Over the last five years, Bruin teams have won 887 games and lost 278.
Despite living in the shadows of the University of Utah and Brigham Young University, the sports program at Salt Lake Community College has quietly been making a name for itself in the state of Utah.
“Norma Carr (director of athletics) has taken a school that once shunned sports and made it a national powerhouse in every sport within the athletic department,” said SLCC sports information director Gavin McCallister.
Combined, SLCC teams win about 76 percent of their games when they take to the field or court. The Bruins’ home record is an even more impressive at 81 percent. Over the last five years, Bruin fans that have attended SLCC home games have seen 312 wins and only 70 losses.
The Bruins have won 10 Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) championships, 18 region championships, one NJCAA national championship, two NJCAA runner-up finishes, and 13 NJCAA top 10 finishes during the same time period.
According to McCallister, the secret to SLCC’s success has been the dedication and integrity of its student-athletes.
“The coaches and administrators here have set very high standards,” said McCallister, “The young men and women that are recruited into our athletic programs have to be more than just talented athletes. They have to be good students.”
SLCC has made it clear to its student-athletes that excuses aren’t accepted, and recruits come to SLCC with the expectation that they need to perform both in the classroom and on the field at the highest level possible.
“Obviously we love to win, but the primary focus is on academic excellence,” said McCallister, “We want to help these young people become leaders in life as well as becoming the best athletes possible.”
The coaches and administrators help student-athletes make the push for NCAA Division I and into the professional and international ranks all while helping them obtain their degrees. SLCC has had 478 student-athletes move on to compete and study at major universities.
“We work hard to help our students succeed in the classroom,” said McCallister. “Just look at the term student-athlete, the student comes first, and that’s how our coaches approach things with their players. If they don’t do well and hit the books, then they will hit the bench.”
The women’s basketball team ranked No. 1 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association academic honor roll.
McCallister says it’s more than just the academic atmosphere that draws recruits to SLCC.
“We have some of the best facilities imaginable for a junior college,” said McCallister. “Our facilities are better than a lot of NCAA Division II schools and even some NCAA Division I schools.”
Despite a stigma that a junior college is just a place for athletes who have bad grades or couldn’t make a NCAA Division I roster, SLCC has continued to blossom as a top landing spot for many athletes in Utah and across the country.
“Our student-athletes know they can come to our college and get real playing time against high level competition,” said McCallister. “We have the best operation in place for televising our home games, and we work hard to get our student-athletes the exposure they need and deserve.”