Five Inducted Into BYU Athletics Hall of Fame

Five former All-Americans were inducted into the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame at a banquet hosted by the Cougar Club on Friday, September 7. Jonny Harline (football), Russell Holmes (volleyball), Lindsey Steele Metcalf (track & field/volleyball), Aaron Russell (diving) and Daniel Summerhays (golf).

The five inductees will also be honored during a special halftime presentation at the football home opener against Cal on Saturday, September 8.

Read a quote from each inductee's speech Friday night along with each Cougar's bio below.

Jonny Harline

"You get out what you put in is the conventional wisdom. But that often doesn't seem quite right to me. Our actions sent out as wind return to us, for better or worse, as a whirlwind, much larger in magnitude than the small gust we offered."

The man on the receiving end of one of the most dramatic moments in BYU football history, Jonny Harline is, yes, still open. But he also has a deserved spot with the greatest collection of tight ends at any university, including fellow Hall of Fame members Clay Brown and Chad Lewis.

A transfer from Ricks Junior College, Harline saw limited time on special teams as a sophomore in 2004 before making a name for himself in 2005. Harline started every game, recording 63 catches for 853 yards and five touchdowns and earning first-team All-MWC honors.

Harline joined John Beck and Curtis Brown in 2006 to produce one of the highest scoring offenses in college football. Harline led the nation’s tight ends with 935 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns and a 16.1 yards per reception average; his touchdown total tied for fourth-most ever in a season by a Cougar. That year, BYU won the MWC championship with a perfect 8-0 record, culminating in Harline’s kneeling touchdown catch with no time left on the clock to defeat Utah for his third touchdown of the game.

Harline broke the Las Vegas Bowl record with 181 receiving yards on nine catches in the final win of the season against Oregon. For his efforts in helping BYU to a No. 16 final ranking, Harline was again voted to the All-MWC First Team and was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award. He was also named an Associated Press Third Team All-American in addition to earning five All-America First Team citations, including recognition from The Sporting News, ESPN and Sports Illustrated.

Harline finished his career eighth in BYU history in receiving touchdowns with 17 and 14th in school history with 1,788 receiving yards despite seeing time in just two seasons.

A two-time All-MWC Academic Team honoree, Harline graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Spanish. He signed a free agent deal with the Indianapolis Colts but has gone on to become a teacher at Challenger School and owner of a Hokulia Shave Ice franchise. Currently residing in Las Vegas, Harline serves in multiple assignments in his church congregation and has spoken to many youth groups. He and his wife, Tiare, are the parents of three children: Leila, Lucas and Gabriel.

Russell Holmes

"What an honor, what a privilege, to be back at this incredible institution and in this way. To be honest, when I think about my career, I wouldn't be where I am, the person I am or the athlete I am without the people that surrounded me. It's the people in my life that have led me to this moment."

The all-time leader in blocks and sets played when he finished his career at BYU in 2008, Russell Holmes excelled for the Cougars and his country as an all-time great middle blocker.

A redshirt on BYU’s national championship team in 2004, Holmes played in every match as a freshman the following year. Over the next three seasons the California native was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American and All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation selection every season.

Holmes shattered multiple records during his time in Provo. He ranks first in the rally-scoring era in career hitting percentage (.494), career solo blocks (61), single season block assists (157 in 2008) and solo blocks (28 in 2007) and finished his career as the all-time leader in career block assists (477) and sets played (414).

After graduating with a degree in sociology in 2008, Holmes won multiple championships, medals and individual honors competing internationally, including Puerto Rico, Brazil, and multiple spots in Europe. After claiming two Austrian Cups, he won a league championship in Poland as well. Holmes was given Best Blocker honors and won silver medals at both the FIVB Club World Championship and the CEV Champions League, Europe’s top tournament.

A member of the United States National Team from 2009-15, Holmes has helped the U.S. to gold, silver and bronze medals at the FIVB World League and a gold medal at the FIVB World Cup in 2015. He reached the world’s biggest stage in 2012 as a starter on the U.S. Olympic Team competing in London. Returning to where we served his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Holmes started every set for the Americans and led the team in blocks. Four years later he served as an alternate on the Olympic team that won the bronze medal.

Holmes has mentored many young people as a scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts and as a coach for multiple youth volleyball camps and clinics. He’s also served as keynote speaker for businesses, nonprofits and sports groups.

Holmes is currently an account manager with Life Time, a chain of health clubs. He currently resides in Aliso Viejo, California, and is married to his wife, Krystal. He has three children: Sadie, Shea and Liam.

Aaron Russell

"I really want to thank my mom and dad, Keith and Marsha Russell. Mom and Dad this is for you; thank you. Thank you for all you sacrificed."

An All-American student-athlete in and out of the pool, Aaron Russell earned multiple personal honors throughout his diving career at BYU from 2000-03 while helping the Cougars win the conference title every single year.

After being named a high school All-American at nearby Timpview High, Russell excelled on platform and the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards at BYU. He immediately made a splash as a freshman, winning the Mountain West Conference title in the 1-meter springboard before earning All-America honors at the NCAA Championships.

Russell continued his excellence during his sophomore and junior seasons, earning six All-MWC First Team recognitions and a conference title in the 3-meter springboard and another All-America citation in the 1-meter springboard.

