Tom Jurich is off to Flagstaff, Arizona on Wednesday, going to be inducted into the Flagstaff Sports Foundation’s Hall of Fame.
Jurich made quite an impression at Northern Arizona University where he was a punter, placekicker and backup quarterback for the Lumberjacks. He earned first-team Kodak All-America honors in 1977 — the first collegiate kicker to make the Kodak honor list — and also received All-America acclaim from The Sporting News. He is the only kicker in Big Sky Conference history to be named the league’s offensive player of the year.
A 10th-round NFL draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jurich also played for the Minnesota Vikings.
He later returned to NAU, becoming the athletic director in 1988 after serving as co-director from 1986 to ’88. With his hiring in 1986, Jurich became the youngest athletic director at the Division I level. Departing in 1994, he became the athletic director at Colorado State before moving on to the University of Louisville in 1997.
UofL athletics began its meteoric rise to national prominence shortly thereafter.
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The local sports media converged at the University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville on Monday for the 17th renewal of Kenny Klein’s Pressbox Classic, a scramble that attracted more than 60 players.
Finishing first was a team that included UofL women’s golf coach Courtney Trimble, Jody Demling of the Cardinal Authority, Kent Spencer of WHAS-TV AND Kendrick Haskins of WAVE-TV,
Tom Jurich was on the second place team. His teammates included Kent Taylor of WAVE-TV, Terry Meiners of WHAS, and Fred Cowgil of WLKY-TV.
The third place team was fielded by Center Plate Concessions, with team members Sam Hitner, Thomas Tazbys, Wes Duke and Martin Durbin.
IJIT = In Jurich I Trust
Interesting that Terry played on Tom’s foursome. The two got at odds as I recall over Terry’s open criticism of the seating assignment scheme for the KFC Yum Center. Glad to see that’s apparently been patched over.
Well, deserve! Congratulations Tom!