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The University of Utah Athletics
Former A.D. Chris Hill to Enter Utah Sports Hall of Fame
10/14/2019 8:00 AM | General
Hill retired in 2018 after 31 years leading the Utah athletics department
Former Utah Director of Athletics Chris Hill is set to join the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Monday night at the organization's annual induction banquet. Hill, who retired in 2018 after 31 years leading Utes Athletics, is one of six members of the Hall's Class of 2019, joining U.S. Olympic skeleton great Jim Shea, bobsledder Shauna Rohbock, distance swimming legends Richard and David Barnes, and longtime Utah State athletics donor Jim Laub.
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Festivities begin at 6 p.m., with the banquet commencing at 7 p.m., at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. Hill joins 57 former University of Utah athletes, coaches or administrators previously enshrined in the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, dating back to the initial class in 1970.
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Hill was the longest actively tenured athletics director at the same school in the NCAA FBS when he retired. He began his tenure at the helm of the Utes at just 37 years of age in 1987, and compiled an impressive legacy of accomplishments, perhaps none larger than positioning Utah for the invitation to join the ranks of the "power five" in 2011 as a member of the Pac-12 Conference.
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A New Jersey native and former Rutgers' basketball player, Hill came to Salt Lake City in 1973 as a graduate assistant basketball coach on Bill Foster's staff. He coached high school basketball for four years at Salt Lake's Granger High School before returning to the U. as an assistant coach under Jerry Pimm for two seasons (1979-81). While coaching, he earned a master's in education (1974) and a Ph.D. in educational administration (1982) from Utah. His bachelor's degree from Rutgers was in math education.
After leaving coaching for a position as executive director of United Cerebral Palsy of Utah, Hill remained connected with the University by teaching in the U.'s special education department. He returned to athletics as the Crimson Club director in 1985—spending two years in the position before his promotion to director of athletics in October of 1987. A lifelong advocate for improving the experience of the student-athlete, Hill also prioritized hiring and retaining top coaches and upgrading facilities in his efforts to make Utah a viable power five option.
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While dedicated to maintaining the school's established reputation in basketball, gymnastics and skiing, Hill immediately set about redefining Utah football, which had just two bowl appearances (the last in 1964) prior to his ascension to director of athletics. Under coaches hired by Hill, the Utes have played in 20 bowl games with a 15-5 record. In 2004, Utah football was the original "BCS Buster" when it went 12-0 under coach Urban Meyer and became the first school from a non-power five conference to play in the Bowl Championship Series (now the College Football Playoff). In 2008, the Kyle Whittingham-coached Utes finished with a No. 2 national ranking in a 13-0 season that culminated with a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
Meyer (2004) and Whittingham (2008) both earned National Coach of the Year honors as did another Hill hire—men's basketball coach Rick Majerus in 1998. Utah's other sports also attained conference and national prominence during Hill's term with four Pac-12 championships—three by gymnastics and one by baseball—and shared the South Division championship in football in 2015. The gymnastics and ski teams combined for 10 national championships and 14 NCAA runner-up finishes while qualifying into the NCAA Championships every year, and gymnastics advanced to the Super Six 20 times.
The men's and women's basketball teams both reached the NCAA Tournament 15 times with Hill as the athletics director. The men's basketball team, which played in the 1998 NCAA Championship game, had six Sweet 16 and two Elite Eight finishes, while the women's team advanced to the Sweet 16 twice and the Elite Eight once. Volleyball and softball qualified into the NCAA Tournament 14 times each, with volleyball making three Sweet 16 appearances and softball making the Super Regionals in 2016 and 2017. Women's soccer, which has played in the NCAA Tournament seven times, was one of two varsity sports added by Hill, followed by men's lacrosse in 2018-19.
With Hill as the driving force, 17 new intercollegiate athletics facilities opened on campus during his tenure, including Rice-Eccles Stadium (1998), Burbidge Athletics Academic Center (2001), McCarthey Family Track & Field (2010), Dumke Family Softball Stadium (2013), Spence & Cleone Eccles Football Center (2013), Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Basketball Center (2015) and Spence Eccles Ski Building (2017). In addition, studies for the recently announced expansion and renovation of Rice-Eccles Stadium's south end zone began with Hill's guidance.
On an administrative front, Hill achieved national prominence and served on several boards, including the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee (2004-09), chair of the NCAA Championships/Competition Cabinet (1997-98) and the NCAA Management Council Administrative Committee. He was on NACDA's executive committee from 2002-06. He received a number of awards—including the 2011 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) West Region Athletic Director of the Year—and was a finalist for the 2011 Athletic Director of the Year by SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily.
