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SALT LAKE CITY — As a sports fan, President Thomas S. Monson’s attendance at local football and basketball games was well known.
President Monson, the decade-long president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who died Tuesday night at the age of 90, visited several Utah Jazz games during his tenure as a General Authority.
His regular attendance prompted the Jazz to honor President Monson with a moment of silence prior to Wednesday night’s game against New Orleans.
Usually, he sat in a suite owned by good friend Jon Huntsman Sr. But one night in 2008, the president of the LDS Church ventured closer to the action.
President Monson and his wife Frances, who preceded her husband in death in 2013, had seats on the third row of a game between the Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers in March 2008, and his presence so close to the Utah huddle created a palpable buzz.
During a timeout in the third quarter of the Jazz’s 121-101 win, President Monson was returning with Frances to their seats following the halftime break. As he passed the Jazz bench, the lovable church leader joked with fans, smiled and pointed at former Jazz standout Carlos Boozer, and — in the ultimate show of support — patted former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan on the shoulder in a cheerful salutation on a night celebrating the legendary Jazzman’s birthday.
"He tapped Jerry on the shoulder and it was like, 'Good job, coach. You’re the best!'" Boozer recalled to the Deseret News after the game. "Jerry was like, 'Who was that?'"
Sloan, being entrenched in coaching, barely noticed the church’s elder statesman in the huddle.
"Well, I’m always a little gun shy," