Coyote Chatter

Hall of Fame Weekend

Tom Berg USD Sports Information Coordinator

The 2009 class for the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame will be officially inducted on Saturday. Once again, it is an impressive group.

Elena (Swan) Davis and Steve Gordon were two of the greatest track and field athletes ever to come through at USD. Shane Murphy was a vital part of the Coyote men’s basketball teams that advanced to the Elite 8 in 1992-93 and 1993-94. Kurt Seibel was one of the greatest kickers in USD history. Jim Foster also left his mark at USD, leaving the Coyote football program with 17 passing records. And two special contributors who’ve been big supporters of USD athletics, John Waltner and Mike Mahon, are also being inducted.

I had the chance to have a brief visit with Jim Foster in the fall of 2008. He brought in a program from the 1969 Washington Redskins, whom he played for that season as a back-up quarterback. The interesting note about that was that the Redskins were coached that year by NFL coaching legend Vince Lombardi in what turned out to be his final year of coaching in the NFL. Lombardi died of cancer in Sept. 1970.

Also, the 1992-93 and 1993-94 men’s basketball teams are being recognized for special achievements. Those two teams made back-to-back appearances at the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, plus won back-to-back North Central Conference titles under Coach Dave Boots. Their 49-11 record of those two seasons is amazing, considering the strength of the NCC at that time and the quality of competition the Coyotes were facing.

It should be a great weekend at USD. The Coyote volleyball team opens the day at 10 a.m. at home against Houston Baptist, followed by the Hall of Fame luncheon at the Muenster University Center at noon. Then, there is the Coyote football game against Drake at 4:05 p.m.

Logan solid in NFL debut

Former Coyote football standout Stefan Logan had a solid opening game for Pittsburgh in his role as a kick returner. Logan averaged 29 yards on four kick returns and also had an 11-yard punt return in the Steelers’ 13-10 overtime win over the Titans. Pittsburgh faces Chicago this week.

About Coyote Chatter
Coyote Chatter is the sports information blog put together by USD sports information coordinator Tom Berg. This will be updated periodically, and also includes the Where Are They Now? Feature. If you have any submissions for updates on former athletes, coaches, etc., for this feature, please email tom.berg@usd.edu. We will also provide short tidbits on other former Coyotes.

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