The Utah Utes football program is a

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

team that competes in the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

of the

Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

(FBS) of

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

and represents the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at the current site of Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City since 1927. They have won 28 conference championships in five conferences during their history, and, as of the end of the 2022 season, they have a cumulative record of 711 wins, 476 losses, and 31 ties (.596). The Utes have a record of 17–8 () in major

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

s which is ranked fourth in the nation in bowl games win percentage (minimum 10 bowl games played list). Among Utah's bowl appearances are two games from the

Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a college football post-season selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of America ...

(BCS): the

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area since 1971. From its beginning until 2006, the game was hosted at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has be ...

in 2005 and the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only ...

in 2009. In the CFP era, they made repeat Rose Bowl appearances in 2022 and 2023. In the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, Utah, led by coach

Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is an American Sports commentator, sportscaster and former college football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green F ...

, defeated the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facul ...

35–7, and in the 2009 Sugar Bowl, headed by coach Kyle Whittingham, they defeated coach Nick Saban and the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

31–17. During those seasons, Utah was a member of the

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...

, whose champion does not receive an automatic invitation to a BCS bowl. The Utes were the first team from a conference without an automatic bid to play in a BCS bowl game—colloquially known as being a BCS Buster—and the first BCS Buster to play in a second BCS Bowl.

History

Early history (1892–1967)

During Utah's first year in 1892, the Utes won one game and lost two, including a loss to future rival Utah State. The first two games were against the local

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

, but no one knows when these contests took place. Utah's first game against another college, Utah Agricultural College (now called "Utah State"), was scheduled for

Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

, but was postponed one day due to a snow storm. Utah A.C. won 12–0. Utah did not field a team in 1893, but resumed playing in 1894. One other season in Utah's history has been canceled: in 1918 Utah did not field a football team due to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Utah had its first sustained success when, in 1904, it hired Joe Maddock to coach football, as well as basketball and track. During his six seasons, he coached the football team to a record of 28–9–1 (.750). The school enthusiastically embraced the former Michigan Wolverine. 1905 Utah football team

In 1905, the Galveston Daily News reported, "He has the Mormons all football crazy. He has written here to say that his team now holds the championship of Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and the greater part of Colorado. When he won the hard-fought battle with

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory, the college offers over 40 majors a ...

a week ago the Salt Lake City papers said: 'Maddock' is a new way of saying success. The great Michigan tackle has taken boys who never saw a football before and made them the star players of the Rocky Mountain States." In early 1910, Maddock retired from coaching (although he later coached a year at

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

.) Fred Bennion coached the Utes from 1910 to 1913. 1910 was also Utah's first season as a member of a conference, the

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...

(RMAC). During his four seasons, Bennion finished with a record of 16–8–3 (.648).

Nelson Norgren Nelson H. Norgren (September 10, 1891 – December 31, 1974) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. As a coach, he led the University of Utah to a national AAU basketball championship in 1916. He later served as ...

finished with a record of 13–11 (.542) during his coaching years from 1913 to 1917. Utah did not field a team for the 1918 season because of a shortage of players due to World War I. When play resumed in 1919, Thomas Fitzpatrick started his football coaching career. He continued as the football coach until the end of the 1924 season. His teams finished with a record of 23–17–3 (.570). Utah won their first conference championships in these early years, in 1922. Ike Armstrong was originally hired to coach both the men's basketball team and the football team. While he lasted only two years as basketball coach, in football he amassed a record of 141–55–15 (.704) during his 25 years as head coach, which places him second among Utah head coaches for total wins. Under Armstrong, Utah won thirteen conference championships, including six in a row from 1928 to 1933 in the

. His teams produced three undefeated and untied seasons (1926, 1929, and 1930) and two more seasons where Utah was undefeated but tied (1928 and 1941). The 1930 team only allowed 20 points by the opposition all year (2.5 points per game), but scored 340 points (42.5 points per game.) On offense, they averaged 463 yards a game that year, but were unable to find a postseason opponent. Armstrong coached the Utes to their first bowl in the 1939

Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...

defeating

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

26–0. The MSC was popularly called the "Big Seven Conference", and then after

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

left following the 1947 season, popularly called the "Skyline Conference" or "Skyline Six". Utah played in and won its first bowl game, the

1939 Sun Bowl This fifth annual Sun Bowl featured the Utah Utes and the New Mexico Lobos in a postseason bowl game for both teams and the final game of the 1938 college football season. Background New Mexico was champion of the Border Conference while Utah w ...

, during Armstrong's tenure in the MSC. Armstrong also helped keep the team in existence during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

even though most of the other schools in the conference decided not to field teams from 1943 to 1945. Armstrong also oversaw the opening of Ute Stadium. As the popularity of Utah football grew, Cumming's Field, an 11,000 capacity stadium that was just south of Presidents Circle on campus, no longer met Utah's needs. The stadium was part of a larger trend of universities building larger stadiums during the 1920s. Ute Stadium initially had a 20,000 seat capacity and a cost of $125,000. After the 1949 season, Armstrong accepted a job at

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

as their

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches a ...

. In 1957 Armstrong was inducted in the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

. Under "Cactus" Jack Curtice, head coach from 1950 to 1957, Utah enjoyed moderate success. During his eight seasons as Utah head coach, the Utes compiled a record of 45–32–4 (.580) and won four conference championships in the

Skyline Conference The Skyline Conference is an List of NCAA conferences, intercollegiate athletic conference based in the New York City area that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division III, Division III. The league was orig ...

. In contrast to his predecessor Ike Armstrong, Curtice focused his attention on offense and continually tinkered with his split-T offense. His teams are perhaps best known for popularizing the Utah Pass, which is an overhand forward shovel pass of the ball. The play is commonly used today by teams which use a

spread offense :''"Spread offense" may also refer to the four corners offense in basketball.'' The spread offense is an offensive scheme in gridiron football that typically places the quarterback in the shotgun formation, and "spreads" the offense horizontal ...

. Quarterback

Lee Grosscup {{Infobox NFL biography , name = Lee Grosscup , image = Lee Grosscup 1958.jpeg , alt = , caption = Grosscup, circa 1958 , birth_date = {{Birth date, 1936, 12, 27, mf=y , birth_place = Santa Monica, California, U.S. , death_date = {{Death ...

caught the attention of the east coast press when he and the Utes had a close 33–39 loss to top ten program

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

. Grosscup threw for 316 yards against a tough Army defense in an era where most teams seldom passed the ball. Despite losing, Curtice referred to the game as "The time we beat Army." After Curtice left to coach

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

Ray Nagel Raymond Robert Nagel (May 18, 1927 – January 15, 2015) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1958 to 1965 and the University of Iowa from 1966 ...

took the helm. He coached for eight seasons from 1958 to 1965 before leaving for

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. During his tenure, the Utes had a record of 42–39–1 (.518) and were co-conference champions of the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the Western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, Texas, Utah and Washington (state), Washington. Due to ...

in 1964. As a reward, the Utes garnered an invitation to Atlantic City to play in the 1964 Liberty Bowl, which was the first major college football game held indoors. Utah dominated the game against

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

from start to finish and won by the score of 32–6. Utah finished the season ranked No. 14 in the

Coaches' Poll In the United States, the Coaches Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I (NCAA), Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football, Division I (NCAA), Division I college basketball, and Division I college baseball teams. ...

. Nagel's replacement, Mike Giddings, posted a record of 9–12 (.429) during the 1966 and 1967 seasons before resigning. Giddings had previously been an assistant coach at

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

under head coach John McKay and brought with him hopes that the Utes football program would be turned around, but an inability to get recruiting going led to on-field issues that essentially prevented any chance of viable football success.

Bill Meek era (1968–1973)

Bill Meek William Meridas Meek (August 14, 1920 – May 28, 1998)''Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014''. Social Security Administration. was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University from 19 ...

, coach from 1968 to 1973, failed to substantially improve the Utes, and they went 33–31 (.516) over his six seasons before he was fired. The Utes' best season under Meek was an 8–2 campaign in 1969. Meek, like his predecessor, Giddings, failed to get any sort of recruiting momentum which resulted in subpar and mediocre team performances year in and year out.

