Alex Smith first to be inducted into the ring of honor

[ProudUte]

Ring of honor

Couldn’t happen to a better man. Quote from Alex:

“Utah football has always been and will always be a part of my family and I, and having the honor to be a permanent part of Rice-Eccles Stadium is something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Smith said in a statement. “A Utah Man Am I forever.”

He is a great advocate for Utah football.

[Tony (admin)]

Love it.

[NashvilleUte]

Great read! So many memories from 2004!

The Fiesta Bowl year was my last year at the U before I graduated. That last year, I attended all the home games and two of the road games (Utah State & SDSU) as well as the Fiesta Bowl. Those were the early days of the MUSS too and was a lot of fun. Traveling on the MUSS Bus to the both the SDSU game as well as to the Fiesta Bowl were both epic. Afterwards I cheered for whatever team Alex Smith played on.

Since then, I’ve remained mostly a Chiefs fan partly because of Andy Reid and partly because I have a lot of respect for Patrick Mahomes for continually giving Alex a lot of credit towards his success. It says a lot about Alex that he mentored his replacement so well, but says more about Mahomes that he recognizes that as a contributing factor to his success and to his Super Bowl titles.

I’ve definitely been a fan for longer than the last twenty years, but starting with the team carrying McBride off the field after beating BYU days before he was fired to now has been one heck of a trip! Everything that has happened since then would have been unimaginable back then. A lot of guys contributed to that success (including McBride), but a lot of that success is thanks to us having a great QB at the right time. I hope I’m not drinking too much Kool-Aid, but I’m getting the vibes that we’ve got another great QB at the right time this year with a realistic shot at getting into the playoffs.

It’s great to be a Utah Man! Go Utes!

[Jim McMahon]

As a BYU fan, he is one of my all-time favorite Utes. So classy and overcame so much adversity. Nothing but respect for him.

Congrats to him and to you all on this awesome honor.

[ProudUte]

Yeah, Alex is difficult to dislike.

[dwainegf]

What he did to come back from his injury in Washington, puts him at the top of the list for inspirational, perseverance. Add his Utah years in the mix and that makes him the best choice for first inductee. We are truly blessed to have him in the Utes’ family. Go Utes!!!

[thirtyfour-thirtyone]

Alex Smith seems to be in a category of his own. I wonder who will be next, and if current coaches are eligible?

Here are a few ideas:

*Eric Weddle

Then other options, with stars for the guys I think are lock to go sooner rather than later:

*Steveon Smith Sr.
Jordan Gross
Kevin Dyson
*Luther Ellis
Chris K? He was an impactful player, but there were other “issues”
Morgan Scalley
Brian Johnson
Jaylen Johnson — not yet in hof
Chris Fuamatu Maafala
Mike Anderson
Sly
Covey — not yet in hof
*Star Lotulelei –not sure if in HOF
Louie Sakoda
Lee Grosscup
*Devin Lloyd –not yet in HOF
Moss –not yet in hof
Lee Grosscup
Tyler Huntley? — not yet in Hof
Nate Orchard? -not yet in hof

I have a feeling that this, like the HOF, will be heavily tied in to fund-raising efforts, so I am guessing Weddle and Steve Smith will come next at the expense of Luther Ellis and Kevin Dyson (and maybe they will even shoehorn in JJ somehow) because they want the $$. I think, though, that Weddle is the next obvious choice regardless of motivation, followed by Steve Smith and Luther Ellis. I think Louie Sakoda, Lee Grosscup, Brian Johnson etc. are longshots simply because their inclusion will not lead to big $$ for the crimson club/UU. If Star wants to make a donation, he will be up there too. There are some current players who have a good chance of getting there someday. I am sure I forgot a few.

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