OREM, Utah -- Michael V. Jacobsen will become the 29th member of the Utah Valley University Athletics Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Saturday prior to the men's basketball game against Grand Canyon. 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.
Jacobsen will be inducted at Saturday's men's basketball game against Grand Canyon with a pregame luncheon and a presentation at halftime of the game.
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, recently served as an LDS mission president in Lansing, Michigan. They have four children and 15 grandchildren.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"For nearly three decades, Mike Jacobsen built a legacy as a respected and impactful leader in college athletics, and his Hall of Fame induction at Utah Valley University is well deserved. Mike's vision for Wolverine athletics helped create what UVU athletics is today, as he oversaw the most successful period in UVU athletics' history. He's overseen great successes and monumental challenges but through it all, he positively impacted countless student-athletes, coaches and staff members that he worked alongside daily, serving as a terrific mentor and valued colleague. I can't tell you how fortunate I was to lean on and learn from Mike as a young administrator and a first time Director of Athletics. Mike served as a tremendous mentor, advisor and personal friend and without a doubt was the most trusted Athletic Director around the table at conference meetings. Mike is not only a hall of famer, but he is an icon and legend in the college athletics industry."
Chris King, Vice President and Director of Athletics, Robert Morris University
(Former Director of Athletics, University of Texas Pan-American/University of Texas Rio Grande Valley)
I became involved personally with UVU in 1988 and I watched firsthand Mike Jacobsen's vision and focus. From 1998 until 2011, while I was involved with UVU, I don't think there's an athletic director in the country that accomplished more. I just have so much admiration for Mike and the way he handled the ups and downs and the patience of building UVU Athletics. He directed direct a growing young program into a really outstanding program. I love Mike Jacobsen and I have so much respect for everything he's accomplished and am happy to see him be inducted.
Steve Watts, former UVU Broadcaster and UVU Athletics Hall of Fame Member
"Mike Jacobsen has done more to shape the face of UVU Athletics than any other person in it's history. Mike was the Athletic Director here for 29 years, and developed the program from an obscure, insignificant Junior College fledgling to a fully competitive NCAA Division I entity."
Dr. DJ Smith, former UVU Senior Associate Athletic Director
"Mike was the one that hired me here are UVU and I'm always going to be grateful for him giving me a shot. Not a lot of people think high school coaches can come in and be a Division I head coach. He was a boss who listened and took care of his employees and made sure it was an environment where you could grow and in that, the coaches who had the experience of working with him were able to build programs and bring in kids that he was proud of. He gave us the freedom to be able to enjoy our job, but also be held accountable. What we have today is off of the back of his hard work and dedication. His work ethic, his vision and his follow through have allowed me to have a great 16 years. I appreciate everything he's done. This is a great honor for him and he deserves it."
Scott Houle, UVU Track & Field/Cross Country Head Coach
"Mike's influence on the athletic department is never ending. He built it from scratch and we wouldn't be where we are without his vision and perseverance to accomplish it. I am personally grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to coach for Utah Valley University. Congratulations on being inducted into the athletic hall of fame."
Eric Madsen, UVU Baseball Head Coach
"Mike's vision for UVU Athletics has been the foundation that we have built upon to build championships at every level we have competed. His relentless pursuit of excellence on the playing field and in the classroom established a culture that impacts all of us here at UVU every day. It is fitting that the very person who actually established the UVU Athletics Hall of Fame, and paved the way for all who followed, is being inducted into it."
Cathy Nixon, Sr. Associate Athletic Director and former longtime Women's Basketball Head Coach
"It is long overdue to honor Mike Jacobsen. He began as a COACH. Mike used his passion, energy, and discipline to coach an institution through a historical transition from junior college athletics to NCAA division I athletics. Mike recruited, hired, and coached a group of coaches through a time when funds were scarce for all the programs. I learned much from Mike Jacobsen and publicly thank him for my opportunity to coach at UVU. Mike's influence over athletics continues today through many of the staff and coaches he hired. Through the ups and downs of athletics, Mike dreamed big! Mike Jacobsen's big dreams are the launching pad for UVU Athletics today! Thank you Mike and Congratulations on this great honor!
Dr. Sue Nyhus, UVU Women's Golf Coach
"Mike took a chance on me and I'll be forever grateful for his influence on my life. His vision and tireless work to get us to where he did was remarkable. To me, his career and success at UVU defines what it truly means to be a Wolverine, and I'm proud to be a part of the department he built."
Clint Burgi, Associate Athletic Director