Tom Lovat era (1974–1976)

Utah replaced Meek with Tom Lovat, who has the lowest winning percentage among coaches of the Utah football program (with the exception of Walter Shoup who only coached one game in

1895 Events January * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island (off French Guiana) on what is much later admitted to be a false charge of tr ...

.) During his tenure from 1974 to 1976, his teams posted a 5–28 record (.152), and had a 0–6 record against in-state rivals Utah State and

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

(BYU). To make matters worse, these years coincided with the emergence of BYU football under the tutelage of

LaVell Edwards Reuben LaVell Edwards (October 11, 1930 – December 29, 2016) was an American college football head coach for Brigham Young University (BYU). With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all tim ...

Wayne Howard era (1977–1981)

Next in line was Wayne Howard, who coached from 1977 to 1981. He performed substantially better than his predecessor and his Ute teams posted a record of 30–24–2 (.554). Despite a record of 8–2–1 in his final season and being in contention for the

Championship, Howard resigned at the end of the season. He cited several reasons for leaving, but he particularly disliked the BYU–Utah rivalry.

Chuck Stobart era (1982–1984)

The Utes lost whatever progress they made under Howard during the Chuck Stobart years, 1982–1984. During his tenure, the Utes compiled a 16–17–1 record (.485), and saw hated rival BYU earn a

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

. Though the Stobart era wasn't the worst period in Utes football history, it was marked by the continued mediocrity that had plagued the program in recent years. Stobart's 1982 and 1983 teams posted 5–6 records with only decent offenses and average defenses to show for it. The 1984 Utes improved slightly to a 6–5–1 record, but fans and administration were impatient, prompting Stobart's resignation.

Jim Fassel era (1985–1989)

The program regressed further during the

Jim Fassel James Edward Fassel (August 31, 1949 – June 7, 2021) was an American college and professional football player and coach. He was the head coach of the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) from 1997 to 2003. He was offensive coo ...

era from 1985 to 1989, with a 25–33 record (.431). His teams were marked by high scoring offenses and abysmal defenses. In 1989, his final season, the Utes scored 30.42 points per game, but allowed 43.67 points per game. The lone bright spot of his tenure was a 57–28 upset of nationally ranked BYU to end the 1988 season, which was dubbed by Ute fans as The Rice Bowl.

Ron McBride era (1990–2002)

When Ron McBride arrived from Arizona in 1990, he inherited a program that had only had five winning seasons in the previous 16 years, and had not posted a winning season in WAC play since 1985. Later, he said that expectations had dropped so low that Ute fans were content to not be embarrassed–particularly against BYU–and finish in the middle of the WAC. He didn't take long to turn the program around. In 1991, his second season, he posted a 7–5 record, but a blowout loss to rival BYU kept them out of a bowl. A year later, he led the Utes to the 1992 Copper Bowl, the program's first bowl appearance in 28 years. He took the Utes to six bowl games during his tenure, a noteworthy feat considering the Utes had played in just three bowl games in their entire history prior to his arrival. His teams posted bowl wins over USC, Arizona and Fresno State. During his tenure at Utah, McBride posted an overall record of 88–63 (.582), at the time the second-most wins by a coach in the history of Utah football. The Utes reached their peak under McBride when they finished the 1994 season ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll and No. 8 in the

and recorded a 16–13 victory over

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

in the

Freedom Bowl The Freedom Bowl was an annual post-season college football bowl game played at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, from 1984 to 1994. The bowl frequently invited a team from the Western Athletic Conference to compete against an at-large opp ...

