Feb. 1, 2008

LOGAN, Utah - An induction ceremony and dinner honoring Utah State's sixth Hall of Fame Class is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Evan Stevenson Ballroom in the Taggart Student Center on the USU campus. Cost of the banquet is $30 per person and reservations can by made by contacting the USU Athletics Department at (435) 797.8115.

The 2008 class includes former football player MacArthur Lane (1965-67), football coach Chuck Mills (1967-72), basketball player Max Perry (1959-61), softball player Kelly Smith (1984-86, 1988), contributor and Utah State Athletics Advisor Jay Dee Harris, and the 1978 National Championship volleyball team.

Lane averaged 6.9 yards per carry during his Utah State career, which still ranks second all-time in school history. During his junior season he had two 100-yard games and three touchdown runs of 60 yards or more. As a senior, he had two more 100-yard games, including a career-high 207 yards on 20 carries against West Texas State.

Mills coached at Utah State for six seasons, leading the Aggies to a 38-23-1 (.621) record, including a 17-7 (.708) home mark. While at USU, Mills was 8-4 against USU's in-state rivals BYU and Utah, and his 38 career wins still rank second all-time in school history.

Perry earned All-American honors in 1960 and was a three-time all-Skyline Conference performer during his Utah State career. He became the first player in school history to score 40 points in a single game when he poured in 45 points against New Mexico. He finished his career with 1,236 points, which was a school record at the time, and still ranks 21st all-time in school history.

Smith earned All-American honors three times during her Utah State career, including her freshman season in 1984 when she helped USU finish in seventh-place at the College World Series. Smith, who also played basketball at USU during the 1987-88 season, ranks third all-time in school history with a .340 batting average.

Harris served as a member of the USU Board of Trustees and The Board of Regents, along with being a member of the Old Main Society. He also served on the National Advisory Board and was actively involved with the Big Blue Scholarship Fund. The Harris Athletics Center, which houses many of USU's sports programs and academic services, is named after Jay Dee and his wife Alice. Harris will be inducted into the Utah State Hall of Fame posthumously as he passed away in the fall of 2006.

The 1978 Utah State Volleyball team became the first in school history to capture a national championship by defeating UCLA in four games in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Led by All-American's Annette Cottle, Sandy Lynn and Lucia Chudy, USU notched a 42-4-2 record during the season. Other members of the 1978 National Championship team included Gayle Adamowicz, Jan Corley, Katrinka Crawford, Drora Epstein, Jill Hirschinger, Dea Kidd, Sheryl Meyer and Jo Vrazel.

A total of 43 individuals have now been inducted into the Utah State Hall of Fame, while the 1978 National Championship volleyball squad becomes the first team inducted. The Hall of Fame was founded in 1993 with 12 initial members, followed by eight additions in 1994 and seven in 1995. The addition of any members was stopped until 2006 when five more individuals were added, followed by six more recipients in 2007.

The 2008 inductees will also be recognized in conjunction with Utah State's home basketball game against San Jose State on Saturday, Feb. 9.