Sports Hall of Fame 2011 | Idaho State University

Sports Hall of Fame Inductees, 2012

October 12-13, 2013 was a very special weekend for five outstanding ISU alumni.
Blair Braun*, Josh Hays, Hillary Merkley, Angela Munger,and
Dale Trumbo were inducted into the ISU Sports Hall of Fame.

Blair Braun was honored posthumously for his athletic accomplishments in Swimming, 1964-1967.
Josh Hays was honored for his athletic accomplishments in Football, 1994-1996.
Hillary Merkley was honored for her athletic accomplishments in Track & Field, 1998-2001.
Angela Munger was honored for her athletic accomplishments in Women's Basketball, 1997-2000.
Dale Trumbo was honored with the Sports Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award.

Blair Braun*-Swimming, 1964-1967

Jane Braun Kim- sister of the late Blair Braun

Blair started swimming competitively when he was 10 years old. He swam for 8 years in Hawaiian AAU Swimming Age Group, Junior and Senior program. He was a 1964 graduate of Farrington High School in Hawaii but didn’t swim for the high school. Blair held numerous Hawaiian swimming records, was well-rounded and an outstanding student.

He was offered a swimming scholarship to Idaho State College, by then Athletic Director, John Vesser. During his freshman year, Blair broke two individual and one relay school records, all three being done at the Big Sky Conference Swimming and Diving Championships. During his sophomore year, more school records would be set. This was the pattern the entire time Blair was on the ISU swim team. Teammates of Blair’s including Gary Cutright, considered Blair one of the most accomplished swimmers ever recruited to ISU.

Blair’s work ethic in his sport was second to none but it didn’t stop when he was out of the pool. His selflessness, devotion to his team, community and country have had a lasting effect on those who were lucky enough to have been his teammates. Blair obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education/Speech in 1969.

Another former ISU athlete, Bernie Silva (1970 graduate) cited Blair’s drive to succeed and his work ethic “leaves a vivid picture in my mind of what a model for success Blair was and I cherish his ‘Bengal spirit’ in being a good and industrious young man.”

At the time of his passing, (February 19, 1987), losing his battle with leukemia, Blair was with the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, NY.

Josh Hays-Football, 1994-1996

Originally from Homedale, Idaho, Josh is considered by most ISU football insiders as the player who began ISU’s run of great pass-rushing defensive ends. Considered by many small for the position of defensive end, Josh looked more like a wide receiver or cornerback. He was so fast, offensive tackles rarely got a body or an arm on him.

Josh is one of the few ISU defenders to be first-team All Big Sky Conference in two seasons, 1995-96. At the time of his graduation, he held ISU quarterback sack records for game (5), season (16.5) and career (42.5). Two records still stand and Jared Allen has since broken the one-season record of sacks with 17.5.

Josh was team captain in both 1995 and 1996 in addition to being named All Conference 1st team Academic All Conference and an All-American selection in 1996. Josh had the best single game by an ISU defensive lineman-his 5 sack game against Boise State in 1994.

Josh is a multiple degree holder from ISU obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1997 and his Master’s of Counseling in 1999. He is currently a guidance counselor and coach at Powell High School in Powell, Wyoming. Josh and his wife Tammy (Hunter) Hays, also an ISU alumna, who was a volleyball player at ISU, have 3 children, Hunter, Molly and Grace.

Hillary Merkley-Track & Field, 1998-2001

ISU has produced many outstanding multi-even track and field athletes and Merkley is one of the very best. Hillary was a “walk-on” to both ISU’s track and basketball teams but quickly earned a track scholarship. Her finest performance came in the 2001 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track Championship, where she won the heptathlon with a school-record and NCAA qualifying 5320 points and was voted the meet’s Outstanding Field Event Athlete.

Hillary won the conference indoor shot put her freshman year with a mark of 48-01/4 which is still a school indoor record. She also had the league’s best mark in the indoor heptathlon. She had ISU top 10 marks in other individual events including the indoor shot put, intermediate hurdles, outdoor 800 meters, indoor and outdoor 4x400 meter relay and the 55 meter hurdles.

Hillary and Amber Welty are the only three time winners of the Outstanding Track and Field Athlete award for the team overall best athlete at the Bennion Awards Banquet. Merkley cites Coach Dave Nielsen as the most influential person in her athletic career as well in her current professional career. “Dave gave me the opportunity to compete, fostered an environment where I could build confidence and helped me develop as an athlete.”

She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from ISU in Sports Science/Education in 2001. Currently, Hillary is teaching in the Boise School District, coaching track athletes and recruiting her high school students to attend Idaho State University.

Angela Munger-Women's Basketball, 1997-2001

Munger was an outstanding leader, playmaking guard and defensive player at ISU as a four-year letter winner in 1997-2000. Additionally, Angela was All-Academic All-Big Sky Conference for the four years of her eligibility. Her senior year, she had 161 assists, the second best one-season total in ISU history. She is 5th all time with 330 career assists. She had 72 steals in both her junior and senior seasons and her 203 career steals are the second-best total in school history.

Angela was a team captain in her junior and senior seasons. She was known as a coach on the court in her playing days. Her coach, Ardie McInelly, considers her one of the best leaders and the most competitive player she has ever coached in all her years on the collegiate level.

She was a winner during her playing career, playing on teams that were 37-27 in league play. She began her coaching career as an even bigger winner, as a graduate assistant coach with the best women’s basketball team in ISU history, the 25-5 and 16-0 in league 2001 squad that won the Big Sky Conference and went to the NCAA tournament.

She has her Bachelor’s degree in Biology (2000) and her MPh in Athletic Administration (2002) from ISU. Angela success continues in her career. She is employed as Territory Representative for Life Fitness and resides in Sunnyvale, California.

Dale Trumbo-Lifetime Achievement Award

Dale was nominated for this award by Jim Baxter, founder of Christian Boxers Outreach. It was his request that Dale not only be recognized for his collegiate boxing accomplishments but more important, for his numerous contributions to the sport of boxing and Idaho youth since graduating from ISU. Jim stated, “Dale has been a great ambassador for the university.” Dale was President of the ISU Alumni Board of Directors in 1978-79.

Supporting Dale’s recognition, Tom Katsilometes, Commissioner with the Idaho State Tax Commission commented, “Dale did not have the opportunities most people had growing up and attributes most of his success in life to the boxing scholarship he received at ISU in turning him form a ‘person at risk’ to a productive citizen.” Dale was an active member of the committee that established the Special Olympics in Pocatello.

Dale served as the Idaho State Athletic Commissioner and President of Golden Gloves of Idaho for 21 years. He was Director of Vocational Rehabilitation for the state of Idaho where his kindness and humanity was evident every day. He has helped numerous "people at risk” through the services available as well as his personal assistance.

Dale’s good friend, Jerry Armstrong summed it up best when he stated “some ISU Sports Hall of Fame members may have won more awards and titles than Dale did while he boxed for ISU but none can match his civic and humanitarian accomplishments. Dale and his wife Glenda live in Boise.