. That season, the Utes beat four teams who ended the season ranked:

, Colorado State, BYU, and Arizona. In 1995, Utah won a share of its first conference title in 31 years, when it finished in a four-way tie for the WAC title. In 1999, Utah was again co-conference champion, this time finishing in a three-way tie for the first

title. McBride's tenure at Utah began to falter in 2000. The Utes were the favorites to win the Mountain West after tying for the conference title a year earlier, but lost their first four games en route to a 4–7 record, their first losing record since McBride's arrival. Season-ticket sales fell 15% as a result, problematic given the costly rebuilding of Rice-Eccles Stadium, and pressure rose to fire McBride.Steve Guiremand
With coach on hot seat, changes plentiful at Utah
''Las Vegas Sun'', August 27, 2001, Accessed October 21, 2009. The Utes rebounded in 2001, achieving a winning record and scoring an upset win in the

2001 Las Vegas Bowl The 2001 Las Vegas Bowl was the 10th edition of the annual college football bowl game. It featured the Utah Utes and the USC Trojans. Game summary The game was dominated by defense. Utah opened the scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run by Adam Tate ...

over the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach for the NCAA's ...

's first season. With the Utes slipping again into a losing season, McBride was fired by Utah after the 2002 season and replaced by

.Andrew Aragon
WSU, Utah Utes football: Coach Mac brings his current team to face former team
''Deseret News'', September 23, 2008, Accessed October 21, 2009. Despite the inglorious end to McBride's tenure, he is credited with laying the foundation for Utah's rise to national prominence, which came under his successors.

Urban Meyer era (2003–2004)

On December 12, 2002,

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

head coach

was named Utah's head coach. In his inaugural season, the Utes showed a knack for winning close games. Meyer implemented a

attack and with quarterback

Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football for the Utah Utes, earning first-team All-American ho ...

led Utah to a 10–2 record, an outright MWC championship (their first outright conference title in 46 years), and a 17–0 victory in the

Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in late December or early January since 1959. For its first five years, it was played at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia before being held at Atlantic Cit ...

over Southern Miss. They finished the season ranked No. 21 in both major polls. He also earned honors as ''

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

'' National Coach of the Year, the first Utes' coach to do so. UteFansRush

In his second season as head coach, the Utes repeated as conference champions. They were a high scoring team; they scored 544 total points on the season, which is a team record, and averaged 45.33 points per game. They played key out-of-conference games against

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, and

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, and they won every game by at least two

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s (14 points). After completing an undefeated season, Utah became the first team from a non-automatically qualifying BCS conference to play in a BCS bowl. The Utes played

Big East Conference The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

champion

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, winning 35–7. The Utes finished the season ranked No. 4 in the AP poll. Later that year, Alex Smith, who during the 2003 and 2004 seasons compiled a 21–1 record as a starting quarterback, was drafted No. 1 by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

. He became the first player from a college in the state of Utah to ever be drafted first. After two years with Utah, Urban Meyer left after the 2005 Fiesta Bowl to coach

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. His record at Utah was 22–2 (.917), which is the highest winning percentage among Utah head coaches.

Kyle Whittingham era (2005–present)

Utah is currently coached by

Kyle Whittingham Kyle David Whittingham (born November 21, 1959) is an American college football coach and former player. He currently serves as the head football coach at the University of Utah, a position he has held since 2005, and he is the all-time leader ...

, who was promoted from defensive coordinator following Utah's undefeated 2004 regular season. Whittingham served as the co-head coach in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, helping Utah to defeat Pittsburgh. Retrieved on 2009-2-12. During Whittingham's first twelve years as head coach, the Utes recorded a 104–50 (.675) overall record and 60–42 (.588) in conference play, and won 10 of their 11 bowl games: the

2005 Emerald Bowl The 2005 Emerald Bowl, part of the 2005–06 NCAA bowl game season, was played on December 29, 2005, at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. It featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the Utah Utes. Game summary *Utah - Travis LaTendr ...

, the 2006 Armed Forces Bowl, the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl, the 2009 Sugar Bowl, the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl, the

2011 Sun Bowl The 2011 Hyundai Group, Hyundai Sun Bowl, the 78th edition of the game, was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on December 31, 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season, 2011 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas as part of th ...

, the 2014 Las Vegas Bowl, the 2015 Las Vegas Bowl, and the

2016 Foster Farms Bowl The 2016 Foster Farms Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on December 28, 2016, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It was one of the 2016–17 bowl games concluding the 2016 FBS football season. The 15th edition of ...

