Kyle Fogg | Men’s Basketball
Few players in Arizona history have worked as hard as and led by example quite like Kyle Fogg. He’s played and started in more Arizona basketball games than anyone in school history, and the list of players who have improved as much as Fogg has is microscopic.
UA head coach Sean Miller often jokes about how bad of a defender Fogg was when he first saw him play, but Fogg worked and worked and worked, and this past season, he developed into one of the premier perimeter defenders in the Pac-12, if not the country. With his 6-foot-9 wingspan, he locked down everyone from point guards to small forwards on his way to a Pac-12 All-Defensive selection.
Fogg came to Arizona as a late signee with few offers elsewhere. But former head coach Lute Olson, who recruited Fogg, saw something in the 6-foot-3, 188-pound guard. Fogg turned out to be a diamond in the rough. After averaging 6.1 points as a freshman on Russ Pennell’s Sweet 16 squad, he earned honorable mention Pac-12 All-Freshman honors.
Fogg was once again productive as a sophomore and junior and played a big role on the UA’s Elite Eight team two seasons ago. Then, as a senior leader last season, he came into his own offensively, averaging 13.5 points per game while shooting 44.4 percent from three and surpassing the 20-point mark in seven games. Fogg weathered the storm that came with the end of the Lute Olson era. He led an undermanned team a season ago and should go down as one of the hardest workers McKale Center has ever seen.
— Mike Schmitz
Alyssa Anderson | Swim
Arizona Wildcats women’s swimmer Alyssa Anderson has left her mark on the university’s swim program after wrapping up her college career with a solid senior season.
Anderson is a 16-time All-American who currently holds the school record for the 800-freestyle and has the second-fastest time for the 200-individual medley in school history. She has also been a member for the U.S. National Team for two years and she held the UA team captain position during her senior year.
This year, Anderson had not finished lower than second place in the 200-freestyle until the Pac-12 Championships and the NCAA Championship. During the Pac-12 Championships, Anderson placed in the top five in her event. She placed seventh in the NCAA Championships for the 200-fly.
As a senior leader, she pushed the Wildcats to hold their top-10 ranking throughout the season. Furthermore, Anderson helped Arizona earn fourth place at the Pac-12 Championships and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Individually she was able to earn an additional five All-American nods for the 500-freestyle, 200-freestyle, 800-free relay, 400-free relay and 200-fly.
— Christopher Cegielski
Nick Foles | Football
As the most prolific quarterback in Arizona football history, Nick Foles became the first Wildcat passer to reach the 4,000-yard mark in a season and 10,000 yards in a career.
Throughout his tenure as the Arizona signal caller, Foles also set records for completions, attempts and touchdowns in various career, single season and single game categories.
He is also top-10 all-time for yards thrown in the Pac-12, and only the second quarterback in conference history to reach that mark while playing just three seasons. The other one was USC quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart.
Foles also became the second Wildcat quarterback in history, and the first since Eddie Wilson in 1961, to be selected in the NFL Draft, where the Philadelphia Eagles selected Foles with the 88th overall pick.
Things were far from run of the mill for Foles during his three years at the helm of the Arizona offense. In 2009, the Michigan State transfer lost the opening day starting job, as former head coach Mike Stoops opted to go with Matt Scott, but Foles eventually earned the role after trouncing Oregon State.
That same year, the Wildcats were a win against Oregon away from reaching the first Rose Bowl in Arizona history.
Wildcat fans will remember that contest as ZonaZoo-gate, after the ZonoZoo decided to rush the field prematurely, and were quickly subdued by Chip Kelly’s offense, as the Wildcats lost in double overtime 44-41. Fans can look to the 5-foot wall in front of the Zoo and reminisce.
Despite the Wildcats getting shellacked in both of their bowl appearances, without Foles under center, it’s almost certain they wouldn’t have even gotten there.
— Dan Kohler
