Cedar High School inducts 4 more into Athletic Hall of Fame

A sign in the hallway in the foyer south of Cedar High School gym bears the names of the inductees into the school's athletic hall of fame. Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 6, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY – Four illustrious athletes and/or coaches have recently been inducted into Cedar High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Undated photo of basketball coach Steve Hodson | Photo courtesy of Steve Hodson Cancer Classic, St. George News / Cedar City News

The new inductees bring the total number of members in the hall of fame to 15, said Wayne Decker, chairman of the hall’s selection committee. Three new honorees have already been recognized during the halftime of recent Cedar High basketball games, with one more to be honored at an upcoming game.

The names of the inductees are included on a commemorative plaque hanging on the wall in the foyer to the south of the school’s gymnasium.

The three inductees already honored thus far this season are basketball star and coach Rich Barton, volleyball and basketball standout Paula Burgoyne-Jenson and longtime cross-country and track coach Bob Corry.

The fourth inductee is a posthumous honor recognizing Steve Hodson, the longtime basketball coach who died of cancer at age 53 in 2008.

Hodson’s career, which spanned more than three decades, included stints at Cedar High, Canyon View High, Dixie College and Southern Utah University. Hodson’s family members are scheduled to accept the award on his behalf during halftime of the Cedar boys basketball game against Dixie on Feb. 2.

Following are short biographical sketches of each of the three honorees who have already been recognized recently:

Richard Barton

Barton, who is now the activities director and an assistant principal at Richfield High School, was recognized during Cedar’s boys basketball game against the Richfield Wildcats on Dec. 8.

Cedar High School Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Richard Barton receives award plaque from CHS activities director Danny Lewis, Cedar City, Utah, Dec. 8, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Richard Barton, St. George News / Cedar City News

Barton graduated from Cedar High in 1986, where he was a two-time all-state basketball player, averaging 23 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots per game. 

He later played college basketball for his hometown SUU Thunderbirds. Six games into his Junior year, he was third in the nation in scoring at 29 points a game until he suffered the first of two ACL injuries. He came back his senior year to average 20 points a game and is second on SUU’s all-time list of top career scorers.

Barton was inducted into the SUU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014 and into the SUU Coaching Factory Hall of Fame in 2017. 

Barton said he was very honored and humbled to be inducted into the Cedar High Hall of Fame, especially in the same class as his coach, mentor, and father figure, Steve Hodson.

Although he was recruited to play basketball professionally in Europe and in the CBA (the equivalent of today’s NBA-G development league), Barton instead chose to teach and coach in his wife Sheila’s hometown of Richfield.

During Barton’s eight years as basketball coach, Richfield won the region championship four times and was runner-up the other four years. Barton compiled a record of 104 wins and 68 losses and was named 3A coach of the year.

Following the career paths of his two Cedar High School heroes and mentors, coach Steve Hodson and assistant principal Steve Laing, Barton went on to become an assistant principal and athletic director at Richfield High.

As an AD, Barton has been named Utah’s athletic director of the year and has served as the president of both the state and national AD associations. He also has received multiple awards and has taught workshops at various state and national conferences.

Paula Burgoyne-Jenson

Burgoyne-Jenson, a 1980 graduate of Cedar High, is now the principal of Three Peaks Elementary School in Enoch. She was honored during the halftime of the Cedar girls basketball team’s 44-27 victory over Dixie on Jan. 6.

Cedar High School Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Paula Burgoyne-Jenson holds up her award plaque while surrounded by her grandchildren, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 6, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“Sports and academics are a huge part of my life,” Burgoyne-Jenson told Cedar City News after the game. “It’s wonderful to be honored for something I love doing, at my alma mater Cedar High School, which I’m so happy to represent.”

Burgoyne-Jenson also offered a few words of encouragement to today’s young athletes.

“There’s more to life than just athletics,” she said. “Academics are very important as well.” 

Additionally, she encouraged players to learn about teamwork from their coaches and fellow players.

“It really is about relationships,” she said. “I’m still friends with almost my whole team. I know where they are and their families, and how many kids they have.”

A multiple sports star at Cedar High, Burgoyne-Jenson played volleyball and basketball, in addition to running the sprints and shorter relay races in track. During her senior year, she led the volleyball team in total blocks and also had the most blocked shots in basketball.

