Utah
Remembering Utah sports legend Joe Watts, whose influence was legend
Joe Watts was an extrovert who never met a person he couldnât talk to, didnât want to talk to or didnât look forward to chatting with. When you set him in a group of people, it fueled him. Then, smiles and energy just spilled out of him.
Watts, the face of Utah golf and a major sports figure in Utah for half a century, died Monday morning. Joe was 85 years old.
A former Logan High and Utah State guard, back in 1958, he made a pair of free throws in the final seconds against Pearl Pollardâs Jordan High team that ended the Beetdiggersâ 62-game winning streak and sent Logan to the state playoffs. Joe was a 120-pound guard.
After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand, Joe played a minor role as a backup guard for the Aggies. He also taught junior high school and worked as a sportswriter for the Logan Herald Journal â at the same time.
I knew Joe because of sportswriting. He was the sports editor at the Provo Daily Herald before Marion Dunn, whom I replaced in the late â80s.
Joe and I had a lot to talk about. But, then, he had much to talk about with just about anybody alive.
He was kind, considerate and genuinely interested in everyone he dealt with.
Joe accepted the job as the executive director of the Utah Golf Association in 1990 and by the time he retired from that job, heâd put his mark on golf in the state, everything from the first electronic handicap system to the establishment of the Utah-Arizona amateur Ryder Cup match held each fall. He started Utah Golf Magazine, now Fairways Magazine, and helped UGA membership grow to more than 30,000 members.
If you could count the number of young high school, college and professional athletes who were profiled, covered or in someway administered by the works of Joe Watts, it would number in the thousands.
Heading amateur golf in Utah was Joeâs dream job, according to his younger brother Steve, who retired as director of golf at Talons Cove. Joe got Steve hooked on golf when he was 12. The Watts brothers, Richard, Joe, Gary and Steve, were famous in the state for their love of the game; from Logan Country Club to Riverside and Alpine country clubs, they left their marks.
Former UGA president Mike Jorgensen remembers Joe well.
âHis love for Utah golf, and especially the State Am, was truly remarkable. I learned so much about life and how to treat human beings just from his example. He is truly beloved.â
It was fun to watch Joe watch golf. He was so engaged in every shot players made. He was passionate about it, like this match or this shot was a chess movement, something upon which the world hinged.
Iâve never seen anyone so focused on so many nuances of a sport. It was like he was fixated, like Newton on the laws of motion. Only in his case, it involved a dimpled ball.
He could be enthralled with a big drive, thrilled over a chip, amazed by a hanging putt that dropped. It was like watching a cartoon character you could count on for a reaction, like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. He never failed to disappoint in his reactions.
Watts, a UGA Gold Club Award recipient and member of the UGA Hall of Fame, was front and center for decades in the Utah golf and sports scene.
âI met Joe when he was the sports writer for the Daily Herald, and he covered a couple of our games at Springville,â said ABC4 sports anchor Wes Ruff, also a Gold Club Award recipient.
âBeing a sports fan, I read his articles for years. When he became executive director of the UGA, I was able to get to know him better, and I was always amazed by his pure love of the game of golf. Everything he did was for the betterment of the game.
âHis unbridled joy of watching a great shot, like when he screamed âItâs in the hole!!!â right next to our camera when Bruce Brockbank holed out on No. 12 at Oakridge CC in the final match of the Utah State Am against Devin Dehlin, was classic Joe Watts,â Ruff continued. âAnd how he signed off every email or correspondence with âSavor the birdiesâ was the best. One of a kind, and he will be missed.â
Joe was an amazing administrator, a creative innovator. He had so many story ideas as a journalist, youâd get tired just listening to his brainstorming exercises. He was always so busy, he could never in this life address his checklist, his dreams.
Over the years Iâve known Joe, I got to know his brothers Steve and Gary. You meet one Watts brother, you know the others, so much of their personalities are similar.
With Joe, one of the most endearing memories many will always have is his perch above a golf cart on Utah State Amateur media day barking out instructions. Heâd have a weighty pile of administrative duties resting on his shoulders, but heâd know the name of every reporter, amateur and board member in the field and greet them. Then, nothing was more important than getting off the tee in time and having fun.
One of my favorite quotes at one of these events was when Joe, speaking of the golf skills of Fairways Magazine art director Garrett Johnson, quipped: âHe has the greatest unproductive golf swing Iâve ever seen.â
Weâve never let Johnson forget that one.
Joe Watts will always be a legend.
âThereâs no doubt in my mind,â said his brother Steve. âIf he can pull it off in heaven today, heâs organizing the HGA, the Heaven Golf Association.â
Yes.
And heâs probably collecting dues from the members.
The family is planning a Celebration of Life event that will be scheduled later this spring.
UTAH COUNTY, May 11, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — Two males, ages 14 and 19, were transported to area hospitals Sunday after the side-by-side they were riding rolled down the side of a mountain.
