title. Utah also became one of just 12 schools ever to play in a BCS Bowl game and reach the Sweet 16 in men’s basketball in the same year. But, none of the others can boast of a women’s basketball team that won an NCAA first round game. The Utes’ record-setting year was propelled by national players of the year and No. 1 draft picks in both football and men’s basketball: players who sparked the best combined single-season record in Utah annals at 41-6. Quarterback
Alex Smith was named the national player of the year by Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Center Andrew Bogut made a clean sweep of college basketball’s top honors, including the Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy and the Associated Press Player of the Year award. Thirty-seven years had passed since UCLA, the only other school to produce a national player of the year in football and men’s basketball player in a single season, did so (in 1967-68). And no school had ever done what Utah accomplished on June 28, when Bogut became the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick, matching Smith, who two months earlier was the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick. On April 23, Smith became the highest draft pick in Utah football history, taken No. 1 overall by the San Francisco 49ers. When Bogut was selected No. 1 by the Milwaukee Bucks, Utah became the first school to produce the top selection in both the NFL and NBA drafts in the same year. The Ute football team got the year rolling by chalking up a 12-0 mark and its second consecutive Mountain West Conference title. En route to the best record in school history, Utah became the first non-BCS school to bust the system—garnering a bid to the Fiesta Bowl—where it beat Pittsburgh 35-7. The Utes finished the
season ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press poll and No. 5 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. Also impressive in the fall were the Ute women’s volleyball and women’s soccer teams, which both ranked in the Top 25 and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Volleyball tied for the Mountain West regular season championship, while soccer won the conference tournament. The seasons changed, but nothing much else did around the U. in a year when Ute teams won eight Mountain West regular season and tournament team titles. The men’s basketball team went 29-6 while bringing another MWC title home to Salt Lake City. In the NCAA Tournament, Utah upset Big 12 Conference co-champion Oklahoma to advance to the NCAA regional semifinals. Women’s basketball earned a share of the MWC regular season title and made the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ute ski team finished third at the NCAA Championships, and the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both won their respective MWC regular season championships. Women’s gymnastics was the highlight of the spring, ranking No. 1 for much of the season before placing third at the NCAA Championships.
YEAR OF THE UTE Utah has the No. 1 NFL and NBA draft picks and a National Player of the Year in both football and basketball Alex Smith is the No. 1 NFL draft pick, a Heisman Trophy finalist and a national player of the year Andrew Bogut is the No. 1 NBA draft pick and the consensus National Player of the Year Alex Smith was the first pick in the NFL draft.
Football goes 12-0, wins MWC and Fiesta Bowl, is ranked No. 4 Men’s basketball goes 29-6, wins MWC and makes NCAA Sweet 16 Women’s gymnastics places third at the NCAA Championships Ute ski team places third at the NCAA Championships
Utah’s gymnastics team placed third at the 2005 NCAA Championships.
10
Women’s basketball wins MWC, makes NCAA Second Round
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
Andrew Bogut was the No. 1 NBA draft pick and the consensus National Player of the Year.
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
3
YEAR OF THE UTE
Alex Smith was named National Player of the Week by The Sporting News after leading Utah to a 41-21 rout of Texas A&M in game one.
UNDEFEATED! 12-0 Record 12 Wins Sets A New School Record First Unbeaten, Untied Season At Utah Since 1930 7-0 In the Mountain West Conference No. 4 Final Associated Press Ranking No. 5 Final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Ranking
Steve Savoy had 154 receiving yards to help Utah blow past North Carolina, 46-16, in Utah’s first-ever game against an ACC opponent.
4
Eric Weddle and his teammates romped past Colorado State 63-31 before an ESPN2 national television audience.
Defensive tackle Steve Fifita rushed for the game’s last TD in Utah’s 52-21 blowout win over rival BYU.
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
YEAR OF THE UTE
MWC CHAMPIONS Utah 49, Air Force 35 Utah 28, New Mexico 7 Utah 63, UNLV 28 Utah 51, San Diego State 28 Utah 63, Colorado State 31 Utah 45, Wyoming 28 Utah 52, Brigham Young 21 First Back-To-Back MWC Champions (2003-04)
Urban Meyer led Utah to back-to-back MWC Championships for the first time ever in 03-04.
Utah players sang the school fight song, Utah Man, to the MUSS after every game in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The goal posts came down after Utah completed a 7-0 MWC year.
The Utes took this sign in sold-out Rice-Eccles Stadium to heart in the season finale vs. BYU. Lee Corso earned cheers from U fans after picking Utah to beat BYU.
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
5
YEAR OF THE UTE
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit was a big hit at the College GameDay presentation. ESPN College GameDay television and radio were on location in Salt Lake City for two days in late November for the Utah-BYU game and thousands of fans came out to participate.
COLLEGE GAMEDAY ESPN College GameDay came to Salt Lake City on Nov. 20, 2004 Thousands of Utah fans attended the GameDay festivities ESPN televised the Ute victory that secured a historic BCS bid Utah finished 5-0 in nationally televised games (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC)
This sign reflected the sentiments of all Utah fans in 2004. They got what they wished for when Utah made history with its BCS invitation.
