Reservations Can Be Made For Feb. 2 Hall Of Fame Banquet

LOGAN, Utah - A banquet honoring the Utah State athletic hall of fame class of 2007, is open to the public and reservations can be made now.

This year's class includes former track athlete La Donna Antoine Walker, football player/wrestler Bob Broughton, football player Rulon Jones, football coach John Ralston, multi-sport athlete Jay Van Noy, and basketball player Nate Williams.

 

The banquet will be held at the Coppermill Restaurant on Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. Cost of the dinner is $25 per person and reservations can be made by calling the athletics department at (435) 797-8115.

 

A number of special guests with Utah State ties are expected to be at the dinner as well. The group will also be recognized in conjunction with Utah State's home basketball game against San Jose State on Saturday, Feb. 3.

 

Antoine-Watkins was a three-time track All-American while running the 400 meters. She claimed Big West titles in the 400 in 1995, 96 and 97, while also winning the league's 200-meter race in 1997.

 

Indoors she won Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles in the 200 and 400 (twice). Competing for her native Canada, Antoine-Walker participated in the 2000 Olympics and won three Canadian national titles in the 400 and 200 meters.

 

Broughton was a three-year letterwinner in football and wrestling in the 1960s. In wrestling he earned third-team All-America honors in 1965 after a strong performance in the NCAA Championships.

 

He finished his career with a 39-9-2 record, including a 16-3-1 mark his senior campaign.

 

Jones was an All-America defensive end for the Aggies in 1979 and was named to the school's all-Century football team in 1993. He capped his Aggie career playing in the East-West Shrine and Senior Bowl all-star games.

 

Jones went on to play nine seasons in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, earning Pro Bowl honors twice and being named the AFC Defensive Player of the Year once.

 

Ralston posted a 31-11-1 record in four seasons guiding Utah State to one of its best eras of football from 1959-62. The Aggies played in two bowl games while winning 73.3 percent of their games under Ralston.

 

Ralston, who is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, also had success coaching Stanford, leading the Cardinal to two Rose Bowl victories. At Utah State he coached All-Americans Merlin Olsen, Tom Larscheid and Lionel Aldridge.

 

Van Noy was a four-year letterwinner in football and baseball at Utah State in the 1940s. He played in two of USU's six bowl games, participating in the 1946 Raisin and 1947 Grape Bowls. He earned first-team all-Mountain States Conference honors both of those seasons.

 

His 242 rushing yards against Arizona State in 1948 still ranks eighth in USU history. After graduation, he played one season of major league baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals.

 

Williams scored 1,080 points in just two seasons as a basketball player at USU before leaving early for the NBA in 1971. He was named a sophomore All-American before playing 642 games in the NBA.

 

Known as a scorer, Williams produced three 40-point games in his career and in one contest against New Mexico State, scored 21 consecutive points for the Aggies.