UTEP officials announced that tickets to the 17th Annual UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Banquet are now on sale.
This year’s class features Hans Hoglund (track & field), Stefon Jackson (men’s basketball), Tony Perea (football), Kayla Thornton (women’s basketball) and Brian Young (football).
They will be inducted into the UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, September 20 in the Larry K. Durham Sports Center.
The social hour is at 6 p.m., with the dinner and program to follow at 7. Individual tickets are $35, and a table for 10 is $350. Availability is limited, so call the Miner Athletic Club at (915) 747-8759 or visit the website to purchase tickets.
Hoglund was a five-time NCAA champion and seven-time All-American at UTEP. He was the 1973 and 1975 NCAA indoor and outdoor champ in the shot put, the 1974 NCAA indoor champ in the event, and held the NCAA record in the shot put in 1975. In 1975, he was rated first in the world in the shot put. He took third place in the shot put at the 1972 and 1974 NCAA Outdoor Meet.
Hoglund was also a six-time WAC champion. He was a 1976 Olympic finalist (eighth place). He was a member of three NCAA Championship teams with the Miners. Hoglund is a member of the UTEP Track and Field Hall of Fame. He will be honored posthumously as he passed away in his home country of Sweden in 2012.
Jackson scored a UTEP record 2,456 points and averaged more than 23 points per game as a junior (23.6 ppg) and senior (24.5 ppg). He is also first in school history in field goals (810) and free throws (726) made. He ranked seventh nationally in scoring as a junior and fifth as a senior. He was first in the country in free throws made (312) and attempted (374) during the 2008-09 campaign.
Jackson is first in UTEP history with sixty-eight 20-point games and rates second in 30-point games with 15, one behind Jim Barnes’ 16. Jackson was a three-time All-Conference USA selection (second team 2007, first team 2008 & 2009). He went on to play overseas in Turkey, Greece and Germany. He is a member of the UTEP Men’s Basketball Centennial Team.
Perea was named first team All-WAC in 1971 and 1972, the 1972 WAC Defensive Player of the Year and an Associated Press All-American in 1971. He was the 1972 UTEP team captain. The linebacker amassed 459 career tackles, the third-best total in UTEP history.
During the 1970 season, he recorded 26 tackles versus Arizona State. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders and the Hamilton Tiger Cats in the Canadian Football League, and was also a world-ranked heavyweight boxer in his 30’s. He coached football and wrestling in the El Paso Independent School District from 1978-2006.
He was inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.
Thornton starred for her hometown squad, culminating with helping the Miners earn runner-up honors at the 2014 WNIT in her senior season. UTEP won 96 games during her four years, including a program-record 29 victories in both the 2011-12 (29-4) and 2013-14 (29-8) campaigns.
She remains the UTEP record holder for points (1,679), rebounds (1,032), double-doubles (40), field goals made (600) and free throws made (390). She is also second in steals (217) and rebounding average (8.1). She was a three-time All-Conference USA honoree and an honorable mention All-American in 2014.
Thornton is currently a member of the Dallas Wings organization in the WNBA. She is a member of the UTEP Women’s Basketball Centennial Team.
Another El Paso native, Young was a fierce pass rusher for his hometown Miners. He closed out his college career with 32 tackles for losses and 14.5 sacks, ranking fifth in school annals in both categories.
In 1998, he became the first UTEP defensive lineman to post 100 tackles in 10 years. He also went over the century mark as a senior while registering 16 tackles for losses and eight sacks, garnering WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. He played for St. Louis and New Orleans over nine seasons in the NFL, and was a part of the Rams’ 2001 Super Bowl squad. He joined the Saints coaching staff in 2009 and currently serves as New Orleans’ pass rush specialist.
He is a member of the UTEP Football Centennial Team and was inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame.