In 2002, after finishing seventh at the U.S. Diving Nationals, Russell won all three events at the MWC Championships as a senior and was named the conference’s Diver of the Year. He capped off his career with a fourth-place finish and first-team All-America honors in the 1-meter springboard and a 10th-place finish and second-team All-America in the 3-meter springboard at the NCAA Championships. 

Inspired in part by his mission to the Church of Jesus Christ in Portugal, Russell earned his undergraduate degree in Portuguese and minor in management, doing so a year early. He excelled as a student, earning CoSIDA Academic All-American and College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American in addition to being a four-time Academic All-MWC Team member.

Russell went on to earn his JD from the University of Texas in 2007 and passed the bar exam that same year. He currently works for Anadarko Petroleum in The Woodlands, Texas, as a land negotiator and serves in leadership capacities in the American Association of Professional Landmen and its local chapter. He has given of his time with organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America, Habitat for Humanity and Mormon Helping Hands.

Russell joins his father, Keith, as the fourth father-son duo in the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame. A U.S. Olympian and NCAA champion among many other accolades, Keith was BYU’s dive coach for 23 years, including four coaching Aaron. Russell and his wife, Jamie, have two children, Emma and John.

Lindsey Steele Metcalf

"I'm thankful to this institution, for the opportunity to attend Brigham Young University and to get a very good education while being held to such high standards."

Both a star volleyball player and indoor and outdoor high jumper at BYU, Lindsey Steele Metcalf is one of the most decorated student-athletes in Cougar history.

Steele Metcalf began her BYU career with the volleyball team in 2001, appearing in 16 matches. Beginning a pattern she would repeat three more times, Steele Metcalf transitioned to track and field as the new year began where, as a freshman, she won both the indoor and outdoor Mountain West Conference individual high jump titles. At the NCAA Championships she finished top 10 nationally in both events to earn a pair of All-America awards.

The following year, Steele Metcalf set an MWC single-match record with 17 blocks against UNLV before again winning the outdoor high jump title and placing fifth in the NCAA meet to earn her third All-America recognition.

After winning the MWC indoor high jump championship in 2004 and placing fifth at NCAAs as a junior, she added a second top-10 finish in the outdoor national meet for her second year of double All-America honors. She added a CoSIDA Academic All-America citation as well for her work in the classroom.

Steele Metcalf finished her time as a Cougar on a high note, first by being named to the All-MWC volleyball team. In track and field she swept the conference high jump competitions and advanced to the NCAA Championships yet again, placing fifth at the outdoor meet to be named an All-American. For her efforts her senior year, Steele Metcalf was named MWC Female Student-Athlete of the Year, MWC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Utah and BYU Female Athlete of the Year.

All told, Steele Metcalf earned six All-America citations, six individual MWC titles, six Academic All-MWC honors and an All-MWC recognition in addition to helping her team win seven MWC team titles and finish nationally ranked in the top 10 three times and the top 20 eight times.

Steele Metcalf graduated magna cum laude in early childhood education with minors in management and TESOL. She is the founder and director of Utah Voltage Volleyball Club, a low-cost local volleyball club intended to expose more children to volleyball, and has been involved in coaching and serving in the community. Currently residing in Holladay, Utah, she and her husband, Benson, have four children: Jordan, Cannon, Steele and Sydney.

Daniel Summerhays

"The biggest and most important class my freshman year was my Book of Mormon course. That's why I love BYU so much—we get to pray before class, we get to pray after class, we get to talk about God and our relationship with him. It was in that Book of Mormon class I felt the love of God and my Savior grow. I think that's the biggest gift Brigham Young University gave me and I'm so grateful for that."

After winning not one, but two Utah State Amateur Championships while still in high school, Daniel Summerhays set expectations high before he even joined the BYU men’s golf team. Yet through his time as a Cougar and as a professional, Summerhays has continued to rise to the challenge and represent BYU well.

In his first year on campus starting in 2002, Summerhays won Mountain West Conference Freshman of Year honors in addition earning All-MWC and Academic All-MWC recognition. Upon returning home from his mission to Chile and despite not touching a golf club his two years there, Summerhays continued his ascent in 2005-06, with multiple top finishes on his way to being named Golf Coaches Association of America All-Region and All-America honorable mention.

During his junior year in 2006-07, Summerhays joined an extremely elite group by shooting a 60 at the PING/Golfweek Preview, becoming just the fourth collegiate golfer to shoot a round that low. Summerhays would go on to lead BYU to a first-place finish at the MWC Championships, again earning All-MWC and Academic All-MWC. He was also named a CoSIDA Academic All-American. At the NCAA Championships, Summerhays took fourth overall, earning a first-team All-America citation to become the 10th first-teamer in BYU history and the first in 21 years. In all, Summerhays recorded a 69.9 stroke average on the season, the lowest NCAA average in the country.

Competing as an amateur, Summerhays won the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational, a Nationwide Tour event, in July 2007. A short time later he opted to join the Nationwide Tour as a pro where he played until 2010. After earning his card, Summerhays began his PGA Tour career in 2011. He’s since recorded 19 top-10 finishes, including third place at the 2016 PGA Championship and an eighth-place finish at the 2016 U.S. Open.

Summerhays graduated magna cum laude with a degree in finance from the BYU Marriott School of Business in 2008. Currently residing in Farmington, Utah, he and his wife, Emily, have four children: Jack, Patton, William and Lydia.