Coaching Factory 2012

Several years ago, a former SUU student and Salt Lake City newspaper reporter coined the moniker "The Coaching Factory" to describe Southern Utah University and the success of its alumni in the high school coaching ranks.

On January 21, 2012, SUU alumni coaches who competed for a championship in their respective sports during the 2010-2011 academic school year were honored, along with alumni who have made the transition from coach to administrator.

Two individuals, who epitomize all that is praise worthy about high school sports, were inducted into the Coaching Factory Hall of Fame. Each has a plaque mounted on the J.L. Sorenson Physical Education Building's Wall of Honor and Recognition.

After an all-state football career at Grantsville High School, Kevin Butler ('84) went on to further gridiron greatness at Southern Utah University, where he was a three-year starter on the offensive line for the Thunderbirds. He coached for a year at Tooele High School, then returned to Grantsville in 1984 as an assistant football coach before assuming the top job in 1987 and leading the Cowboys to glory, winning three state crowns, including the first in the school's history in 1992, and amassing a record of 117 and 54 over 16 seasons with each team progressing to the playoffs. He coached 50 first-team All-State players, seven Utah MVPs and was three times named coach of the year for the state. Beyond that, he was largely responsible for upgrading Cowboy Stadium, making it a site that instilled pride in the school and community. He also was the initial coach for Grantsville High School's wrestling and golf programs in the mid-'80s and coached girls track and field as well. Additionally, he instituted the little league wrestling program in Grantsville in 1985 and the little league Ute football program in 1987. In 2009, he joined the staff of one of his formers players when Clint Christiansen became Stansbury High School's first football coach and aided the Stallions on their road to becoming another dynasty in Utah 3-A football. For his quarter-century of outstanding service, Kevin Butler is indeed a fitting inductee into the Southern Utah University Coaching Factory Hall of Fame.

 Eric Houle ('81), who has mentored the cross country and track and field teams at Southern Utah University since 1992, has become one of America's most respected coaches. Previous to returning to his alma mater, he turned in a stellar 11-year run as cross country coach at Salt Lake City's Judge Memorial High School, producing three state championship teams along with five runner-up squads. He was three times named coach of the year in Utah. At SUU he has led his teams to 38 conference championships and can boast of an NCAA Mountain Division cross country championship as well, a feat for which he was named region coach of the year. He has won conference coach of the year honors an impressive 32 times, coaching both men's and women's teams in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field. Along the way, he has coached 736 all-conference athletes, 252 individual conference champions, 25 conference athletes of the year, 27 conference newcomers of the year, 24 NCAA national qualifiers, 75 NCAA West regional qualifiers and four NCAA All-Americans. His teams have excelled in the classroom as well over the years, garnering two academic national championships and a runner-up honor while nine athletes have been named academic all-America. Coach Houle earned two bachelor's degrees from SUU in 1981 as well as a master's degree in 1998. Honoring his remarkable career as a leader and teacher, Southern Utah University is pleased and proud to induct Eric Houle into the Coaching Factory Hall of Fame.