Three Cougars inducted into Utah Hall of Fame

PROVO, Utah—Three former BYU athletes were inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Tuesday evening.

Cougar track athlete Richard George (1971, 1975-77), football player Chad Lewis (1993-96) and cross country athlete Doug Padilla (1975-81) were three of the five athletes to receive the honor. The other two were former Jazz teammates John Stockton and Karl Malone.

Three-time All-American in the javlin, George garnered WAC championship honors three years in a row while at BYU and placed second in the NCAA Championships during his junior year. George went on to make the U.S. Olympic team for the Montreal games. He was inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 1987.

Lewis received an All-America Honorable Mention award and three All-WAC awards during his time as a Cougar. He also earned Academic All-America accolades. Following his years at BYU, Lewis signed a rookie free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles and went on to play in three Pro Bowls and one Super Bowl. He was inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 2007.

Padilla is an eight-time All-American and won the 1981 NCAA indoor two-mile championship. After BYU, Padilla won five consecutive indoor national championships and four outdoor championships, breaking seven American records. He also competed in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games and was inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame in 1991.

Photo by Scott G. Winterton/Deseret News