Four inducted into Ricks College

Athletic Hall of Fame

A former coach and three former athletes have been inducted into the Ricks College Athletic Hall of Fame at Brigham Young University-Idaho.

They include former head women's basketball coach Lori Woodland of Rexburg, basketball star Danny Bower of Nampa, and football standouts Greg Clark of Pleasanton, California and Jared Lee of Boston. The Alumni Association awards were presented Friday, November 16, 2007, at a luncheon hosted by BYU-Idaho vice president Garth V. Hall.

Lori Woodland took over women's basketball at Ricks College in 1985. During her fourteen seasons, Lady Viking basketball grew from being competitive, to being the dominant program in Region 18. Lori's first Region 18 championship came in 1993 when Ricks posted a 29-4 record, and finished third at nationals. Four more region championships followed, including her final year in 2002 when the Lady Vikings closed out women's basketball winning the conference regular season title, the Region 18 championship, and a fifth trip to nationals under Coach Woodland. In all, Lori's teams posted only one losing season. Her 1997-98 team set a school record, with 33 wins against only 3 losses, winning the conference and region titles. Her overall record stands at 307 wins and 120 losses, a winning percentage of 72 percent. She coached four All Americans and was named Region 18 Coach of the Year on five occasions. Lori and husband Rich continue to live in Rexburg.

As shooting stars go, Danny Bower's shined brightly across the state of Idaho. He gained national attention on the basketball court at Caldwell High School, where he was Idaho's Gatorade Player of the year, Converse All American, a three time All State selection, and the state's scoring leader three straight years. He broke conference and state records in scoring and free throw shooting. He was a leading scorer for the Vikings his freshman year, before serving a mission to Belgium Brussels. Returning to Ricks in 1996-97, he led the team in scoring, was named All Region First Team, and All American. He was also an Academic All American and received the Clyde Packer Ideal Male Athlete Award. Danny went on to play at BYU where he was the Cougars leading three point shooter. His brothers Ricky, Greg and Mike also played at Ricks College. Danny and his wife Caroline live in Nampa and are the parents of four daughters, Morgan, Whitney, Eden, and Alexandra.

Greg Clark's life has been a whirl-wind of athletic activity. He was a standout in three sports at Viewmont High School in Utah, playing eight positions on the football team and three positions in baseball, as well as starring on the basketball team. Fortunately for Ricks College, he chose to focus on football with the Vikings. In a program that produced many outstanding tight ends, Greg ranks among the best ever. Starting in consecutive years in 1993 and 1994, Greg was Second Team All League as a freshman, then earned First Team All League and All American status as a sophomore. Over those two years, the Vikings record was 20-1, and the 1994 team ranks among the best in Viking football history. Clark added Academic All American honors to his resume as well. He went on to start at Stanford University and was drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers where he worked his way into the starting lineup before injuries ended his football career. Greg and his wife Carie are the parents of two boys, Jayden and McKay. They live in Pleasanton, California.

Jared Lee's path to Ricks College wound its way through his home town of Rexburg, Idaho; through Adams and Washington schools, then Madison Junior and Senior high. After his freshman year at Ricks College in 1995, he returned from a mission to lead the Viking football team to a 10-1 record in 1998, a WSFL championship and a #3 ranking on the final NJCAA poll. As a defensive back for the Vikings, he was named team captain, All American, All Conference, and Academic All American. He went on to play at BYU where he also was named team captain, All Conference, Academic All American, earned two post graduate scholarships, and was a College Football Hall of Fame National Scholar Athlete. With all of that, Jared says, "1998 was the best year of football I had in all of my playing career."  Jared and wife Niki are the parents of two children, Porter and Madeline. They live in Boston.