The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Sarkisian selected for induction into East-West Shrine Bowl Hall of Fame
01.22.2024 | Football
Texas Football head coach Steve Sarkisian will be inducted on January 31.
FRISCO, Texas – Texas Football head coach Steve Sarkisian was chosen for induction into the East-West Shrine Bowl Hall of Fame, the organization announced on Monday. Sarkisian will be inducted along with former Utah wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr., on January 31 during the game's official media day event. Both Sarkisian and Smith will be in attendance and honored during the 99th East-West Shrine Bowl game on February 1 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.
Sarkisian will be joined at the East-West Shrine Bowl by three Longhorns participating during the week's activities. Running back Jonathon Brooks who is injured and not playing in the game will be in attendance and on the West roster, while tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders and defensive back Ryan Watts are set to play for the West squad. Former Longhorn and current Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower will serve as head coach of the East team. A three-year Longhorn Letterman and special teams standout from 2000-02, Hightower has coached in the NFL for the past 16 years.
The East-West Shrine Bowl Hall of Fame is home to some of the greatest names ever to play the game including Bob Lilly, Randy White, Dick Butkus, Larry Csonka, Joe Greene, Gale Sayers, Brett Favre, Troy Vincent and Will Shields to name a few. The Class of 2024 marks the first time either inductee's alma mater – BYU (Sarkisian) and Utah (Smith) – has had a player enshrined to the East-West Shrine Bowl Hall of Fame.
Sarkisian played quarterback for two seasons while at Brigham Young University and two seasons professionally in the Canadian Football League. Sarkisian played in the 72nd annual East-West Shrine Bowl in 1997.
While at BYU from 1995-96, he completed 549-of-824 passes (66.6 percent) for 7,755 yards and 55 touchdowns. As a senior in 1996, he earned All-American honors after leading the nation in passing efficiency (173.6, then the fourth-best mark ever) as the Cougars went 14-1, won the WAC championship, and won the 1997 Cotton Bowl. Sarkisian's stellar season helped the Cougars become the first team in NCAA history to win 14 games in a single season. He was the WAC Offensive Player of the Year in 1996 and earned second-team All-America honors.
Sarkisian first became a head coach in 2009 at the University of Washington. He led the Huskies for five seasons before heading to the University of Southern California for two seasons. Sarkisian has been the head coach at The University of Texas since 2021, leading the Longhorns to a Big 12 Conference championship and the College Football Playoff in 2023. The Longhorns posted their fourth season of 12 or more wins in school history and finished No. 3 in The Associated Press final poll — it's best finish since 2009 — last season. He earned Big 12 Coach of the Year accolades from the Associated Press, Bryant Award and USA Today and was a finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and George Munger Coach of the Year awards. Sarkisian heads into year four with a 25-14 record Texas that includes a 20-7 mark the past two seasons. Texas' eight wins in Big 12 regular season action last season were the most since 2009. In 10 years as a head coach, he is 71-49, which includes seven bowl bids.
ABOUT EAST-WEST SHRINE BOWL
The East-West Shrine Bowl is the longest running college all-star football game in the nation. Since 1925, the game has benefited Shriners Children's and its mission to provide innovative pediatric specialty care to improve and transform the lives of children. The East-West Shrine Bowl is known for being the starting point of many noteworthy NFL careers, including nearly 100 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For more information, please visit shrinebowl.com.
ABOUT SHRINERS CHILDREN'S
Shriners Children's is changing lives every day by providing innovative pediatric specialty care, conducting research to improve the quality of lives, and of care, and offering outstanding educational programs for medical professionals. We provide patient-centered care in several areas. All care and services are provided regardless of the families' ability to pay or insurance status.
Shriners Children's is a nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. For more information, including the full range of care available, please visit shrinerschildrens.org.