. Utah lost the 2010 Las Vegas Bowl. Prior to his tenure as head coach, Whittingham worked for 11 years as an assistant coach at Utah; the final ten years were as the defensive coordinator. Thus far, in his 23 years with the program, Utah has compiled a 189–91 record (.675), played in 16 bowl games (winning 14), captured five conference titles, won one Pac-12 South Division co-championship, and finished in the top ten three times. In 2008, Utah posted a record of 13–0 on their way to winning the MWC Championship, and they were the only undefeated team in the

. During the regular season, the Utes beat

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

on the road and Oregon State,

TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...

, and BYU at home. Their undefeated 2008 season resulted in an invitation to the 2009 Sugar Bowl, which made them the first BCS non-AQ conference school to be invited to a second BCS bowl; Utah won the Sugar Bowl and beat heavily favored

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

by a score of 31–17. Four of the teams Utah beat ended the season in the Coaches' and AP Polls: Oregon State, TCU, BYU, and Alabama. Both TCU and Alabama ended in the top ten. In the final Coaches' Poll and AP Poll, Utah finished at No. 4 and No. 2, respectively, for their highest ranking in each poll ever. They were declared the national champions by the Anderson/Hester Poll, an NCAA recognized selector, but do not claim this title. On June 17, 2010, Utah agreed to join the then

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

. The Utes officially became the 12th member of the Conference on July 1, 2011. Joining along with

, these teams were the first additions to the league since 1978. In 2021, Utah posted an 8–1 record in conference play to win the South division before crushing Oregon by a 38–10 final in the conference title game, though they would narrowly lose their first Rose Bowl appearance in a high-scoring bout with Ohio State. In 2022, Utah defeated USC in the conference title game 47–24 to win back-to-back championships. On August 4, 2023, Utah announced it would join the

starting the 2024-25 academic year, along with

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

, and

Conference affiliations

Utah has been a member of the following conferences. * Independent (1892–1909) *

(1910–1937) *

Mountain States Conference A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

(1938–1961) *

(1962–1998) *

(1999–2010) *

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

(2011–2023) *

(2024–)

Championships

National championships

In 2008 the Utes were Mountain West Conference champions, undefeated, and ranked No. 7 in the final regular season AP and Coaches polls. They were not selected to play in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game; as second-time "BCS Busters" they were matched up against

in the

. Following their win over the No. 4 Crimson Tide and Boise State's loss in the

Poinsettia Bowl The Poinsettia Bowl was an annual college football bowl game held in San Diego, California, from 2005 to 2016. The game was originally played from 1952 to 1955 between military services teams; in 2005 it was re-created by the organizers of the ...

, the Utes ended the season 13–0 as the nation's only undefeated team. In the final post-bowl AP Poll they were ranked No. 2, with 16 first place votes, behind No. 1 Florida's 48. Utah head coach

ranked the Utes No. 1 in protest on his final Coaches Poll ballot, ignoring an AFCA agreement that each voting coach should award the BCS champion first place. The Utes placed No. 4 in the final Coaches Poll. Following the season the Utes were selected as

national champions National champions are corporations which are technically private businesses but due to governmental policy are ceded a dominant position in a national economy. In this system, these large organizations are expected not only to seek profit but als ...

by two NCAA-designated major selectors. The school does not claim this title.

Conference championships

Utah has won 26 conference championships in five different conferences during their history. † Co-championship

Division championships

Utah has won four division championships, all in the South division of the

. † Co-championship

Bowl games

The Utah Utes have played in 26

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

sanctioned major

s with a record of 17–9 () through the 2022 season. Additionally, the Utes played in the 1947 Pineapple Bowl, which was not sanctioned by the NCAA as a bowl game. † The NCAA did not sanction the 1947 Pineapple Bowl and counts as a regular season game in official NCAA statistics. Navy Utah goalline

Stadium

Utah's home games have been played at Rice-Eccles Stadium since 1998. It occupies the footprint of the Utes' longtime home, Rice Stadium. The older facility was built in 1927 as Ute Stadium and opened with a Utah win over Colorado Mines. In 1972, the stadium was rechristened Rice Stadium in honor of Robert L. Rice, who had donated money for a recently completed renovation. When Salt Lake City was awarded the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...

in 1995, it was obvious that Rice Stadium was not suitable to serve as the main stadium. However, it had been showing its age for some time before then. It was decided to completely overhaul the stadium and bring it up to modern standards. After the 1997 season, Rice Stadium was almost completely demolished, with the old timber, concrete, and earth-fill facility replaced by a modern steel, concrete, and glass stadium. The south end zone bleachers, built in 1982, were all that remained of the old stadium before the Ken Garff Performance Zone renovation. Banking magnate Spence Eccles gave money for the 1998 renovation, which expanded the number of seats to its current capacity of 45,817 and improved the press box, so the university added his last name to the stadium's name. Th
Ken Garff Performance Zone
opened in 2021. The project created a premium experience in the south end zone of the stadium. The much-anticipated project enclosed the south end of Rice-Eccles Stadium added unique premium spaces to the venue, and increased capacity to 51,444 was announced in November 2018. In April 2019 the Garff family generously pledged $17.5 million toward the $80 million project that will transform the home of Utah football and provide a world-class student-athlete experience.

Rivalries

BYU

The Holy War refers to the annual football game with BYU, within the larger Utah–BYU rivalry. Despite its religious overtones, fans and journalists continue to use the name, and it was recognized by SI.com as the No. 6 best nickname for a rivalry game. Utah dominated the early years of the series. From 1922 until 1971, the Utes lost to BYU five times, won 38 times, with four ties. This was mainly driven by the fact that BYU elected not to offer scholarships to athletes until the NCAA standardized the practice in 1950. This compounded when BYU hired legendary football coach

as head coach. From 1972, Edwards' first year as head coach, to 1992, Utah went 2–19 against BYU. Since 1993, Utah has beaten BYU 19 times and lost 8 times. 2021 saw BYU snap its nine-game losing streak to Utah by a score of 26–17 in the Cougars favor. BYU then beat Utah 22-21 in 2024, establishing a two game winning streak. In games recognized by both schools since 1922, Utah leads the series 62–36–4 through the 2024 season.

Colorado

Despite not having played each other in nearly 50 years prior to the 2011–12 season, Utah and

maintain a rivalry that was reignited with the admission of both teams into the

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

. Prior to the discontinuance of the rivalry in 1963, the two teams had played each other 57 times beginning in 1903, with Colorado leading the rivalry 30–24–3. This included an upset by Utah in 1962, when Colorado was ranked No. 8 in the nation. The two teams have discussed creating a trophy to "speed up" the development of the rivalry. There have been three games since joining the Pac-12 Conference that have had division title implications. In the 2011 game, Colorado defeated Utah 17–14, denying the Utes an opportunity to play for the

Championship. In 2016, Colorado defeated Utah in Boulder 27–22 to secure its first Pac-12 South title. The 2018 iteration saw Utah defeat Colorado in Boulder 30–7 to help secure its first outright Pac-12 South title. Utah leads the series 35-33-3 through the 2024 season.

Utah State

The Battle of the Brothers refers to the rivalry between Utah and Utah State. The two teams have a long running football series. Both programs played their first game in history by playing each other on November 25, 1892, a game which Utah State won 12–0. The teams played every year from 1944 to 2009 before a hiatus in the series took place. The game has had five contests since the 2009 hiatus with Utah being 4–1 in that time. The teams presently have no games scheduled. Utah has won 22 of the last 25 games. Utah leads the series 79–30–4.

Traditions

Blues Brothers' theme

Just before the third quarter for each home game, the Utah marching band plays the Blues Brothers theme (

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

's "

I Can't Turn You Loose "I Can't Turn You Loose" is a song written and first recorded by American soul music, soul singer Otis Redding. It was released as the B-side to his 1965 single "Just One More Day". The up-tempo song became a bigger hit on the US R&B chart tha ...

