GAIL MILLER has been named The Tribune's Most Influential Sports Person in Utah for 2009. Here's the rest of the top 25:
2. Kyle Whittingham
University of Utah football coach
2008 RANKING: NR
Whittingham went to New Orleans as something of an unknown and was overshadowed by Alabama's Nick Saban. He left the 2009 Sugar Bowl not only a more recognizable man but a much richer one, too, after the Utes defeated Alabama 31-17 to finish the year 13-0. Whittingham, who has gone 4-0 in bowl games and is 37-14 overall, was named as the Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. Just days before the Sugar Bowl, Whittingham signed a five-year contract worth $1.2 million annually.
3. Chris Hill
Utah athletic director
2008 RANKING: 10
Hill's most notable hirings, Jim Boylen and Kyle Whittingham, continue to pay off, but his athletic department had tremendous success in many other sports, too. The school captured conference championships in volleyball, women's basketball (regular season and tournament), men's basketball (regular season and tournament), baseball (tournament) and, of course, in football. The school also set a national attendance record for its gymnastics program, drawing an average of 13,861 people for home meets. The Utes finished third at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships. Hill also serves on the NCAA Division I men's basketball committee and is a member of the Utah Sports Commission's Executive Committee.
4. Dave Checketts
Real Salt Lake owner
2008 RANKING: 14
His team enjoyed a magical run to the playoffs last year, making it to the conference final, where RSL lost to New York 1-0. His new $110 million soccer-specific stadium was showcased this season by hosting the MLS All-Star Game and will host a World Cup qualifier between the United States and El Salvador in September.
5. Kevin O'Connor
Jazz vice president of basketball operations
2008 RANKING: 7
O'Connor's influence went up in recent years as the personnel moves paid off, but this summer's offseason dealings will be his biggest test yet. Mehmet Okur, Paul Millsap and Ronnie Price have been re-signed, and now O'Connor's task is to decide what to do with Carlos Boozer and alleviate the $82 million payroll that is $12 million above the luxury-tax threshold.
6. Lindsey Vonn
Alpine skier
2008 RANKING: No. 24
Vonn, the 2009 Alpine Athlete of the Year, had high expectations to meet in 2009 after a strong 2008 season. But she did even better than anyone had hoped, as she repeated her wins of the World Cup overall and downhill titles and also won the super G. She won the gold in downhill and super G at the World Championships and finished with a U.S.-record 22 career World Cup wins, breaking the old mark of 18 held by Tamara McKinney. Vonn, who lives and trains in Park City, could become the Michael Phelps of the Winter Olympics, with NBC building its Vancouver coverage around her and the possibility she could win five medals.
7. Greg Miller
CEO of Larry H. Miller companies
2008 RANKING: 11
Miller's presence in his family's businesses moved from heir apparent to point person when his father Larry passed away in February due to complications of type-2 diabetes. Still a guy more comfortable behind the scenes than in the media spotlight, Miller now oversees everything from the Miller Motorsports Park to the Utah Jazz and auto businesses.
8. Randy Rigby
President, Utah Jazz/Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment Group of Companies
2008 RANKING: 9
Rigby oversees the growth of the team's media outlets, including the radio, TV and internet, in addition to being involved in day-to-day operations of the Jazz. Perhaps Rigby's biggest challenge going forward is continuing to attract fans to EnergySolutions Arena for a team that could be in for another so-called transition year.
9. George Bodenheimer
President ESPN/ABC Sports
2008 RANKING: NR
Bodenheimer gave ultimate approval a year ago for a 15-year, $2.25 billion deal with the SEC for exclusive rights not televised by CBS. In November, he oversaw the signing of a four-year, $500 million agreement to televise the Bowl Championship Series. That lucrative agreement is one of the main reasons the MWC couldn't afford not to sign the contract to be a part of the BCS system it publicly despises.
10. Brian Johnson
Utah quarterback
2008 RANKING: NR
Johnson went from overlooked player as he was left off the All-MWC preseason team to being the man of the year as he led the Utes to a 13-0 record. The MVP of the Sugar Bowl, Johnson kept his team focused throughout the season and in crucial moments of games as he engineered game-winning drives against Air Force, Oregon State and TCU. He finished as the winningest quarterback in school history (26-7).
11. Deron Williams
Jazz point guard
2008 RANKING: 15
The four-year, $62.6 million contract extension Williams signed last summer cemented his place as the Jazz's cornerstone. In the year since, Williams' influence has continued to grow, as he regularly consults with general manager Kevin O'Connor and chief executive Greg Miller. Williams also wasn't shy in throwing his endorsement behind Paul Millsap before the Jazz matched Millsap's offer sheet from Portland. Not only must they stay competitive, the Jazz also need to keep Williams happy looking ahead to summer 2012, when Williams can opt out of his contract and become a free agent.
12. Jerry Sloan
Jazz coach
2008 RANKING: 6
The Jazz 48-34 in the regular season and were almost predictably swept out of the playoffs in a five-game series loss to the L.A. Lakers. Injuries, a continued inability to win on the road, and some frustrating lapses at home doomed the Jazz, but criticism was pointed more at the players than the coach, with the Miller family remaining loyal to Sloan. This year, the longest tenured coach in NBA history signed a contract extension to coach Utah for another year.
