On January 20, 2009, the University of Utah marching band, The Marching Utes, performed in the inaugural parade of President Barack Obama.  They were the only group to represent the state of Utah on the 1.7-mile-long trek down Pennsylvania Avenue. The tradition of an inaugural parade dates back to the first presidential inauguration in 1789.

• Utah sponsors 11 women’s and 7 men’s varsity teams. All of Utah’s teams compete in the NCAA Division I. Utah’s teams compete in the Mountain West Conference, with the exception of gymnastics and skiing, which compete as independents.
• Since their beginning, Utah teams have won 24 national championships and 148 conference championships.

Did you know? The U is the only university to have #1 draft picks in the NBA and NFL in the same year (2004-2005).

Highlights, 2007-08

• The Utah football team laid the groundwork for an undefeated 2008 season with its victory over Navy in the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl. A year later, the Utes would go 13-0 and finish the season ranked No. 2 in the nation. Utah defeated Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl for its eighth-straight bowl win – the longest current streak in the nation.
• The women’s gymnastics team was the 2008 NCAA runner-up – its third-straight runner-up finish and the 18th time it has placed in the top two at the national championships. Ashley Postell and Kristina Baskett won the all-around silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the NCAA Championships. Postell also placed second on the balance beam and Baskett took second on the vault.
• The Utah women’s basketball team went 27-5, went undefeated (16-0) in regular season conference play to win the MWC title and had the conference Player of the Year in senior point guard Leilani Mitchell.
• Under first-year men’s basketball coach Jim Boylen, the 2007-08 Utes won 18 games – a seven-win improvement from the previous year.
• The volleyball team made a surprising run through the 2007 MWC Tournament, placing second. In the fall of 2008, the Utes won the conference title and made it to the NCAA Sweet 16 by sweeping Furman and Clemson in the first two rounds of the NCAA’s.
• The Utah ski team placed third in the nation in 2008, led by Eva Huckova, who placed second in both the slalom and giant slalom at the NCAA Championships.
• The men’s tennis team won a share of the 2007-08 MWC title behind conference Player of the Year Zach Granger.