") while a female fan dances in front of them. Originally, the song was played between the third and fourth quarters, but Utah officials moved it to halftime at the start of the 2012 season. The tradition was started by "Bubbles", an elderly fan who danced enthusiastically to the song when the band first played it and thereby helped energize the crowd. The crowd so enjoyed the song and Bubbles' performance that it soon became a tradition. After years of doing her dance, Bubbles retired so "Crazy Lady" took over. Crazy Lady received her nickname from the MUSS, which is the "Mighty Utah Student Section". Before the Blues Brothers' theme begins, the MUSS chants for Crazy Lady to do her dance. Crazy Lady finds her nickname "endearing."

Ute Thunder

Since 1968, the University of Utah's Army

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC; or ) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...

department has operated a cannon on the sidelines called Ute Thunder. A few ROTC cadets compose the cannon crew, which is trained to fire the cannon. After each Utah score, the cannon crew fires a 10-gauge shotgun blank. The cannon was built in 1904 and was used during

for training. The cannon was refurbished in 2003 to repair the firing mechanism and wooden wheels.

3rd Down Jump

The Mighty Utah Student Section (or MUSS) is the student organization in charge of the Utah student sections across all Utah athletics. Leading up to and during a visiting team's third down attempts, a member of the MUSS hoists up a sign that reads "3rd Down Jump" and races up the aisles of the student section. The students collectively hold up three fingers and begin yelling and jumping in an attempt to deride the third down attempts of the visiting team. While not directly invited to do so, the rest of the stadium is also welcome to participate in the 3rd Down Jump. The tradition is considered by fans to be very effective at deriding opposing team's efforts at converting on third down.

"Moment of Loudness"

Since the start of 2021 Football season, a moment of loudness takes place between the third and fourth quarters of every home football game. The tradition was started to honor Ty Jordan, the Utah running back who died during the 2020 offseason. Ty Jordan wore the number 22 - thus 22 seconds of loudness was born. The tradition was later updated to tribute Aaron Lowe, a Utah CB who was a victim of a fatal shooting during the 2021 football season. Lowe was the recipient of the Ty Jordan memorial scholarship and wore the number 22 to honor Jordan. Beginning in the 2022 season, the "22 seconds of loudness" was changed to the "Moment of Loudness" and was preceded by a tribute video, which would be displayed on the stadium

jumbotron A jumbotron, sometimes referred to as jumbovision, is a video display using large-screen television technology (video wall). The original technology was developed in the early 1980s by Mitsubishi Electric and Sony, which coined JumboTron as a ...

. With the change, the moment of loudness also moved from being 22 seconds long to being an undetermined amount of time, changing game to game. The tribute includes a monologue of the legacy of Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe and an encouragement for fans and players to "become 22% better every day." Prior to the game, fans are invited to submit photos on the Utah Football website of loved ones who were Utah fans and who recently died. At the conclusion of the "Moment of Loudness" video, the photos of the Utah fans who have died are displayed on the

. Fans are invited to "let

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

voices ring out" and fans in attendance collectively produce as much noise as they can to honor the legacy of Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe, as well as all of the Utah Fans who had recently died. During daytime games, fans typically hold up two fingers on both hands during the moment of loudness. Additionally, during night games, fans also hold up their phone flashlights. Opposing team's visiting fans typically also participate in the moment of loudness, considering it to be an honorary tradition.

Notable players

Retired numbers

Notes

Lettered players

Years in parentheses are the years the player lettered in football with Utah. * Jack Johnson (1930–1932) —

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

Mac Speedie Mac Curtis Speedie (January 12, 1920 – March 5, 1993) was an American professional football end who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL) for seven years before ...

(1939–1941) —

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

* Larry Wilson (1957–1959) —

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

* George Seifert (1959) — two time

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

winning head coach * Dave Costa (1961–1962) — four time AFL

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

Roy Jefferson Roy Lee Jefferson (born November 9, 1943) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Colts, and Washington Redskins. He ...

(1962–1964) — three time Pro Bowl wide receiver *

Bob Trumpy Robert Theodore Trumpy Jr. (born March 6, 1945) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL), from 1968 through 1977. ...

(1966) — Pro Bowl

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

and

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

for NFL broadcasts *

Norm Chow Norman Yew Heen Chow (born May 3, 1946) is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football, University of Hawaii at Manoa, a position he held from December 2011 until November ...