13. Craig Thompson
MWC commissioner
2008 RANKING: 25
How much credit can a guy get for stirring up the pot? With hubbub over the Mtn. dying down, it seemed Thompson's biggest duty in 2008 was using the success of Utah's football team to add fuel to the growing controversy surrounding the BCS. Thompson, speaking out that the BCS was unfair to MWC teams, unveiled his own proposal for changes that he discussed in meetings with representatives from other leagues, BCS officials and even politicians such as Sen. Orrin Hatch, who took up the cause in Washington. Ultimately, nothing solid came out of his efforts, but he was able to keep the MWC in the national news cycle for several months -- exposure that could be seen as a small victory of sorts for a conference often still confused with the WAC.
14. Bill Marolt
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association president
2008 RANKING: 5
The success the USSA enjoyed in 2007-08 continued this year in many ways. The USSA had 14 world championship medals, five World Cup titles and 32 total wins. Lindsey Vonn became the face of U.S. skiing with her unprecedented success. The future of American skiing should only get better with the opening of the Center of Excellence training center, a privately funded, 85,000-square foot training center built on five acres in Park City. It boasts strength-training areas, a gym, ski and snowboard ramps, trampolines and nutrition center among other amenities that make athletes feel at home.
15. Bronco Mendenhall
BYU football coach
2008 RANKING: 8
He claims his "Quest for Perfection" motto was largely misunderstood, but what is clear is that Mendenhall took a small step backward in 2008, after guiding the Cougars to undefeated conference seasons and league championships in 2006 and 2007. BYU still won 10 games in 2008, but the season did not end well and Mendenhall's resilience will be tested like perhaps never before this fall.
16. Jim Boylen
Utah men's basketball coach
2008 RANKING: NR
He re-ignited the program, leading the Utes to the regular-season and tournament championships and an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in four years. He was rewarded with a five-year, $750,000 guaranteed contract that came closer to $1 million with perks and bonuses. Perhaps most importantly to Utah fans, he provided the yang to BYU coach Dave Rose's yin, as his demonstrative style seemed to annoy BYU fans more accustomed to Rose's buttoned-down style.
17. Jeff Robbins
Head of Utah Sports Commission
2008 RANKING: 1
As president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission, Robbins oversees an organization that attracts events such as the AST Dew Tour, XTERRA events and Monster Energy Supercross, among others, to Utah. The commission's latest attraction was bringing the Winter Dew Tour to Snowbasin in January, which is anticipated to have a $6 million economic impact for the state, in addition to another $5-7 million in media value.
18. Paul Millsap
Jazz forward
2008 RANKING: NR
The $32 million investment the Jazz made in their backup power forward essentially pushed Carlos Boozer out of the team's future plans, making him trade bait as the Jazz try to trim their payroll. Millsap, meanwhile, goes from making the rookie minimum of $797,581 last season to a contract that pays him $10.3 million up front. Richness comes with a price, though; the Jazz have delivered to him, now he must deliver for the Jazz.
19. Tom Holmoe
BYU athletic director
2008 RANKING: 4
He still oversees the Mountain West Conference's most dominant athletic program, but Holmoe didn't quite enjoy as much success in the past year as he did earlier in his tenure. The football program won 10 games, but didn't take a conference title and lost its bowl game; the men's basketball team won a piece of the MWC regular-season title, but fell short in its quest for an NCAA Tournament win.
20. Dave Rose
BYU men's basketball coach
2008 RANKING: 17
Having undergone seemingly successful surgery to eliminate pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor cancer in June, Rose touched off an emotional wave of concern through the state. His health issues and subsequent recovery also illustrated how important he is to a program that has won or shared three straight MWC basketball regular-season titles. Due partly to the lack of experienced LDS basketball coaches nationwide, he would be extremely difficult to replace, most Cougar fans acknowledge.
21. Stew Morrill
Utah State men's basketball coach
2008 RANKING: NR
Morrill has brought the Aggies national respect, first when they upset Ohio State in overtime in the 2001 NCAA Tournament and since by being a consistently tough team to play, as Morrill has built a 264-90 record. The Aggies have won the last two WAC regular season championships in addition to the 2009 WAC Tournament title. The Aggies went 30-5 in 2008-09 and entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed, where they lost to sixth-seeded Marquette 58-57. In addition, he has had two assistants, Randy Rahe and Don Verlin, go on to become head coaches, at Weber State and Idaho, respectively.
22. Bill Manning
RSL president
2008 RANKING: NR
Manning has been a driving force behind Rio Tinto Stadium's success as not only the home for Real Salt Lake, but a major venue for other sports in the state as well, such as high school state championship games.
23. Matthew Godfrey
Ogden mayor
2008 RANKING: 12
Ogden continues its reputation as an outdoor playground, drawing major businesses such as Descente and Scott in addition to XTERRA events and most recently with nearby Snowbasin landing the Winter Dew Tour event scheduled for January.
24. Michael K. Young
University of Utah president
2008 RANKING: NR
While BYU president Cecil Samuelson stepped back from the MWC's push to remodel the BCS, Young stepped more into the forefront, testifying on behalf of the MWC in a Senate Judiciary Committee. By many accounts, Young was a much better representative for the MWC than Sen. Orrin Hatch, who wasn't as articulate or as knowledgeable in discussing the controversy. Young also signed off on the new contracts for football coach Kyle Whittingham and men's basketball coach Jim Boylen to keep the rising coaches happy.
25. Lindsey Van
Ski jumper
2008 RANKING: NR
The Park City native won the gold medal in the inaugural women's ski jumping event at the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. She also was one of the primary figures in a lawsuit against the organizers of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, which sought to allow female ski jumpers to compete in the upcoming Olympics.
Lya Wodraska
