Dave Kragthorpe

Whether it is football, baseball, a master's degree or serving as athletic director, there's always something to keep Dave Kragthorpe a vital part of USU.

An Aggie through and through, Kragthorpe is a deserving member of the 2009 Utah State University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class.

“It's a very fine honor as far as I'm concerned,” Kragthrope said. “I've had a lot of awards and recognitions and I would consider this to be the finest one.”

That's saying something for a man who was a standout offensive lineman and a coach of a football team that won a national championship.

Kragthrope got his start as an Aggie in 1951, where he played lineman on both sides of the ball. Describing himself as a good player, “not great,” Kragthorpe said what set him apart was his competitiveness and work ethic in practice and on the field.

His dedication from 1951–54, made him a two–time all–Skyline Conference Eight performer and a member of USU's All–Century team.

Besides playing on the gridiron, Kragthorpe also was catcher for the school baseball team during his junior and senior years. He admits it was difficult to juggle the two sports, but loved the chance to compete.

“Being a lineman…well, the practices were a lot more fun and enjoyable in baseball,” Kragthorpe said. “I didn't consider baseball work. I enjoyed baseball a great deal.”

As if playing two sports weren't enough, Kragthorpe was a dedicated student, earning two bachelor's degrees in physical education and recreation education. Upon graduating, he was drafted in the 16th round of the 1955 NFL Draft. But Kragthorpe's passion lay in coaching, a career he planned on pursuing even as student in high school.

After returning to USU for a master's degree in secondary education, Kragthorpe went on to serve as head coach at South Dakota State, Idaho State and Oregon State, and also served as offensive coordinator for BYU in the 1970s. In 1981, he led the Idaho State Bengals to a 12–1 record and a Division I–AA national championship.

Kragthorpe credits much of his coaching success to lessons he learned as an Aggie.

“What I learned here under good coaches served me well throughout my coaching career,” Kragthorpe said.

In between coaching for Idaho State and Oregon State, Kragthorpe returned to USU to serve as athletics director from 1983–84.

After a grueling six seasons at Oregon State, Kragthorpe found his way back to Logan again, this time to work with the USU Alumni Association.

Retired now, Kragthorpe still maintains close ties with Utah State, the place he helped shape.

Ralph Roylance

In intercollegiate athletics it is rare for an athlete to excel in more than one sport, but then again, Ralph Roylance was a singular sort of athlete.

From 1948–49, Roylance displayed his talent on the football field and in track and field. Fleet of foot, Roylance played running back and in the defensive secondary for the Aggie football team and then broke school records in the javelin.

“I really worked my tail off…year round,” Roylance said.

Already inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2000, Roylance's dominance of two different fields made him a shoe–in for the 2009 Utah State University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class.

At only 153 pounds, he was small for a running back, but Roylance made up for any disadvantage with speed, averaging roughly seven yards a carry, which at the time was a school record. Finding greater success in his track and field endeavors, however, Roylance quit the football team in 1949 and focused his efforts on throws.

He got his start in track and field in high school, where he “was able to throw lots further and more accurately than other kids.” At Utah State, Roylance narrowed his specialty to the javelin, in which, from 1947–50, he lettered.

“I had a good arm,” Roylance said. “I had a lot of natural ability.”

In his freshman year, Roylance lettered but said he didn't do as well as he wanted. He was determined to change that, and in his sophomore season, he “won them all.”

“The most memorable thing in track was breaking the first record, when I broke the record at Utah State,” Roylance said. “I worked really hard to get up to that point. Breaking that record the first time was exciting. Every time I did it was great but not as exciting as that.”

Roylance went on to compete in the 1949 NCAA Championships, where he finished third in the javelin. His record–breaking performances earned him All–American honors and he became the first Aggie track athlete to be so named.

While competing, Roylance said he had plans to become a coach at the end of his junior year. Marriage, however, “changed my attitude,” Roylance said. Instead of blowing the whistle, he took over the family–owned Smithfield Implement.

More than 50 years later, Roylance is still working at the store, and, of course, is still “a great Aggie fan.”

John Pappas

One of the most gifted quarterbacks in Utah State history, John Pappas, said while he is honored to be a member of the 2009 Utah State University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class, he is even more proud he always won at homecoming and never lost to BYU or Utah.