(1965–1967) — Broyles Award winner for best assistant coach in college football * Manny Fernandez (1965–1967) — second team All-Pro

and starter on Miami's No-Name Defense * Norm Thompson (1969–1970) —

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for nine seasons in the NFL * Marv Bateman (1969–1971) — second team All Pro punter * Steve Odom (1971–1973) — Pro Bowl wide receiver * Del "Popcorn" Rodgers (1978–1981) — third round NFL Running back for San Francisco 49ers won

Super Bowl XXIII Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Cincinnati Bengals and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

* Scott Mitchell (1987–1989) — quarterback for eleven seasons in the NFL * Jamal Anderson (1992–1993) — All Pro running back for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

during

Super Bowl XXXIII Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XXXII champion 1998 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...

* Luther Elliss (1991–1994) — Pro Bowl defensive tackle * Kevin Dyson (1994–1997) — starting wide receiver for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

during

Super Bowl XXXIV Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...

Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, and Christine. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), Nigerian autho ...

(1995–1997)— Running Back and sixth round NFL Draft Selection

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

* Barry Sims (1995–1996) — starting Guard for the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...

* Mike Anderson (1998–1999) — 2000 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year * Ma'ake Kemoeatu (1998–2001) — 3 year Starter at Utah current Defensive Tackle

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

Super Bowl XLVII Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...

* Andre Dyson (1997–2000) — cornerback with 22

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s in the NFL * Steve Smith (1999–2000) — three time All-Pro wide receiver with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

* Jordan Gross (1998–2002) — All-Pro

with the Carolina Panthers * Chris Kemoeatu (2001–2004) – first team All-American 2004 sixth round NFL draft pick

(2002–2004) —

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

finalist, first pick of the

* Eric Weddle (2003–2006)— All-Pro

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

with the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980 at the age of 32, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. Johnson was one of the founding members of th ...

(2004–2005, 2007–2008) — quarterback with most wins in school history * Louie Sakoda (2005–2008) — consensus All-American

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

and All-American punter * Sean Smith (2006–2008) — Miami Dolphins cornerback and second round pick 2009 draft *

Paul Kruger Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger (; 10 October 1825 – 14 July 1904), better known as Paul Kruger, was a South African politician. He was one of the dominant political and military figures in 19th-century South Africa, and State Preside ...

(2007–2008) — All- MWC defensive lineman,

second round draft pick *

Zane Beadles Zane Dae Beadles (born November 19, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah Utes and received All-American honors. ...

(2006–2008) — All- MWC Left Guard, First team All-American WAA

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

second round NFL draft pick,

2013 Pro Bowl The 2013 Pro Bowl was the National Football League (NFL)'s sixty-third annual all-star game which featured players from the 2012 season. It took place at 2:30 pm Hawaii–Aleutian Time ( UTC−10:00; 7:30 pm Eastern Time) on Sunday, Ja ...

* Star Lotulelei (2010–2012) — consensus first team All-American Defensive Tackle, All-

first round NFL draft pick *

Tom Hackett Tom Hackett (born 10 May 1992) is an Australian former college football Punter (gridiron football), punter for the Utah Utes football, Utah Utes. He was a two-time winner of the Ray Guy Award. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New ...

(2012–2015) — 2014 and 2015 winner of the

Ray Guy Award The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding punter as adjudged by the Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, an All-American for Southern Mississippi and an All-Pro in the National Fo ...

for the nation's best punter and named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team * Mitch Wishnowsky (2016–2019) — 2016 winner of the Ray Guy Award for the nation's best punter

Future opponents

Big-12 opponents

On November 1, 2023, Utah's Big-12 opponents from 2024 through 2027 were revealed, with their rivalry game against BYU being a protected annual game.

Non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of June 4, 2025. Following the release of the Big 12 Scheduling Matrix for 2024–27, key changes included Utah vs. BYU becoming a protected rivalry and will become an annual conference game. The previously scheduled 2026 game against Houston becomes a Utah home game while the 2027 game against Houston is dropped.

References

External links

*
Football Video Collection
a
University of Utah Digital LibraryMarriott Library Special Collections
{{Authority control American football teams established in 1892 1892 establishments in Utah Territory