OGDEN, Utah, July 22, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Weber State‘s legendary track and field coach Chick Hislop, All-American quarterback Jamie Martin and Olympic steeplechaser Lindsey Anderson have been inducted into the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame.
The three former Wildcats headlined the 14-member 2023 Hall of Fame class honored during a ceremony Saturday night at the Big Sky’s Football Kickoff Weekend in Spokane, Washington. It’s just the second group to be inducted since the conference Hall of Fame was created in 2020.
Martin and Anderson both attended the induction ceremony, while Hislop, who died Feb. 22 at age 86, was represented by two of his children, Chris Hislop and Jill Gibson.
Larry Krystkowiak, who played for the Utah Jazz and later coached men’s basketball at the University of Utah, also was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his three-time Big Sky MVP career at the University of Montana.
Jamie Martin
Martin was a two-time All-American and Walter Payton Award-winning quarterback at Weber State from 1989-92.
The Arroyo Grande, California, native brought national recognition to the Wildcats by throwing for 12,207 yards and a Big Sky record 87 touchdowns during his 41-game collegiate career, including 36 as a starter. At the time, his career passing yards made him the all-time leader in the history of Division I-AA football.
“That yardage figure, I think I’m most proud of [that] because there were no bubble screens back in 1992,” Martin said during the induction ceremony. “Like nowadays, you know, bubble screens are half of the offense, so it’s something I’m proud of.”
Following his time at Weber State, Martin played 14 seasons with 14 different NFL teams. He was inducted into the Weber State Hall of Fame in 2000 and became the first athlete is school history to have his jersey retired in 2014.
“When you play a position like quarterback, you’re always in the spotlight,” he said. “Whether you throw the six interceptions or the six touchdowns, you’re the one getting the blame or the credit. I was lucky to have so many great teammates and coaches around me to help me through that and to share in the good times and the bad times.
“You can’t do it without people, and I’ve been lucky enough to have … great people around me to share in success and failure, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Lindsey Anderson
Anderson is an Olympian and All-American steeplechaser who earlier this month announced her return to Weber State as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams.
The Morgan native had a Hall of Fame career at Weber State from 2004 to 2007, twice earning All-America honors and winning nine Big Sky titles (six individual and three relays) before qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in the steeplechase.
“I feel very fortunate with the experience that I’ve had, both as an athlete when I was running in college and my post-collegiate time when I was an elite, professional athlete when I was running at the Olympics,” Anderson said during the ceremony.
“All those things were great, but once I started coaching and started to learn more about the other side of the athletic world, I really started to fall in love with that side of it too. I’ve had some very unique opportunities in my coaching [career] to get me to the point where I feel very excited and ready to come back to Weber State.”
Anderson became the first WSU athlete in any sport to complete in the Summer Games in July 2008 after finishing second overall at the U.S. Olympic Trials for the steeplechase, posting a personal-best time of 9:30.75.
Her success in the steeplechase also led her to the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, and the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany. She also competed in the 2020 Olympics Marathon Trial in Atlanta, Georgia.
Anderson set school records in the steeplechase and 10,000 meters in outdoor track and field and the 5,000 meters in indoor during her time at WSU. As a senior in 2007, she became the collegiate steeplechase record holder and the first athlete in Big Sky history to win the conference title in the steeplechase, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters in the same championship.
Anderson returns to WSU after spending the past season as the head cross country coach and assistant distance coach at the University of Missouri. She previously spent five years as the head men’s and women’s cross country coach at the College of Southern Idaho, where she twice was named National Women’s Coach of the Year.
Charles “Chick” Hislop
Hislop coached Weber State’s track and field teams from 1969 to 2006, achieving unprecedented levels of success that likely will remain unmatched: 21 Big Sky titles and a slew of Coach of the Year awards at the Big Sky (20), District VIII (three) and national levels (one).
He led WSU to nine Big Sky titles in outdoor track and field, seven in cross country, and five in indoor track and field. In all, Hislop coached the Wildcats in 106 conference championships and more than 1,000 total meets.
The 1955 graduate of Ben Lomond High School was a track athlete at then-Weber Junior College, earning Junior College All-American honors in the 2-mile run and finishing fifth in the national championships. After graduating from Weber in 1957, Hislop transferred to Utah State, where he was a member of the track team and graduated in 1959.
Hislop returned to Ben Lomond in 1959 to begin his nearly 50-year coaching career. After 10 years as the Scots’ track and field coach, he was hired as coach at Weber State, where he spent the next 38 years and retired as the longest-tenured coach in any sport in Big Sky history.
Hislop coached 26 student athletes to All-American honors a total of 46 times in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, including two athletes — Farley Gerber and Charles Clinger — who won NCAA individual championships.
He also was considered an authority in steeplechase training and technique, which took him around the world as an expert speaker.
In 1996, he served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Men’s Track and Field Team at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, where he was the primary coach of the USA long distance runners.
Hislop was inducted into the Weber State Hall of Fame in 2007, Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2008, and U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in 2010.
Other inductees
- Archie Amerson, Northern Arizona football (1995-96)
- Geronne Black, Portland State track and field (2010-13)
- Shannon Butler, Montana State cross country/track and field (1989-91)
- Debby Colberg, Sacramento State volleyball (1976-07)
- Kim Exner, Eastern Washington volleyball (1995-98)
- Dr. Ginny Hunt, Montana State administration (1977-93)
- Margarita Karnaukhova, Sacramento State women’s tennis (2003-06)
- Charles Roberts, Sacramento State football (1997-2000)
- Michael Roos, Eastern Washington football (2001-04)
- Ron Stephenson, Big Sky commissioner (1981-95)