“That was very special to me to say that I never lost against any in–state rival,” Pappas said.

Losing didn't seem to be much in the vocabulary or style of play for Pappas either. In just over two seasons, Pappas guided his team to a 14–5–1 record.

Pappas began his Utah State passing career in the final four games of a dismal 1967 season that began 0–6. He was an immediate success, winning the final four games of the season and cementing the quarterback position for himself the next two years.

“I feel we had some great players at Utah State. I think that was one of the reasons we were successful,” Pappas said. “People wanted to come to Utah State. We were probably, at that time, one of the premier programs in the United States.”

And Pappas played a major role in that success. In the 20 games he played, he threw for 3,606 yards–10th in the USU records–and passed for 30 touchdowns, ranking 7th on the books.

Each year Pappas became better, finishing his senior season averaging 16.8 yards per completion, still first all–time among USU quarterbacks.

Pappas said he remembers beating Wisconsin and San Diego State on the road, which was an accomplishment, as both programs were strong at the time.

But football wasn't Pappas' only attachment to Utah State. Returning nearly 22 years after graduating, Pappas coached and worked in administration until he retired.

“I spent a great deal of my adult life at Utah State,” Pappas said. “I am just very fortunate to be able to do that.”

While he may not be throwing the pigskin around these days, Pappas remains near his alma mater, hitting the greens and enjoying friendships made at the Logan Golf and Country Club.

Through it all, Pappas said it was Utah State that presented him with the tools for success in his life.

“Utah State really prepares you for myriad situations; you feel like you can handle anything that comes along because you know how to survive when things are tough, you know you're going to come out OK,” Pappas said. “That environment really teaches you to have a lot of self confidence in anything you try and I think that's so important.”

Bob Carlson

Of the many great coaches in Utah State history, few can make the claim of never having a losing season. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that Bob Carlson coached wrestling at USU for 19 years and still pulled off that feat, leading to his 224–75–1 record.

Among the winningest of all USU coaches and the winningest wrestling coach in school history, Carlson was an obvious inclusion to the 2009 Utah State University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class.

“The hall of fame is a great honor,” Carlson said. “It lets you know you're appreciated and recognizes what you accomplished. I have a lot of fond memories.”

A DuBois, Pa., native, Carlson originally came to USU in 1967 as a business student and was a member of the wrestling team, where he participated in the 1968 NCAA Championships. During his junior year, Carlson took on a challenge that few college students could even fathom: he was named head coach of the very team he wrestled for.

In charge of his former teammates, Carlson immediately set about to make his mark.

“I had to coach a lot of guys I wrestled with,” Carlson said. “It was tough for awhile. Back in those days, nothing really scared me. I was looking forward to the challenge. I was too young to know any better.”

But he may have known more than he let on, because over the years, Carlson led his teams to nine Top 20 finishes, had 23 wrestlers win Pacific Coast Athletic Association championships and coached 41 athletes into the NCAA Tournament.

Carlson credits his success to his ability to recruit top athletes, both in and out of state.

“The good thing is I realized early in my career it wasn't necessarily what kind of coach you were on the mat, it was what kind of recruiter you were,” Carlson said. “I knew that I had to get some talent in there and I worked hard with the administration to get scholarship money and to raise money for the program.”

Creating a network of wrestlers from Iowa, a hotbed of wrestling talent, Carlson melded wrestlers from Utah and Idaho too and formed dominant teams. He said not only were his wrestlers talented on the mat, they were gifted in the classroom, with all but one recruit graduating.

“Logan is such a neat place to coach,” Carlson said. “It was great for wrestling; kids didn't have a lot to do but work out and go to class.”

In addition to coaching, Carlson earned his master's degree from USU in 1972 and for 12 years served as an assistant athletics director, responsible for fundraising.

But all good things eventually come to an end and, after 19 years of success, the wrestling program was cut in 1987, forcing Carlson to call it quits at USU. He went on to serve as athletics director at Clarion University where he retired three years ago.

Today, Carlson said he enjoys a slower pace of life in Las Vegas, spending his time on the golf course and visiting with his grandchildren.

—Seth Hawkins '08