By Shaylee Souza, Sun Devil Media Relations Intern
As his eyes glanced over the words he had prepared, his voice slowly began to break. Zach Miller's massive, burly body began to shift as he started to recall the memories of his football career at Arizona State.
This visceral reaction was experienced by most of those who were inducted into the Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame with the 2016 class.
"Getting to play at such a great program in the Pac-12 combined with getting the quality education that I was getting here at ASU is really unmatched," Miller said. "The people you meet and the network you create going to school here set me up to where if I didn't make it in professional football, I could've had a good career in something else."
The ceremony, held at the Phoenix Country Club, honored six student-athletes, including Nick Brunelli (Men's Swimming), Levi Jones (Football), Zach Miller (Football), Casey Myers (Baseball), Thom Ortiz (Wrestling), and Phelan Wright (Softball), as well as head coaches John Cooper (Football) and Marty Pincus (Men's Tennis).
This incoming class was a diverse one, with athletes varying in everything from their backgrounds to their age. This contrast was exemplified in a number of ways, including Ortiz, who dominated the mats from 1987-90 and came to the Devils from Sunnyside High School in Tucson, sharing the stage with Miller, who powered the Sun Devil offense from 2004-06 and attended Phoenix's Desert Vista High School.
Despite hailing from different cities, playing different sports and pursuing different careers after retirement, the inductees all agreed upon one thing: their years at ASU left lasting impacts on their lives.
"Wrestling demands so much energy which is great because I had so much growing up," Ortiz said. "I would always get into fights during the offseason in high school because I had too much energy, and wrestling at Arizona State kept me and so many others out of trouble."
The class of 2016 will receive their Hall of Fame plaques on the field during halftime of the football game against UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 7.
As his eyes glanced over the words he had prepared, his voice slowly began to break. Zach Miller's massive, burly body began to shift as he started to recall the memories of his football career at Arizona State.
This visceral reaction was experienced by most of those who were inducted into the Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame with the 2016 class.
"Getting to play at such a great program in the Pac-12 combined with getting the quality education that I was getting here at ASU is really unmatched," Miller said. "The people you meet and the network you create going to school here set me up to where if I didn't make it in professional football, I could've had a good career in something else."
The ceremony, held at the Phoenix Country Club, honored six student-athletes, including Nick Brunelli (Men's Swimming), Levi Jones (Football), Zach Miller (Football), Casey Myers (Baseball), Thom Ortiz (Wrestling), and Phelan Wright (Softball), as well as head coaches John Cooper (Football) and Marty Pincus (Men's Tennis).
This incoming class was a diverse one, with athletes varying in everything from their backgrounds to their age. This contrast was exemplified in a number of ways, including Ortiz, who dominated the mats from 1987-90 and came to the Devils from Sunnyside High School in Tucson, sharing the stage with Miller, who powered the Sun Devil offense from 2004-06 and attended Phoenix's Desert Vista High School.
Despite hailing from different cities, playing different sports and pursuing different careers after retirement, the inductees all agreed upon one thing: their years at ASU left lasting impacts on their lives.
"Wrestling demands so much energy which is great because I had so much growing up," Ortiz said. "I would always get into fights during the offseason in high school because I had too much energy, and wrestling at Arizona State kept me and so many others out of trouble."
The class of 2016 will receive their Hall of Fame plaques on the field during halftime of the football game against UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 7.