Wildcat Chronicle

2015 Hall of Fame Wildcat Club Member Spotlight: The WSU Wildcat Club was pleased to announce Gretta Ericksen this year’s 2015 Hall of Gretta Ericksen bleeds purple. She Fame class. This year’s has been a member of the Wildcat Hall of Fame inductees Club for over 50 years. are: Dave Arslanian Her late husband, Earl Ericksen, (head football coach), was a music teacher at Weber State. Jermaine Boyette (men’s ), Jeff Carlson tickets in the Swenson Gym. When (football), Tenille Howe theThe Dee couple Events first had season was built basketball Earl Slack (women’s golf) and picked his seats carefully. Stephanie Stanger Hale “I swear he sat in over half of the (women’s basketball). The arena before he picked the seats he inductees were honored at wanted,” Gretta said. “We have those a banquet on February 27. same exact seats still today.” Dave Arslanian Gretta will turn 90 on March 10. Coach Dave Arslanian Since the passing of her husband, she has been a part of the Above: Inductees Dave Arslanian, Jermaine Boyette, Tenille Howe Slack, Stephanie rarely misses a Weber State men’s bas- Weber State community Stanger Hale and Jeff Carlson pose for a picture at the Hall of Fame banquet. ketball game and attends the games since 1969 when he played with her son, Steven. for the Wildcat football team. school history. He threw for 47 touchdowns in his career with the In all her time as a Wildcat fan, He later returned for 16 years as a coach at Weber State Wildcats, still third most in school history. her favorite memory was watching with nine seasons as the head coach where he became Following his Wildcat career, Carlson was drafted in the fourth her nephew Jim Ericksen play for the the school’s all-time leader in victories. round of the NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, which was the Wildcats from 1975-77 with Wildcat In 1989, Arslanian became the head coach of the Wild- highest a Big Sky quarterback had ever been drafted. He played four great Al Dewitt. cats and over the next nine years would lead Weber State seasons in the NFL with Tampa Bay, New England and Denver. She is proud to say that both of her to 53 wins, still the most victories in school history. Tenille Howe Slack children and her three grandsons have As head coach of the Wildcats, he coached 38 players Tenille Howe Slack was a four-year member of the Weber State all graduated from Weber State. She is to All-Big Sky honors. He also coached four players who women’s golf team and made history by becoming the first Wildcat proud to be a Wildcat and to donate to were drafted in the NFL including Tau Pupua, Cam Quayle to win a Big Sky title and led the ‘Cats to their first ever conference the Wildcat Club Athletic fund. and Scott Shields. championship. Jermaine Boyette She is still the only Wildcat to ever win the Big Sky title. She was Jermaine Boyette was a three-year standout for the Weber named the Player of the Year that season, the only State men’s basketball team and still ranks as one of the top Wildcat to ever win the award. players in school history. Howe also had a strong amateur golf career and captured the Boyette came to Weber State from the tough streets of 2000 Utah State Women’s Amateur Championship at the Logan Golf Hammond, Ind., a suburb of Chicago. After leading the Ham- and Country Club. She also advanced to the top 16 of match play at mond High School Wildcats, he signed to play for the Weber the U.S. Public Links Tournament in 2000 and qualified for the U.S. State Wildcats and head coach Joe Cravens. He then came to Women’s Amateur in 2000. Weber State where he sat out the 1999-00 season as a red shirt Howe married Rob Slack in 2004. The couple has four children before beginning his three-year career with the Wildcats. and lives in Lehi. His crowning season came as a senior in 2002-03 when Stephanie Stanger Hale he guided the Wildcats to one of their best years in school Stephanie Stanger Hale was a four-year standout for the Weber history. He again led the Big Sky in scoring, this time at 20.5 State women’s basketball team and helped lead the Wildcats to their points per game and earned Big Sky MVP honors. He guided first Big Sky Conference title and trip to the NCAA Tournament. She the Wildcats to a perfect 14-0 regular season record in 2003, also became the first Big Sky MVP in Weber State history. just the second team in Big Sky history to post an undefeated Stanger played four seasons for head coach Carla Taylor and the conference record. The Wildcats also captured the Big Sky Wildcats from 1998-2002. She led the Wildcats to a 21-9 record that Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament where season, including an 11-3 record in Big Sky play. It marked Weber the winning streak ended with an 81-74 loss to Wisconsin. State’s first ever Big Sky Conference title and WSU advanced to the