PROVO -- Four former Cougar athletes and one broadcaster will be inducted into the Brigham Young University Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 9, 2005.
Legendary KSL broadcaster Paul James along with David Harkness (tennis), Gayland Mills (football), Vanessa Bergman Thelin (diving) and Sue Billek Nyhus (golf) will receive the BYU Athletic Department's highest honor Friday at a ceremony hosted by the Cougar Club at LaVell Edwards Stadium at 7:00 p.m. The five inductees will also be honored during a special presentation at halftime of the BYU vs. Eastern Illinois game on Saturday, Sept. 10.
Paul James -- who will be inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame by LaVell Edwards -- was the "Voice of the Cougars" from 1965-2000. In his 35 seasons calling Cougar sports on KSL, James provided play-by-play for more than 400 football games and 900 basketball contests, including many of the greatest moments in BYU history. In all, his broadcasting career spanned more than 50 years.
In his extensive travels with Cougar teams, James broadcasted live from nearly every section of the country. He found himself in the company of some of the legendary coaches and players of that time and interviewed a host of celebrated sports figures.
James and his wife Annette have one son, Steve, and three daughters, Susan, Cindy and Cheri.
David Harkness, who had one of the most decorated tennis careers in BYU history, will also be inducted into BYU's Hall of Fame.
In 1984, his first season as a Cougar, Harkness was named WAC Freshman of the Year and was also named All-American. He would go on to receive all-conference honors as a singles and doubles player in each of his four years at BYU, and was twice named WAC Player of the Year.
Harkness helped BYU win two WAC championships in addition to a second-place finish. He also won the WAC doubles championship once and the singles championships twice. As a senior in 1989, Harkness received his second All-American citation and was the national recipient of the ITA John Van Nostrand Award for leadership, sportsmanship and performance.
Harkness and his wife Lisa have five children: Jasmine (14), Alyssa (11), Trevor (10), Olivia (8) and Nathan (6).
Football great Gayland "Mike" Mills is also included on the list to be inducted. Mills was a member of the 1942 football team that holds the distinction of being the first Cougar squad to defeat the University of Utah.
Mills played at BYU from 1939-1946, with his career being interrupted from 1942-45 while serving in World War II with the Army Reserves. Mills played both offensive and defensive positions, earning him the nickname "Iron Mike." He earned all-conference honors as a sophomore, junior and senior.
In 1941 Mills scored the only touchdown when BYU tied Utah, 6-6. Then in 1942, he helped the Cougars defeat Utah, 12-7, for the first time in school history. In 1942, Mills was one of two players from the conference listed in the Football Illustrated All-American Preview.
Mills and his wife Margaret have four children Sherry Mills Phair, Gayland, Charlene Mills Ashworth and Scott. The Mills have 15 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren and now reside in Tempe, Ariz.
Diving standout and 1994 NCAA 1-Meter Board Champion Vanessa Bergman Thelin will also be inducted into the Cougar Club Hall of Fame Friday night.
Thelin competed for the Y from 1990 to 1994 and received seven All-American citations during her collegiate career. She dominated at the regional level taking first her freshman, sophomore and junior years on the 3-meter board. She also took first regionally on the 1-meter board in 1994, second in 1991, and fourth in 1992 and 1993.
In the WAC Conference, Thelin was Champion in both the 1 and 3-meter events in 1992, 1993 and 1994. She was All-Conference on the 1-meter board in all four seasons and was the 1994 WAC Diver of the Year.
Thelin and her husband Jason now live in Alpine, Utah and are parents to four children, one boy and three girls.
The final 2005 inductee is BYU women's golf coach Sue Billek Nyhus. She competed for the Cougars from 1981-1985 and was named BYU Women's Golfer of the Year all four years. Nyhus strived to keep a balance between athletics and academics by maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher during eight semesters of competition and earned the Cougar Club Athlete Scholar Award twice. She was also named to the Academic All-HCAC team in 1984 and 1985 and was an Academic All-American in 1985.
As a senior in 1985, Nyhus received the Cougar Club Leona Holbrook Spirit of Sport Award. She also helped the Cougars to a 14th place NCAA finish in 1985, while leading BYU to a first-place conference finish.
Nyhus began coaching for the women's team in 2001 and has produced numerous Cougar Club Scholar-Athletes, Academic All-Americans and All-Mountain West Conference athletes. In 2005 Nyhus led the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since she played in 1985. For her efforts, she was named MWC Coach of the Year.
Nyhus now resides in Orem, Utah with her husband Steven and their three daughters Stina, Kimberly and Katie.