The Rice-Eccles Stadium parking lot was packed the morning of November 20 for the ESPN College GameDay show.
6
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
YEAR OF THE UTE
Utah fans packed the tailgate party at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
FIESTA FROLIC Beat Big East Co-Champion Pittsburgh 35-7 Co-Head Coaches Urban Meyer and Kyle Whittingham Alex Smith, Offensive Co-MVP Paris Warren, Offensive Co-MVP Steve Fifita, Defensive MVP MWC champion Utah dominated Big East co-champion PIttsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl, winning 35-7.
Swoop kept the Ute fans lively before and during the game.
The Utes came charging out of the lockerroom (photo on right) and never let up in their Fiesta Bowl victory.
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
7
YEAR OF THE UTE
Alex Smith (seated at the far left and pictured at the right) at the 2004 Heisman Trophy presentation in New York City.
ALEX SMITH • UTE QB No. 1 NFL Draft Pick Heisman Trophy Finalist The Sporting News National Player of the Year Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year FWAA Cingular Wireless/ABC Sports First-Team All-American SI.com First-Team All-American CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year Davey O’Brien Finalist Walter Camp Player of the Year Finalist Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year Fiesta Bowl Co-Offensive Most Valuable Player
Alex Smith accepts jersey No. 1 from NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue after the 49ers made him the first pick of the draft.
Sports Illustrated also recognized Alex Smith as its 2004 National Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. The Fiesta Bowl co-Offensive MVP celebrates Utah’s 35-7 victory over Pittsburgh.
8
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
Alex Smith and 2004 Utah head coach Urban Meyer were honored at the Home Depot Awards Show.
YEAR OF THE UTE ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 JAN. 4, 2005—FINAL No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
Team ........................Record .....Points USC (62) ..................13-0 ............1,622 Auburn (3) ...............13-0 ............1,559 Oklahoma ................12-1 ............1,454 Utah .........................12-0 ............1,438 Texas .......................11-1 ............1,391 Louisville.................11-1 ............1,261 Georgia....................10-2 ............1,204 Iowa .........................10-2 ............ 1,111 California.................10-2 ............1,060 Virginia Tech ...........10-3 ...............996 Miami .......................9-3 .................917 Boise State..............11-1 ...............888 Tennessee ...............10-3 ...............868 Michigan ..................9-3 .................842 Florida State ...........9-3 .................754 LSU ..........................9-3 .................711 Wisconsin ...............9-3 .................482 Texas Tech ..............8-4 .................476 Arizona State ..........9-3 .................463 Ohio State ...............8-4 .................423 Boston College .......9-3 .................314 Fresno State ...........9-3 .................203 Virginia ....................8-4 .................157 Navy.........................10-2 ...............126 Pittsburgh ...............8-4 .................919
ESPN/USA TODAY COACHES TOP 25 JAN. 4, 2005—FINAL No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 24.
Team ....................... Record .....Points USC (61) ................. 13-0 ............1,525 Auburn ................... 13-0 ............1,460 Oklahoma ............... 12-1 ............1,366 Texas ...................... 11-1.............1,324 Utah ........................ 12-0 ............1,300 Georgia................... 10-2 ............1,191 Louisville................ 11-1.............1,166 Iowa ........................ 10-2 ............1,022 California................ 10-2 ...............937 Virginia Tech .......... 10-3 ...............906 Miami ...................... 9-3 .................903 Michigan ................. 9-3 .................802 Boise State............. 11-1................792 Florida State .......... 9-3 .................776 Tennessee .............. 10-3 ...............771 LSU ......................... 9-3 .................693 Texas Tech ............. 8-4 .................478 Wisconsin .............. 9-3 .................449 Ohio State .............. 8-4 .................430 Arizona State ......... 9-3 .................377 Boston College ...... 9-3 .................245 Fresno State .......... 9-32 ...............206 Virginia ................... 8-4 .................157 Navy........................ 10-2 ...............129 Florida .................... 7-5 .................101
UTAH’S 2004 WEEKLY RANKINGS Date 7-30* 8-14* 8-29 9-5 9-12 9-19 9-26 10-3 10-10 10-17 10-24 10-31 11-7 11-14 11-21 11-28 12-5 1-4
AP 20 17 15 14 14 11 11 9 9 7 7 5 5 5 5 4
Coaches BCS 21 19 16 14 14 14 11 10 10 10 8 8 6 6 6 6 5
7 6 6 7 6 6 6 6
Opponent none none Texas A&M Arizona Utah State Air Force New Mexico none North Carolina UNLV San Diego State Colorado State Wyoming Brigham Young none none none Pittsburgh
Result W, 41-21 W, 23-6 W, 48-6 W, 49-35 W, 28-7 W, 46-16 W, 63-28 W, 51-28 W, 63-31 W, 45-28 W, 52-21
W, 35-7
TOP 5 RANKING Ranked Ranked Ranked Ranked
No. 4 in the final Associated Press poll No. 5 in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll every week of the season in both polls all eight weeks in the BCS standings