He finished his career as Weber State’s career leader in free NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. She was throws made. He currently ranks fourth in school history in named the Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player, the first Wildcat scoring with 1,613 points in his 85 career games. to ever earn the honor. Jeff Carlson She still ranks 13th in scoring in Weber State history, totaling 1,126 Jeff Carlson was a four-year standout quarterback for the points in her 115 career games. Stanger is the Weber State all-time Above: Gretta Eriksen stands for Weber State football team from 1984-88 and helped lead the leader in free throw percentage at .842 for her career. Stanger gradu- the National Anthem at a Weber ated from Weber State in 2003 with a degree in Secondary Education Wildcats to one of their best seasons in school history. State men’s basketball game. Erik- and spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Wildcats under Carlson ended his career as Weber State’s career leader sen has been a long time Wildcat fan in passing yards with 6,147 yards, which now ranks third in Coach Taylor. In 2003, she married former Weber State football player Mike Hale. and truly bleeds purple. Sojourner’s jersey retired On Saturday, Jan. 10, Weber State retired the jersey of for- mer men’s basketball standout Willie Sojourner, making him - ball player with a jersey retired. theSojourner, first Wildcat who men’s played basket three years at Weber State from 1968- 71, still ranks as one of the best players in school and Big Sky history. In his three sea- sons with the Wildcats, he led Weber State to three-straight Big Sky Conference titles and three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. He still ranks as WSU’s season. He earned First Team career leader in rebounding and Big Sky All-Conference honors is the Big Sky’s career leader in each season, one of five Wildcats rebounding average at 14.1 per to ever earn First Team honors three times. He still ranks first in in WSU history. In 2013, he was Weber State and Big Sky history namedgame. He one is ofalso the fifth top in 50 scoring male in career rebounding average at athletes in Big Sky Conference 14.1 per game. He is also Weber history. State’s career leader and is second Sojourner came to Weber in conference history in career State out of Philadelphia where rebounds with 1,143. He still he was a multi-sport star at holds the school record with 25 Germantown High School. He rebounds in one game. He is also arrived in Ogden for the 1967- fifth in school history in scoring 68 season under head coach with 1,563 points and is sixth in but freshmen were scoring average at 19.3 points per not allowed to play varsity bas- game. In his three seasons, the ketball at the time so he played Wildcats posted a 68-16 overall Wildcat track and field team and sional career with Dr. J., Julius that season with the Wildcat record and were 39-5 in Big Sky won three-straight Big Sky titles Erving. freshman team. Conference games. in the high jump. In 1970, he be- He decided to continue his For his career, Sojourner Sojourner was not only a star came Weber State’s first Division professional career overseas and played in 81 career games at on the basketball court at Weber I All-American in any sport as went to Italy where he ended up Weber State and led the team in State. He was a member of the he earned All-American honors spending the majority of the rest scoring and rebounding each by finishing third at the NCAA of his life. He played six more Championship in the high jump. seasons professionally in Italy He was also the first Wildcat to and had his number retired by his ever reach the seven foot mark in team in . He later returned the high jump. twice to Italy as a coach. In 2005, Following his Weber State while serving as the coach in Rieti, career, Sojourner was drafted with Sojourner was killed in a tragic the eighth pick of the 1971 ABA one-car accident at the age of 57. Draft by the . He “We are thrilled to honor was also drafted in the second Willie Sojourner as the first Weber round (20th overall) in the NBA State men’s basketball player to Draft by the . He have his jersey retired,” said Jerry went on to play four years in Bovee, WSU Director of Athletics. the ABA, two with Virginia and “Willie was a terrific student-ath- two with the New York Nets. He lete and was a major part in help- played in 309 career games in the ing put Weber State basketball on ABA, the most games played by the map across the nation. He is any Wildcat in the ABA or NBA. certainly deserving of this honor.” He played the bulk of his profes- A message from Jerry Bovee A few to continue and support and promote his school. are performing well academically and that our weeks ago, It was another example to me of the effect students are in line to graduate