After graduating from CHS in 1980 as class valedictorian, Burgoyne-Jenson went on to play both basketball and volleyball at Southern Utah State College (now SUU). She helped lead the Thunderbirds volleyball team to four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships, two district titles and two appearances at the national tournament, where they finished fourth in 1981. 

Meanwhile, In basketball, she also made honorable mention on the RMAC all-conference team in both 1982 and 1983. 

Jennifer Weaver (left) presents Cedar High School Athletic Hall of Fame plaque to Paula Burgoyne-Jenson, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 6, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Burgoyne-Jenson was selected to both the NAIA Academic All-American volleyball and basketball teams in 1982, with a GPA of 3.91. She also was named SUU’s outstanding female athlete in 1983, as well as outstanding female student of the year.

Burgoyne-Jenson was inducted to the SUU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012 as an individual for both volleyball and basketball. Then, in 2018, she and her volleyball teammates from 1981 were inducted as a team.

Burgoyne-Jenson graduated from SUSC in 1984 with a degree in elementary education and a physical education minor. She taught elementary school in Washington and Iron counties. She later received a master’s degree in 1986 and an administrative degree in 1991.

She is also an accomplished volleyball official, having twice been named official of the year.

Dr. Robert Corry

Corry, affectionately known by many as simply “Dr. Coach,” was honored for his contributions as both an athlete and a coach. He was recognized at halftime of Cedar’s boys basketball game on Jan. 14, a 63-48 win over Desert Hills.

Cedar High School Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Bob Corry is flanked by his wife Barbara and CHS assistant principal Eric Fieldsted as he holds up his award plaque, Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 14, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Eric Fieldsted, St. George News / Cedar City News

Corry graduated from Cedar High in 1965. He participated in football, basketball, baseball and track and field. A member of Cedar’s state championship track team in 1964, Corry is one of an elite group of people who have both played on and coached a state championship team. 

After graduating from Southern Utah State College in 1971, Corry attended medical school at the University of Utah, graduating in 1974. He then did a three-year family practice residency at Columbus Medical Center in Georgia from 1974-1977, after which he moved back to Cedar City and practiced medicine for 34 years, from 1977-2011.

Corry first started helping coach Cedar High’s track team during the 1985-86 school year. In 1993, he became the head coach of the girls cross-country and track and field teams.

As previously reported in Cedar City News, Corry retired from coaching in October 2020 as the cross-country season wound to a close. The state meet, fittingly, was staged at Cedar High School that year. 

During his tenure as coach, Corry guided Cedar’s girls cross-country teams to nine state championships and the girls track teams to eight state titles. The teams also accumulated 13 state runners-up trophies between them.

Corry also headed up the fundraising for the first all-weather high school track constructed in Southern Utah. He also was selected to be an Olympic torchbearer in 1996.

Corry was diagnosed with cancer four separate times during his coaching career. He said he was motivated by having to get to the track for practice every day, which helped rejuvenate and strengthen him. Corry said the girls he coached were a great source of emotional support during his chemotherapy and radiation treatments. 

Among his greatest joys as a coach, Corry said he enjoyed “seeing girls that didn’t think they could participate in any sport, achieving goals they thought impossible.”

Corry also said he was fortunate to have worked with some of the best coaches, and said he learned much from them.

“Good athletes make good coaches, and I have been able to work with the best athletes there are,” Corry added.

The Cedar High School Athletic Hall of Fame was instituted three years ago. Following is a list of the 15 inductees to date:

Cedar High School Athletic Hall of Fame

  1. Keenan Hart, 1975, cross-country.
  2. Susie Pedersen, 1976, multiple sports.
  3. Neil Roberts, 1963, multiple sports.
  4. Brad Jackson, 1978, multiple sports.
  5. Shaye Maurer Springall, 2009, multiple sports.
  6. Laura Bailey, volleyball coach 1979-98.
  7. Dick Hobbs, basketball and baseball coach, 1963-78, 1988-91.
  8. Kim Nielson, 1976, multiple sports.
  9. Richard Coston, swim coach, 1979-2018.
  10. Coby Leavitt, 1975, basketball.
  11. Joe Wells, 1977, multiple sports.
  12. Richard Barton, 1986, basketball.
  13. Paula Burgoyne-Jenson, 1980, multiple sports.
  14. Robert Corry, 1965, track and cross-country; coach, 1985-2020.
  15. Steve Hodson, basketball coach, 1983-87, 1991-97.

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