clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

1998 Final Four team, Jamal Anderson and Alex Jensen headline 2015 Crimson Club Hall of Fame Inductees

Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The University of Utah announced the inductees into the Crimson Club Hall of Fame, and there are some big names that made the cut this year. First and foremost, they inducted the entire 1998 Four Four team, that lost to Kentucky in the NCAA final. They are the third whole team to be inducted, including the first Liberty Bowl team, and the 1944 National Championship team.

Jamal Anderson also made the cut. The Dirty Bird had a very nice NFL career after leaving Utah, as he lead the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl in 1998.  Anderson is still a huge Ute fan, and follows the program as well as any former alumni.

Alex Jensen, a member of that Final Four team, made the cut as well. You'll see more about Jensen below, but as a young guy, he was an integral part of that Final Four run. Alex follows up Andre Miller from that Final Four team, who was inducted into the Crimson Club Hall of Fame last year.

Here's the full release from the Utah Athletics Department:

SALT LAKE CITY - The University of Utah will enshrine four former Ute athletes, one former coach, a contributor, and one team into the Crimson Club Athletics Fund Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 9 at Rice-Eccles Stadium & Tower. Honored at the 2015 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be Jamal Anderson (football), Alex Jensen (men's basketball), Melonie Kent (softball), Angie Leonard (gymnastics), George Seifert (football coach), Kay and Zeke Dumke Jr. (contributor), and the 1998 men's basketball team that finished as the national runner-up.

Jamal Anderson
As Utah's top rusher in 1993 with 958 yards and 11 touchdowns, Jamal Anderson helped lead the Utes to a seven-win season and a Freedom Bowl berth against USC. Anderson went on to play eight seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, recording 5,336 rushing yards, 1,645 receiving yards and 41 touchdowns. He was the NFC's top rusher and first-team All-Pro in 1998, leading the Falcons to the Super Bowl.

Alex Jensen
Ranking 22nd in career points (1,279) and seventh in rebounds (896), Alex Jensen played on four conference championship teams with the Runnin' Utes and appeared in four NCAA tournaments, including the 1998 Final Four. He was named first-team All-WAC in 1999 and the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year in 2000. Jensen is currently an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz.

Melonie Kent
Utah softball's first-ever All-American, Melonie Kent was a first-team selection in 1981 after hitting .355 and recording a sparkling .988 fielding percentage. Kent was a two-time All-Region 7 and a two-time first-team all-conference honoree. She led the Utes to a pair of league titles in 1980 and ‘81.

Angie Leonard
The 1999 uneven bars NCAA national champion, Angie Leonard was a five-time All-American for the Ute gymnastics team from 1996-99. Leonard earned three career top-six placings at the NCAA Championships, including fourth on vault and sixth on bars in 1997 to go with her '99 bars title. She also scored a 10.0 on uneven bars against Stanford in 1997.

George Seifert
After playing offensive guard and linebacker for the Utes, George Seifert began his legendary football coaching career as a graduate assistant with Utah's 1964 Liberty Bowl championship team. Seifert helped guide the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl victories as defensive coordinator from 1980-88. He then took over as the 49ers' head coach, leading them to Super Bowl titles in 1989 and ‘94.

Kay and Zeke Dumke Jr.
Kay and Zeke Dumke Jr. have been tremendous contributors to University of Utah Athletics. Their generosity has had a very positive effect on both our men's and women's programs, and they have been prominent visionaries in our women's sports program. The most visible show of their support is the Dumke Gymnastics Center (1998), the Ute Soccer Field (2002), the Dumke Family Softball Stadium (2014), and the women's locker room in the new Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Basketball Facility (2015). The family has also established endowed scholarships for soccer and gymnastics and supported projects benefiting the entire University.