at a high rate. I had the that our student-athletes can have in the world. The strong culture of our athletic department opportunity Obviously Damian is an anomaly in what he has was strengthened this fall when we welcomed to attend the accomplished on a global scale but there are many Coach Jeremiah Larsen as the new head coach of Utah Jazz of our former student-athletes that are doing the Wildcat volleyball program. Larsen comes to game against amazing things in their own industries. It is a con- Weber State after a strong career as an assistant the Portland stant reminder that the outcomes of intercollegiate coach, including the last four as an assistant at Trailblazers. Athletics are far-reaching. They are meaningful Utah State. Has already made an impact on our It is always beyond the day-to-day operation of the depart- student-athletes and is a great addition to our head fun to see ment and the games or competitions we compete coaching pool. how the in during our seasons each year. There continues to be much by way of national people of This has been a challenging year in our winter news on current topics such as cost of attendance, Utah continue freshman eligibility and multi-year schol- to accept and will occur because the culture of our arships. While our staff is con- welcome Webersports butState I’m University confident Athletics that improvement stantly tracking on all the NCAA Damian programs is strong and vibrant. “We have great legislation and the ongoing Lillard back to town. At halftime, I was out in the We have great coaches, coaches, discussion as to the state of tunnel area under Energy Solutions Arena and met student-athletes and staff intercollegiate athletics, we the owner of the Trailblazers, Paul Allen. We had members that are commit- student- are continuing to build a brief but pleasant conversation about the impact ted to providing the best to athletes and our program in a respon- that Damian has had in Portland and with his fran- our local community. staff members sible and measured fash- chise. He was so complimentary of what Damian An example of this that are ion. Truly the only thing has brought to the organization. His comment to occurred during the fall of constant in this industry me was, “As an owner of an NFL and NBA team, I the 2014 season as Weber committed to is change and those who am very fortunate to have two of the best quar- State had 48 athletes earn providing the best are willing to embrace it terbacks to run my teams in Russell Wilson and Big Sky All-Academic hon- to our local and grow accordingly will Damian Lillard.” ors. Of that number 17 were from football, 10 in volleyball, community.” your continued support, Go personalities of the Blazers, Mike Barrett and Mike 10 from soccer, six in men’s cross Wildcats!find success. Thanks for Rice.I also They visited could briefly not say at enough halftime positive with the things TV about Damian. Rice pulled me aside and said that country. We are proud of their efforts and he had recently asked Damian why he had de- hopecountry to seeand that five numberin women’s grow cross in the future. We signed purple shoes as part of his Adidas line and currently have no teams below the 930 NCAA APR he said that Damian was quick to reply that he had benchmark which indicates in real time that we Student Athlete spotlights women’s track: men’s Track: Jamie Stokes Trevor Ricks faster than her previous time set seasons. just two weeks earlier. That time Ricks earned 2014 All-Confer- is the fastest in the conference ence honors by placing ninth at Big Sky Championships covering the has the fourth-fastest time in the 8,000 meter course in 24:28.1. He conferenceby nearly five for seconds. the 800-meters She also this placed 28th at the NCAA Mountain Region cross country champion- season. ships covering a 10,000 meter She’s been on the Big Sky course in 30:35.5. All-Conference Cross Country Ricks was named the 2014 team two years in a row. - This year, Stokes has been cats. He is earning his Bachelor’s named the Big Sky Athlete of the ofIndoor Integrated team ScienceMVP for degree the Wild and Week on two seperate occasions has earned Big Sky All-Academic for her performances during the honors two years in a row. indoor track season. At the Big Sky At the Big Sky Indoor Track Jamie Stokes, a junior from Indoor Track championship meet, Trevor Ricks, a senior from Ogden, Utah, recently broke her Stokes earned All-Conference Alpine, Wyoming, a four year in sixth place in the mile and ran own school record in the mile-run honors by winning the mile and letterman in cross country and he anchorChampionship in the distance meet Ricks medley finished and at the Husky Classic. Her time was all-conference and all-state took second. of 4:43.12 was nearly a second Big Sky title. his sophomore, junior and senior earned her first career individual