Hill was inducted into the Jersey Shore Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2001, the National Consortium for Academics and Sports awarded him its Degree Completion and Outreach and Community Service Honor Award.
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Festivities begin at 6 p.m., with the banquet commencing at 7 p.m., at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. Hill joins 57 former University of Utah athletes, coaches or administrators previously enshrined in the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, dating back to the initial class in 1970.
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Hill was the longest actively tenured athletics director at the same school in the NCAA FBS when he retired. He began his tenure at the helm of the Utes at just 37 years of age in 1987, and compiled an impressive legacy of accomplishments, perhaps none larger than positioning Utah for the invitation to join the ranks of the "power five" in 2011 as a member of the Pac-12 Conference.
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A New Jersey native and former Rutgers' basketball player, Hill came to Salt Lake City in 1973 as a graduate assistant basketball coach on Bill Foster's staff. He coached high school basketball for four years at Salt Lake's Granger High School before returning to the U. as an assistant coach under Jerry Pimm for two seasons (1979-81). While coaching, he earned a master's in education (1974) and a Ph.D. in educational administration (1982) from Utah. His bachelor's degree from Rutgers was in math education.
After leaving coaching for a position as executive director of United Cerebral Palsy of Utah, Hill remained connected with the University by teaching in the U.'s special education department. He returned to athletics as the Crimson Club director in 1985—spending two years in the position before his promotion to director of athletics in October of 1987. A lifelong advocate for improving the experience of the student-athlete, Hill also prioritized hiring and retaining top coaches and upgrading facilities in his efforts to make Utah a viable power five option.
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While dedicated to maintaining the school's established reputation in basketball, gymnastics and skiing, Hill immediately set about redefining Utah football, which had just two bowl appearances (the last in 1964) prior to his ascension to director of athletics. Under coaches hired by Hill, the Utes have played in 20 bowl games with a 15-5 record. In 2004, Utah football was the original "BCS Buster" when it went 12-0 under coach Urban Meyer and became the first school from a non-power five conference to play in the Bowl Championship Series (now the College Football Playoff). In 2008, the Kyle Whittingham-coached Utes finished with a No. 2 national ranking in a 13-0 season that culminated with a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
Meyer (2004) and Whittingham (2008) both earned National Coach of the Year honors as did another Hill hire—men's basketball coach Rick Majerus in 1998. Utah's other sports also attained conference and national prominence during Hill's term with four Pac-12 championships—three by gymnastics and one by baseball—and shared the South Division championship in football in 2015. The gymnastics and ski teams combined for 10 national championships and 14 NCAA runner-up finishes while qualifying into the NCAA Championships every year, and gymnastics advanced to the Super Six 20 times.
The men's and women's basketball teams both reached the NCAA Tournament 15 times with Hill as the athletics director. The men's basketball team, which played in the 1998 NCAA Championship game, had six Sweet 16 and two Elite Eight finishes, while the women's team advanced to the Sweet 16 twice and the Elite Eight once. Volleyball and softball qualified into the NCAA Tournament 14 times each, with volleyball making three Sweet 16 appearances and softball making the Super Regionals in 2016 and 2017. Women's soccer, which has played in the NCAA Tournament seven times, was one of two varsity sports added by Hill, followed by men's lacrosse in 2018-19.
With Hill as the driving force, 17 new intercollegiate athletics facilities opened on campus during his tenure, including Rice-Eccles Stadium (1998), Burbidge Athletics Academic Center (2001), McCarthey Family Track & Field (2010), Dumke Family Softball Stadium (2013), Spence & Cleone Eccles Football Center (2013), Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Basketball Center (2015) and Spence Eccles Ski Building (2017). In addition, studies for the recently announced expansion and renovation of Rice-Eccles Stadium's south end zone began with Hill's guidance.
On an administrative front, Hill achieved national prominence and served on several boards, including the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee (2004-09), chair of the NCAA Championships/Competition Cabinet (1997-98) and the NCAA Management Council Administrative Committee. He was on NACDA's executive committee from 2002-06. He received a number of awards—including the 2011 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) West Region Athletic Director of the Year—and was a finalist for the 2011 Athletic Director of the Year by SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily.
Hill was inducted into the Jersey Shore Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2001, the National Consortium for Academics and Sports awarded him its Degree Completion and Outreach and Community Service Honor Award.
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