July 31, 2008

LOGAN, Utah - Three football standouts, two All-American track athletes, one of the best players in men's basketball history and a legendary wrestling coach comprise the latest class of Utah State University's Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame, announced Thursday.

The dinner and induction ceremony for the Hall of Fame's seventh class is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 6.

The inductees include: Bob Carlson, the winningest wrestling coach in school history; Greg Grant, who was Utah State's all-time leading scorer for 22 years; Dave Kragthorpe, one of the greatest offensive linemen to ever wear the Utah State uniform; Tom Larscheid, an outstanding running back and kick returner; Alisa Nicodemus, a long distance runner who earned All-America honors three times; John Pappas, a productive quarterback; and Ralph Roylance, who was the first track athlete in school history to earn All-America honors.

"We are extremely proud of this class and the legacy each of them left at Utah State University," said Utah State Director of Athletics Scott Barnes. "This group joins 43 other outstanding individuals, along with one team, to further ensure the proud tradition of Aggie Athletics."

A total of 50 individuals and one team have now been inducted into the Utah State Athletics Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was founded in 1993 with 12 initial members, followed by eight additions in 1994 and seven in 1995. The addition of any members was stopped until 2006 when five more individuals were added, followed by six recipients in 2007 and four more in 2008 to go along with the first-ever team inducted.

The Hall of Fame Committee made its final selections for this year's class in July. The inductees must fit into one of five categories: student-athlete, coach, team, athletics staff member, or contributor/special achievement. Contributor/special achievement includes individuals who have contributed to the ideal of sports at the University. Each nominee must receive at least 75 percent of the committee's vote to be eligible for induction.

2009 Utah State University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class

BOB CARLSON
Hometown: DuBois, Pa.
Sports: Head Wrestling Coach, Wrestling, Administrator
Years: 1969-1987

Bob Carlson spent 19 years as Utah State's head wrestling coach without enduring one losing season as he guided the Aggies to an impressive 224-75-1 (.748) record and led the program to nine top 20 finishes. During his tenure as USU's head coach, he had 41 student-athletes participate in the NCAA Tournament and 23 win Pacific Coast Athletic Association championships. He began his affiliation with USU as a wrestler during the 1967 and 1968 seasons and competed in the 1968 NCAA Championships, while also serving as the team's co-coach. Prior to his senior season, he was named the team's head coach. Along with being a student-athlete and the winningest wrestling coach in school history, Carlson also spent 12 years as an assistant athletics director for Utah State as a fundraiser. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in 1970 and then earned his master's degree from USU in 1972.

GREG GRANT
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Sport: Men's Basketball
Years: 1983-1986

One of the best players in Aggie basketball history, Greg Grant was Utah State's all-time leading scorer for 22 years (1986-2008) as he accumulated 2,127 career points. At the time, he was one of just two players in school history to score 2,000 career points along with All-American Wayne Estes. As a senior, Grant was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year as he led the league in both points (22.6) and steals (2.4). He was also named first-team all-Big West as a junior as he averaged 19.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, and second-team all-Big West during his freshman and sophomore seasons as he scored 14.7 and 17.4 points during his first two years at USU. During his career, Grant earned Big West Conference Player of the Week honors six times which still ranks tied for first all-time in school history and was a member of the Big West Double Decade Team. Along with being the second-leading scorer in Utah State history, Grant ranks first all-time in steals (226), second in rebounding (1,003), second in field goals made (852), second in field goals attempted (1,604) and seventh in assists (308). Following his collegiate career, Grant was drafted in the sixth round of the 1986 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons.

DAVE KRAGTHORPE
Hometown: Mound, Minn.
Sports: Football, Baseball, Athletics Director, Administrator
Years: 1951-54

One of the greatest offensive linemen to ever wear the Aggie uniform, Dave Kragthorpe was a two-time all-Skyline Conference Eight performer and is a member of Utah State's All-Century team. During his collegiate career, he also spent two seasons as a catcher on USU's baseball team. In addition to being a two-sport athlete, Kragthorpe also excelled in the classroom as he graduated from Utah State with a pair of bachelor's degrees in physical education and recreation education. A short time later he returned and earned his master's degree in secondary education. Kragthorpe has also spent many years in Utah State's Athletics Department, including serving as its athletics director from 1983-84. After graduating from USU, Kragthorpe was drafted in the 16th round of the 1955 NFL Draft, followed by a very successful coaching career.

TOM LARSCHEID
Hometown: Pleasant Hill, Calif.
Sport: Football
Years: 1959-61

One of the most electrifying offensive players Utah State football has ever seen, Tom Larscheid was a great running back and kick returner during the glory days in the early 1960's. A two-time first-team all-Skyline Conference performer and a two-time honorable mention All-American, Larscheid still holds school records for rushing yards per attempt for both a season (8.4 ypc in 1960) and career (7.0). He also still ranks second all-time at Utah State with 40 touchdowns and 248 points scored, which are the most-ever for a non-kicker, and seventh all-time at USU with 2,206 career rushing yards, which was a Skyline Conference record at the time. As a junior in 1960, Larscheid finished second in the nation in rushing with 1,044 yards becoming the first player in Utah State history to reach the 1,000-yard plateau. In 1961, he led the nation in punt returns with an average of 23.4 yards per attempt. During his playing days, Larscheid became just the second player in school history to record a 100-yard receiving game and was just the third player in USU history to notch a 100-yard rushing game. He finished his career with eight 100-yard rushing games and two 100-yard receiving games. Following his collegiate career, he was drafted in the 18th round of the 1962 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, but played professionally for the Vancouver Lions of the Canadian Football League.

