Several years ago, an SUU alumnus and Salt Lake City newspaper reporter coined the moniker "The Coaching Factory" to describe SUU and the success our alumni have in the coaching ranks.
This year out of all the high schools 140 principal positions in the state of Utah, SUU alumni fill 28% of those positions, which equals 40 alumni; five are superintendents.
On January 31, 2015, alumni coaches who in 2013-2014 competed for the championship in their respective sports were recognized, and several of them made their way back to campus to be honored:
Also honored were two individuals who were nominated by their peers for enshrinement into the Southern Utah University "Coaching Factory Hall of Fame."
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| Dr. Steve Lunt, Dave Peck and Ben Davidson |
Dave Peck, who retired in December after an extraordinarily
illustrious 15-year career as the head football coach at Bingham High School,
is a 1983 graduate of SUU, where he was a four-year letterman and three-year
starter in football. He began his prep coaching career at Grace High School in
Grace, Idaho, then moved on to North Sanpete High in 1984 with a region
championship in football while also coaching baseball and assisting in
basketball. He spent a decade as a coordinator for Bingham and Hunter high
schools’ football squads while running his own business, then took over the
program at his alma mater, Cyprus High, for the next five years, leading his
teams to the state playoffs in four of those years. In 2000, he assumed the
leadership of the Miners program and over the next 15 years, led his squads to
a record of 155-37 and five state championships. His teams garnered 10 region
crowns and two second-place finishes in the state and he finished his run there
with the nation’s eighth-ranked team. There are only two coaches in the history
of Utah high school football with a better playoff record than Coach Peck. He
has picked up a bevy of coach of the year awards, has been selected to coach
several national all-star teams in bowl games, and is renowned for instilling a
strong sense of responsibility in his players. Honoring
his exceptional career as a leader and teacher, Southern Utah University is
pleased and proud to induct Dave Peck into the Coaching Factory Hall of Fame.
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| Jeff Keel |
Following an all-America career as a defensive end for the
Thunderbird football team, Jeff Keel has gone on to become one of the premier
football coaches in Nevada, fashioning a record of extraordinary accomplishment
and inspiration. A three-sport star at Millard High School before attending SUU,
he was a four-year T-Bird starter on the gridiron and shined on the track and
field team as well. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from SUU
in 1974 and, later, a master’s degree in education from UNLV. He has spent the
past 41 years teaching and coaching at Moapa Valley High School in Overton and,
as defensive coordinator for the Pirate football team under five head coaches,
has helped MVHS accumulate a record of 317-106, winning 10 state crowns in 18
trips to the championship game. Along the way he also coached the varsity boys’
basketball team—racking up a mark of 228-94—won a Nevada title once to go along
with five runner-up finishes, and was twice Nevada AAA Coach of the Year. He
has continued to serve the team as a consultant. He also coached girls’
fast-pitch softball, and boys’ and girls’ track and field, notching three state
crowns, and today he assists with the distance runners. In 2010 the MVHS
football field was christened “Jeff Keel Field and Stadium,” and in 2014 he was
named one of SUU’s 100 all-time greatest football players. Honoring his four decades of unparalleled dedication, Southern Utah
University proudly inducts Jeff Keel into the Coaching Factory Hall of Fame.
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