The University of Utah’s athletics department has been privileged to have countless superstar athletes throughout its history. The following five players all had incredible careers at the U, and they managed to have incredible impacts on the professional world as well.

No. 5: C.J. Cron, Men’s Baseball

C.J. Cron played for the U’s baseball team from 2009-11, after turning down the Chicago White Sox when he was drafted in the 44th round in 2009. During his time at Utah, the first baseman was a freshman All-American in 2009 and earned first-team All-American honors in both 2010 and 2011. Cron also won Mountain-West Player of the Year twice, while setting a record for batting average at the U with a career average of 0.396.

Cron went on to become the first ever baseball player from Utah’s baseball program to be drafted in the first round, being picked 17th overall by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2011. He made his first All-Star team in 2022, and is now playing for the Colorado Rockies and having a significant impact there.

No. 4: Kim Gaucher, Women’s Basketball

Kim Gaucher, formerly Kim Smith, was an athlete for the U’s women’s basketball team from 2002-06. In her time with Utah, Gaucher managed to win the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year award four times in a row, becoming only the second athlete in NCAA history to achieve such a feat. Smith is the all-time leader in Utah history in points and rebounds, and she also holds the single season record in scoring and field goals made. She was drafted in the first round of the 2006 WNBA draft with the 13th pick, going to the Sacramento Monarchs where she had a successful professional career.

No. 3: Alex Smith, Men’s Football

Alex Smith played for the Utah football team from 2002-04, having an incredible impact on the program and the NCAA as a whole. He managed to lead Utah to a 21-1 record as the starting quarterback and finished fourth in the Heisman trophy voting for the 2004 season, the same season he led his team to a Fiesta Bowl victory. Smith’s superstardom followed into his professional career, as he was drafted first overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL draft. He struggled with San Francisco for several years before a career resurgence with coach Jim Harbaugh. He then was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he made three Pro Bowls. He suffered a gruesome leg injury while playing for Washington in 2018, nearly costing him his life, before making a triumphant return in 2020 for the team.

No. 2: Andrew Bogut, Men’s Basketball

Andrew Bogut played men’s basketball with Utah from 2003-05, where he became their only ever consensus National Player of the Year. Despite only playing two seasons with Utah, his 2004-05 year included leading the nation in double-doubles and resulted in him being drafted first overall in the 2005 NBA draft to the Milwaukee Bucks. Having been drafted the same year as Smith, Bogut helped make Utah the only school to ever produce first overall picks in both the NBA and the NFL in the same year. He went on to have a career that became partially derailed by injuries, but eventually won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015.

No. 1: Missy Marlowe, Gymnastics

Missy Marlowe was a gymnast for the U’s gymnastics team from 1989-92. She found individual and team success at a rate that few athletes ever have, winning five individual national championships in her time with the U. Marlowe had quite the year in 1992 when she won the Honda Sports Award, which is awarded annually to the nation’s top gymnast. She also won the Honda-Broderick Cup, awarded annually to the nation’s top female athlete, becoming the first gymnast to ever win the award. Marlowe achieved perfect scores in several events throughout her career and was an All-American all four years she competed. Marlowe deserves more recognition for the near perfect career she had, as she is a big reason the U’s gymnastic program has earned their current reputation.

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