PROVO, Utah— BYU women’s basketball head coach Jeff Judkins was honored by the Days of ’47 Board of Trustees with one of six prestigious Pioneers of Progress awards. Judkins received the sportsmanship and athletics award.
As part of the annual celebration of Utah’s pioneer heritage, The Days of ’47 Board of Trustees honors modern-day Utahns who perpetuate a legacy of industry and integrity with Pioneers of Progress awards. These awards honor deserving Utahns whose lives and achievements commemorate such virtuous principles of pioneering as faith, courage, industry, integrity and sacrifice; and whose work benefits present and future generations.
Candidates for the award are nominated by fellow Utah citizens. Finalists are selected by The Days of ’47 Executive Committee. The recipients were honored at an awards dinner on July 15 and they will participate in Friday’s Days of ’47 grand parade in Salt Lake City.
For the past 14 years Judkins has been at the helm of the BYU women’s basketball program. He has an impressive 305-143 record, has earned two conference regular season titles and has three conference tournament crowns. His teams have advanced to the postseason 11 times, including two NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances. Judkins has garnered three conference Coach of the Year awards. He has coached six All-Americans, five conference Player of the Year recipients and more than 90 players have received academic citations.
Judkins played college basketball at the University of Utah from 1974-1978 leading the Utes to one conference championship and two NCAA tournament appearances. Drafted into the NBA by the Boston Celtics in 1978, he went on to play for the Celtics, Portland Trailblazers, Detroit Pistons and the Utah Jazz. Judkins was an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Utah for 10 years.
The other five Pioneers of Progress recipients are:
• Carl T. Wittwer won the science and technology award. Wittwer is the primary inventor of LifeCycler Real Time PCR System, a medical device used to detect diseases, mutations and cancers.
• Steven Stokes won the business and enterprise award. The CEO of Stokes Brothers Inc. built his business by renting calculators and TVs to fellow college students but now helps lead several organizations in Cache Valley.
• Alton C. Thacker won the education, health and humanitarian assistance award. Thacker founded Tiny Tim's Toy Foundation for Kids in 1996 to provide toys for children in need. The foundation now works all over the world, delivering 36,000 toys annually.
• Monte Bona won the historic and creative arts award. Bona is the director of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage area and received the Utah Heritage Foundation award for his work preserving historic buildings and creating the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area.
• Arlette Hart Day received a posthumous legacy award. Known as the "Grand Dame of Murray," Day was the first woman to serve as president of the Murray Chamber of Commerce and opened the landmark Day Murray Music store with her husband.