Michael V. Jacobsen will became the 29th member of the Utah Valley University Athletics Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 22. Jacobsen was the director of athletics at UVU for 29 years before retiring in 2013. With Jacobsen leading the way, Utah Valley made a successful — and unprecedented — jump from the junior college ranks to NCAA Division I.
His foresight and vision were also key in UVU's move from a DI independent to the newly-formed Great West Conference. During the school's four years as members of the Great West, the Wolverines dominated the competition, winning all four Commissioner's Cups along with 40 team conference titles. Jacobsen is the first person since 2012, when he was still athletic director, to be inducted into UVU's Athletics Hall of Fame.
"Anytime you receive an honor such as this, it's not just about one person. It's about the accumulated work of a number of people," Jacobsen said. "First off, from my wife Alice, who was always there to support me. We have traveled many roads together these past 56 years. To a college president, Marv Higbee, who gave me this opportunity, and to a staff of coaches and players who were proud to be Wolverines. It is a great honor for me to receive this this award. I look at where this all began, as Utah Technical College, to where we are today, as Utah Valley University. And yes, I am proud to be a Wolverine!"
"Mike Jacobsen is the reason why we are NCAA Division I. His fingerprints will forever be imprinted on our history," said UVU director of athletics, Dr. Jared Sumsion. "As a mentor to myself, hundreds of staff members, and to thousands of former student-athletes, I'm honored that he will become the first member of our Hall of Fame in eight years. This is a well-deserved honor for Mike, his wife Alice, and their entire family."
Jacobsen's final feat came one day after his retirement was official, when Utah Valley officially joined the Western Athletic Conference. The move to the WAC gave UVU something it has desired since its jump to Division I, a conference that holds an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The development of athletics facilities was also a major focus for Jacobsen during his tenure. He helped foster the relationships and raise funds for nearly all of what stands as UVU athletics' facilities today.
He was named the NACDA Athletics Director of the Year for the Junior/Community College West Region in 2000 and was the recipient of the L. William Miller Award in 2001, which is the administrator of the year award for the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA).In 2018, Jacobsen was inducted in the NACDA Hall of Fame.
Jacobsen was active in the athletics community, serving in a number of local, regional and national positions. He was the director of Region 18 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). He served on the NJCAA committees for Division I basketball and football. He is also a NATYCAA Past President and was on the Executive Committee for the NJCAA. He served on the NACDA Executive Committee from 1994-98 and is past president of the Utah Chapter of the National Football Foundation. He has also been the president of the Utah Football Coaches Association and president of the Professional Association of College Employees at UVSC. Jacobsen has also has served on the Utah County Cancer Board and is a past President of the Provo Rotary Club.
Jacobsen is originally from San Diego, California. He has a bachelor's and master's degree from Brigham Young University. Before coming to Utah Valley, he was at Springville High School in Springville, Utah, where he was the head football coach for 16 years and an assistant principal for three years. He and his wife, Alice, served as an LDS mission president in Lansing, Michigan.
