CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Southern Utah Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the SUU Athletics Hall of Fame Committee have announced the 2019 Hall of Fame class to be inducted on October 25 at the annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
The 1999 Men's Cross Country Team, Jack Bishop, Zach Johnson and Cindy Petersen will be honored for their vast contributions to the Thunderbird Athletic Department and Southern Utah University.
"Honoring those that had a major impact on this university and department is one of the most important things we do each year," SUU Director of Athletics Debbie Corum said. "I am so honored that we get to welcome these fantastic individuals back to campus and celebrate everything they did during their time in Cedar City.
1999 Men's Cross Country Team
Southern Utah's 1999 men's cross country team broke down many barriers for the program, as it was the first team under the direction of head coach Eric Houle to qualify for the NCAA National Championships.
After claiming their third-consecutive Summit League Conference Championship, the Thunderbirds won the NCAA Mountain Region title by knocking off No. 3 Colorado and earning a berth to the NCAA's.
The roster boasted a number of high level athletes, including Jody Benson (Summit League Athlete of the Year), Curtis Moore (Athlete of the Week, October 20) and Zach James, who was the program's first-ever National Qualifier in 1998. Benson was also the individual Summit League champion. Dustin Hudspeth, Rod Oslund and Mark Wright were also among the top contributors for the Thunderbirds that season.
At the regional meet in Fort Collins, Moore and Benson finished second and third respectively, with Zachary James placing 10th to pace the Thunderbirds to the historic upset. Colorado was the defending champion of the meet.
The team went on to finish 21st at the NCAA National Championships.
That season Houle was named Summit League Coach of the Year and NCAA Mountain Region Coach of the Year.
"They were some of my first recruits ever, they were the beginning of what has become a very successful program," Houle said. "When you look back and ask what got us where we are today and you consider where we were as a team and as a young DI athletic program, this really opened the door to believe that we could achieve, no matter what we were facing on a daily basis comparatively to those we were competing against."
To this day, that group of Thunderbirds is the only team to ever represent the Summit League in the NCAA DI National Championships. Their miraculous feat was dubbed "The Miracle in the Mountains."
Entering their 2019 campaign, the Thunderbird men's cross country team has qualified for the NCAA National Championship five-consecutive times.
Jack Bishop
Former Thunderbird head football coach Jack Bishop had two different stints leading the program, first from 1979-84 and then again from 1986-96. When his coaching career came to a close he was the winningest coach in the history of the program with 80 victories, which is a mark that has yet to be surpassed.
He served as an assistant coach for two seasons before hand. He started at the university in this role, along with teaching both health and physical education.
"The game of football has changed over the years, but what hasn't changed is the passion and dedication it takes to be a successful coach and to shape the lives of each of the young men you touch during your time leading them," SUU head football coach Demario Warren said. "Jack was one of the very best to ever do it here, and his lasting impact on the program can still be felt to this day."
However, Bishop wasn't just a coach. He wore a number of hats for the university.
From 1991 to 2000 Bishop served as the Athletic Director for the university. He also worked as the Director of Development and Alumni Relations from 1982-86.
Zach Johnson
A lifelong T-Bird, Zach Johnson competed for the university from 2001-05 and was an extremely solid competitor on the collegiate golf circuit.
To this day, Johnson's college stroke average ranks 18th in SUU history, putting him among the best to ever tee it up for the Thunderbirds.
Johnson's impact on the program has been felt since his graduation, however, as he has continued his career in golf he has continued to do so while promoting SUU every opportunity he gets.
In 2018, Johnson made national news as he qualified for the PGA Championship. He has also played in, and won a number of highly competitive golf tournaments since leaving Cedar City. Some of Johnson's other career milestones include winning the 2018 Taylormade National Championship, as well as the 2013 Utah Open.
He currently serves as an Assistant Pro at Davis Park Golf Club here in Utah.
"Zach is the epitome of what a great T-Bird is, both in his time here playing with us and since he's moved on," SUU head golf coach Richard Church said. "He has stayed very involved with the program, he's dedicated his time to growing the game of golf in the state of Utah, along with the fact that he has been and forever will be a T-Bird. I'm very proud of Zach and we can't wait to celebrate him as a member of our Athletics Hall of Fame."
Cindy Petersen
Before the Flippin' Birds were the official nickname of the Southern Utah gymnastics program and they were perennially a top-25 team, student-athletes like Cindy Petersen helped lay the groundwork and build the program to what it is today.
"She was one of the premier gymnasts that changed this program forever," SUU head gymnastics coach Scotty Bauman said. "She came in and set every record in the all-around, and ultimately set the bar for Southern Utah University gymnastics in every way that she could."
Petersen was a member of the gymnastics program from 1985-1989, and had an immediate impact for the program.
She was a multiple time NAIA All-American while competing for SUU Athletics Hall of Famer Kathryn Berg, and the namesake for Southern Utah's softball facility.
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