Utah County Sheriff deputies and Santaquin police responded to the 6:07 p.m. call. Two medical helicopters were called to the scene, in the Pole Canyon area, as was a Department of Public Safety helicopter with a hoist in case it was needed, Sgt. Austin Edwards, Utah County Sheriff‘s Office, told Gephardt Daily.
“Eventually, rescue workers were able to make it to the spot on the hill where the vehicle had come to rest, and they were able to secure the victims, stabilize the victims, and get them back down the hill again to where the helicopters were waiting,” Edwards said.
“The 19-year-old male was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, and the 14 year old was transported to Primary Children’s in Lehi.”
Both were said to have critical injuries, which were not considered to be life threatening, Edwards said.
“The cause of the rollover is still under investigation, so we don’t have that information available just yet.”
Photos: Utah County Sheriff
In what has a chance to be one of the most important nights in Jazz history, the Utah Jazz jumped in the NBA Lottery to the #2 spot for the upcoming NBA draft.
Here are the final results, which show all the movement.
Aside from it being a massive night for the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls, it was a devastating night for a few teams, but no one more than the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, in their trade for Ivica Zubac, had a stipulation on their pick that if the pick was top-4 they kept it. But if it fell below 4, they would give it to the Clippers which is exactly what happened. Now, the Clippers, who are without Zubac, find themselves with a #5 pick to build around.
For the Jazz this is a culmination of four years of rebuilding that ends with an extremely satisfying end. Utah will now have one of the tier-1 players from this draft: AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. The player Utah drafts will be one of their cornerstone pieces and will have the chance to not only play, but be a part of a team that will be competing for the playoffs this season.
The Utah Jazz now have a Sinister Six core: Darryn Peterson (If AJ Dybantsa goes #1), Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler (if he signs). It’s quite the core with a mix of youth and veterans in their prime. With this group, the Jazz will have a chance to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Yes, the Thunder and Spurs are going to be difficult to beat, but Utah has the mix of talent, coaching, and depth that could absolutely do the trick.
Now the Utah Jazz look forward to the NBA Draft that be on June 23rd. Let the posturing begin!!
PROVO — An organization that has been a beacon of hope for Utah children and families just got a big upgrade in Provo.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County on Friday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest facility, marking the start of a new chapter in providing support for those who need it the most.
The new Kent B. Nelson Clubhouse, 131 N. Olympic Blvd., replaces the organization’s former Provo clubhouse, which had been in operation for more than 50 years. Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County leaders said they had outgrown the aging facility and needed a larger, more modern space to support more community members.
“This new clubhouse is more than a building — it’s a central place where we can coordinate programs, support our staff, and amplify our impact across the region,” said David Bayles, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County, in a statement.
The organization’s mission was something the late former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich was passionate about. His wife Marji and daughter Emily Sakievich attended Friday’s grand opening ceremony just as if he would’ve wanted to.
“He loved this project, and it meant the world to him,” Emily Sakievich told KSL. “This was actually one of the last places he went before he passed. (He) and my mom stopped by to just see how progress was going; he would be so excited to see this come together.”
The former commissioner died last December at the age of 72. Tom Sakievich resigned from the seat in September 2024 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer.
Emily Sakievich said her father was a big supporter of helping children in the Boys & Girls Clubs feel supported while he was in office.
“He would have all of them come to his office and talk about how government works and how they can be a part of it someday,” she said.
The new 20,000 square-foot facility expands on resources and programs offered at its previous site for community youth and families experiencing hardships.
The clubhouse will provide safe, engaging, and educational programs in a modernized building fit to serve more than 14,000 Utah children and teens.
A variety of programs including after-school, summer activities and STEM learning will be offered at the new facility. Other resources include internet safety programs, mental health support, nutrition initiatives, and housing assistance for families experiencing homelessness.
“We’ve been able to increase the capacity so much and add preschool and other things; we can even benefit more families — and we can benefit them for a longer period of time, from younger to older, where there are no gaps.” Provo City Council Chair Katrice MacKay told KSL. “So I’m really excited. It’s a fantastic thing for the city and for our residents.”
Leaders of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County say the new $6 million Provo clubhouse was designed as a welcoming space where children and teens can explore new interests, build life skills, and receive mentorship from caring staff.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs have been a cornerstone of youth development in Utah County for decades,” said Janet Frank, board president, in a statement “This new clubhouse strengthens that mission, allowing the organization to extend its reach and impact across the entire region.”
Friday’s event took place while children who attend the Boys & Girls Clubs were in school, so another ceremony for kids and their families is planned for the end of the month.
“The Boys & Girls Club is for every kid out there,” Bayles said. “We want to accomplish what every parent wants for their kids — we want them to have a safe place to learn and grow, to be successful in school, to build social skills and to go on and be great members of society.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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