ALISA NICODEMUS
Hometown: El Cajon, Calif.
Sport: Cross Country/Track
Years: 1991-93

Alisa Nicodemus is considered the best female cross country and distance runner ever at Utah State and was the first female track athlete in school history to earn All-American honors three times. As a sophomore in 1992, she claimed her first All-American honor by finishing 14th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. As a junior during the 1993 indoor season, she claimed two more All-American honors as she finished third in the mile and fourth in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Nicodemus is still the only female athlete in school history to win an individual cross country championship as she took top honors in both 1992 and 1993 en route to being named the Big West Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Year in back-to-back seasons. She also claimed a conference championship during her junior season winning the 3,000 meters at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Indoor Championships.

JOHN PAPPAS
Hometown: Pittsburg, Calif.
Sports: Football
Years: 1966-68

An athletic player who was labeled as a gifted scrambler, John Pappas served as Utah State's starting quarterback during the final four games of the 1966 season and was the team's top signal caller for every game during the 1967 and '68 campaigns. As a sophomore, Pappas led USU to wins in each of its final four games after the team began the year with a 0-6 record, and he finished his career by leading the Aggies to a 14-5-1 (.725) record. He concluded his career with 30 touchdown passes, which still ranks seventh all-time at Utah State, and threw for 3,606 yards which ranks 10th all-time. During his senior season in 1968, Pappas averaged 16.8 yards per completion, which still ranks as the school record, to go along with 16 touchdown passes.

RALPH ROYLANCE
Hometown: Smithfield, Utah
Sports: Football, Track
Years: 1947-50

Ralph Roylance was the first track athlete in Utah State history to earn All-American honors as he finished third in the javelin at the 1949 NCAA Championships. Along with being a four-year letterwinner on the track team (1947-50), Roylance also spent two seasons playing football for Utah State (1948-49) as a running back on offense and in the secondary on defense. As a running back, he averaged nearly 7.0 yards per carry, which was a school record at the time. Roylance, who graduated from Utah State in 1950 with a degree in business and administration, was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

Previous Inductees By Class:

Class of 2008: Jay Dee Harris (contributor/advisor); MacArthur Lane (football, 1965-67); Chuck Mills (football coach, 1967-72); Max Perry (men's basketball, 1959-61); Kelly Smith (softball, 1984-86, 1988); 1978 National Championship Volleyball Team.

Class of 2007: Ladonna Antoine-Watkins (track, 1994-97); Robert Broughton (football and wrestling, 1963-65); Rulon Jones (football, 1976-79); John Ralston (football coach, 1959-62); Jay Van Noy (baseball and football, 1946-49); Nate Williams (men's basketball, 1970-71).

Class of 2006: Kris Stano Lilly (gymnastics, 1982-83); Marvin Roberts (men's basketball, 1969-71); Al Smith (football, 1984-86); John Clyde Worley (baseball, men's basketball, football, and track, 1917-19); Dr. John Worley (football and track, late 1940's, team physician).

Class of 1995: Tony Adams (football, 1970-72); Jay Don Blake (men's golf, 1980-81); Karolyn Kirby (volleyball, 1979-81); Clark Miller (football, 1960-61); Bill Staley (football, 1965-67); Conley Watts (men's basketball, 1933-34); Glen Worthington (football, men's basketball, and track, 1926-29).

Class of 1994: Ladell Andersen (men's basketball, men's basketball coach, and athletics director, 1949-51, 1961-71, 1973-83); H. Cecil Baker (men's basketball, track, and men's basketball coach, 1922-25, 1950-61); Mark Enyeart (track, 1974-77); Phil Olsen (football, 1967-69); Eddie Peterson (football and track, 1934-36); Len Rohde (football, 1957-59); Elaine Roque (volleyball, 1979); Frank "Buzz" Williams (football, track, wrestling, athletics director, 1942, '46-48, 1964-1973).

Class of 1993: Annette Viola Cottle (volleyball, women's basketball, volleyball coach, 1976-79, 1982-84); Wayne Estes (men's basketball, 1963-65); Mary Lou Ramm Flippen (softball, 1981-83); Fern Gardner (women's basketball, softball, tennis, volleyball, women's basketball coach, softball coach, volleyball coach, 1972-79); Cornell Green (men's basketball, 1960-62); Ralph Maughn (men's basketball, football, track, men's basketball coach, football coach, track coach, 1942-46, 1951-88); George "Doc" Nelson (athletics director and wrestling coach, 1923-58); Merlin Olsen (football, 1959-61); E.L. "Dick" Romney (athletics director, baseball coach, men's basketball coach, football coach, track coach, 1919-49); Kent Ryan (men's basketball, football, track, 1934-37); L. Jay Silvester (track, 1956-59); Elmer "Bear" Ward (football and track, 1932-35).