UTAH’S FINAL 2004 TEAM RANKINGS Category ...........................Avg. ...... MWC .....NCAA Rushing Offense ..............236.1 ..... 2 ............13 Passing Offense ..............263.7 ..... 2 ............19 Pass Efficiency ................173.45 ... 1 ............3 Total Offense ....................499.8 ..... 1 ............3 Scoring Offense ...............45.3 ....... 1 ............3 Rushing Defense .............140.2 ..... 3 ............48 Passing Defense ..............203.2 ..... 2 ............45 Pass Efficiency Defense .108.92 ... 1 ............24 Total Defense ...................343.4 ..... 2 ............39 Scoring Defense ..............19.5 ....... 2 ............22
UTAH’S FINAL 2004 INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS Player, Category ............................ PG ............MWC ..... NCAA Alex Smith, pass efficiency .......... 176.52 ......1 ............ 2 Alex Smith, total offense............... 298.6 ........1 ............ 5 Alex Smith, passing ...................... 246.0 ........1 ............ n/a Morgan Scalley, interceptions ...... 0.50 ..........1 ............ 4 Paris Warren, receptions .............. 6.67 ..........1 ............ 17 Steve Savoy, scoring..................... 8.5 ............1 ............ 18 Paris Warren, receiving yards ...... 89.7 ..........2 ............ 19 Steve Savoy, receptions ............... 5.58 ..........3 ............ 28 Steve Savoy, receiving yards ....... 80.1 ..........5 ............ 29 2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
9
YEAR OF THE UTE If the NCAA compiled a lunar calendar, 2004-05 would go down as the “Year of the Ute.” From the Utah football team’s historic BCS bowl game berth, to the men’s basketball team reaching the NCAA Sweet 16, to Utah becoming the first school in history to produce both the No. 1 NFL and NBA draft in the same year, to the women’s gymnastics and ski teams finishing third at the NCAA Championships, Utah’s accomplishments in 2004-05 collectively rank among the best years in the history of college athletics. The U. was one of six NCAA Division I schools that had both its football and men’s basketball teams claim regular season championships in 2004-05. However, Utah was the only school to also have its women’s basketball team win a regular season conference title. Utah also became one of just 12 schools ever to play in a BCS Bowl game and reach the Sweet 16 in men’s basketball in the same year. But, none of the others can boast of a women’s basketball team that won an NCAA first round game. The Utes’ record-setting year was propelled by national players of the year and No. 1 draft picks in both football and men’s basketball: players who sparked the best combined single-season record in Utah annals at 41-6. Quarterback
Alex Smith was named the national player of the year by Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Center Andrew Bogut made a clean sweep of college basketball’s top honors, including the Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy and the Associated Press Player of the Year award. Thirty-seven years had passed since UCLA, the only other school to produce a national player of the year in football and men’s basketball player in a single season, did so (in 1967-68). And no school had ever done what Utah accomplished on June 28, when Bogut became the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick, matching Smith, who two months earlier was the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick. On April 23, Smith became the highest draft pick in Utah football history, taken No. 1 overall by the San Francisco 49ers. When Bogut was selected No. 1 by the Milwaukee Bucks, Utah became the first school to produce the top selection in both the NFL and NBA drafts in the same year. The Ute football team got the year rolling by chalking up a 12-0 mark and its second consecutive Mountain West Conference title. En route to the best record in school history, Utah became the first non-BCS school to bust the system—garnering a bid to the Fiesta Bowl—where it beat Pittsburgh 35-7. The Utes finished the
season ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press poll and No. 5 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. Also impressive in the fall were the Ute women’s volleyball and women’s soccer teams, which both ranked in the Top 25 and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Volleyball tied for the Mountain West regular season championship, while soccer won the conference tournament. The seasons changed, but nothing much else did around the U. in a year when Ute teams won eight Mountain West regular season and tournament team titles. The men’s basketball team went 29-6 while bringing another MWC title home to Salt Lake City. In the NCAA Tournament, Utah upset Big 12 Conference co-champion Oklahoma to advance to the NCAA regional semifinals. Women’s basketball earned a share of the MWC regular season title and made the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ute ski team finished third at the NCAA Championships, and the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both won their respective MWC regular season championships. Women’s gymnastics was the highlight of the spring, ranking No. 1 for much of the season before placing third at the NCAA Championships.
YEAR OF THE UTE Utah has the No. 1 NFL and NBA draft picks and a National Player of the Year in both football and basketball Alex Smith is the No. 1 NFL draft pick, a Heisman Trophy finalist and a national player of the year Andrew Bogut is the No. 1 NBA draft pick and the consensus National Player of the Year Alex Smith was the first pick in the NFL draft.
Football goes 12-0, wins MWC and Fiesta Bowl, is ranked No. 4 Men’s basketball goes 29-6, wins MWC and makes NCAA Sweet 16 Women’s gymnastics places third at the NCAA Championships Ute ski team places third at the NCAA Championships
Utah’s gymnastics team placed third at the 2005 NCAA Championships.
10
Women’s basketball wins MWC, makes NCAA Second Round
2005 UTAH FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE • WWW.UTAHUTES.COM
Andrew Bogut was the No. 1 NBA draft pick and the consensus National Player of the Year.
