Utah Sports Teams Made 2019 A Year To Remember; Look Back At The Best Moments

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – With only a few more days left in 2019, it’s a perfect time to look back at the best sports moments in the state of Utah from this year.

The theme of the year for the Jazz was change while the theme for Utah football was winning. The Cougars showcased some brilliant overtime wins and Utah Gymnastics continued to dominate.

Here’s a look at the very best of 2019 from SportsBeat.

Salt Lake All-Star Announcement

In October NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made the trip to Salt Lake City to announce that the 2023 NBA All-Star Game would be hosted by the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.

“Big-time events in sports are part of the DNA of this state and in this city,” Silver said during the announcement.

Officially official. The All-Star game returns to Salt Lake City in 2023. pic.twitter.com/xBbM1ALEVh

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) October 23, 2019

Utah State’s NCAA Tournament Run

From being picked ninth in the Mountain West preseason poll to earning an eight-seed in the NCAA tournament, the 2018-19 basketball season was the most fun five months an Aggie fan could ask for.

The program had just parted ways with head coach Tim Duryea and Craig Smith was a relative unknown to most Aggie fans, coming to the school from South Dakota.

It didn’t take long for Smith to put his stamp on the program. The team went on to win the conference tournament and earn an 8-seed in the NCAA tournament, the highest in school history.

Real Salt Lake Playoff Run

Real Salt Lake went on an unexpected playoff run in 2019 beating the Portland Timbers in the first round and then losing to Seattle in the semifinal match.

The run helped RSL put a positive end on a turbulent season.

Real Salt Lake has clinched a playoff spot! #RSLonKSL #RSL https://t.co/gaThsA8gvV

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 30, 2019

Joe Ingles Promotes Autism Awareness After Son’s Diagnosis

Back in February Joe Ingles wrote a letter announcing that his son had been diagnosed with Autism. The diagnosis spurred the Ingles family to spread awareness and raise money for Autism awareness.

Renae and I share with the world Jacob’s diagnosis with autism and where to from here for our family.

Head to @exclusiveinsight to read our story, or head to the link below!https://t.co/2WOZXM3vQm pic.twitter.com/UlKKtYyj1o

— Joe Ingles (@Joeingles7) February 13, 2019

The Jazz hosted an autism awareness night and Vivint Gives Back teamed up with the Ingles family to build a sensory room at the arena for children is autism spectrum disorders.

Jazz Get Conley, Bogdanovic

The 2019 offseason was active for the Utah Jazz. The team traded for Mike Conley and signed Bojan Bogdanovic to a four-year deal.

The @UtahJazz released an update on Mike Conley, with no timeframe on the guard’s return. pic.twitter.com/wmRbI1Hh1y

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) December 18, 2019

Bogdanovic has made a huge impact for the Jazz during the first half of the season. Conley has been plagued by a hamstring injury but is looking to find his place with the team.

BYU Football Overtime Win At Tennessee

The Cougars seemed down and out for the season when they traveled to Knoxville but they came away with one of the most impressive wins of the Kalani Sitake era.

Announced attendance at #Rockytop tonight 92,475. #BYU #BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/f5TWApnZiI

— Alex Kirry (@AlexKirryKSL) September 8, 2019

Getting a big win in a huge SEC stadium was a spectacular moment for the Cougars this season and they followed it up another overtime win later in the season at LaVell Edwards Stadium against USC.

Utah’s 11-2 Football Season

It was a magical season up on the hill for Kyle Whittingham’s Utes before losing in the Pac-12 Championship game to Oregon, they were serious contenders for the College Football Playoff.

Senior quarterback Tyler Huntley played an incredible season alongside his high school teammates Zack Moss and Demari Simpkins. That dynamic gave Utah fans a special season to witness.

.@Utah_Football
is 8-1 and ranked No. 8 in the #CFBPlayoff rankings thanks in part to one of the most dominant defenses in the nation. @JJSportsBeat takes a deep dive into the numbers that show just how good they are #Utes #Pac12FB
🎞: @HemaHeimuliJr
@kslsports
@KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/kD9DeJMVXC

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 8, 2019

Zack Moss Breaks Record

Speaking of Moss – he broke Utah’s all-time rushing record this season. The record was previously held by Eddie Johnson.

The magic moment came at Rice Eccles Stadium when the Utes beat Arizona State, 21-3.

The moment Zack Moss became the all-time leading rusher in @Utah_Football history.

🎥: @NateDowdle

📝: https://t.co/8iv7QI93LA pic.twitter.com/7picA2voZ8

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 20, 2019

Utah Royals Help USWNT To World Championship

The U.S Women’s National Team was the major sports headline of 2019 and the Utah Royals played a vital role.

Kellie O’Hara, Christen Press and  Becky Sauerbraunn, all members of the Utah Royals, were also part of the World Championship team.

THE U.S. IS GOING TO THE WORLD CUP FINAL!

Goals from Christen Press and Alex Morgan with a penalty save from Alyssa Naeher book the USWNT's spot in the final! pic.twitter.com/xzWZeU0V8x

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 2, 2019

Utah Men’s Basketball Gets Overtime Win Over BYU

After being down by 16 in the first half, the Utes came back to beat BYU 102-95 at the Huntsman Center.

This win cemented true freshman Rylan Jones as a difference-maker for the Utah basketball team. His next years with the Utes will be fun to watch.

Rylan Jones did not play like a freshman against BYU. #Uteshttps://t.co/bb5BID9hoI

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 5, 2019

Real Monarchs Bring USL Championship Home

The Real Monarchs defeated the two-time defending champion Louisville City to earn their first USL Championship title.

They had never won a postseason match until this season.

BIG MOOD ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/8THqotusCD

— Real Monarchs (@RealMonarchs) November 18, 2019

Donovan Mitchell Becomes The Star Utah Needs

Donovan Mitchell stole the hearts of Utah Jazz fans during his first two seasons with the Jazz, but his third year has cemented him as THE leader, THE jazzman and THE face of the organization.

So far this season Mitchell has led the team to multiple wins with 45.8 FG percentage and is averaging 25.3 points per game.

Donovan Mitchell Superstar. Sounds like a great production. @kslsports #TakeNote

— Kyle Ireland (@kyleireland) December 29, 2019

Weber State: Started From The Bottom, Now They Here

Jay Hill lead the Weber State Wildcats to the FCS Playoff Semifinals for the first time in program history this year. When he took over the program in 2014, they went 2-10. It is easy to say Hill has turned the program around.

Runningback Josh Davis put up a historic season for the Cats with 1,136 yards on the season.

✈️ Off to the FCS Semifinals! #WeAreWeber #PurpleReign #BigSkyFB #FCSPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/6BTQUChs4J

— Weber State Football 🏈 (@weberstatefb) December 19, 2019

Happy New Year, Utah sports fans. We can’t wait to bring you all of the moments and action 2020 has to offer.