He was honored with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) award of Merit in 2006,[1] and was selected as an Olympic torch bearer for his city Manti, Utah, on February 5, 2002.
He is believed to have written thousands of uplifting, hand-written letters over his life [3] to people all over the country including coaches John Wooden and Bob Knight.
During World War II, at the age of 18, he served in Company A of the 253rd Regiment, 63rd Infantry Division in the European Theater of Operations.
[6] He turned down a job offer to be a physical education teacher and tennis coach from Utah State University to work at Manti High School in 1951.
[4] In 1989, he was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame.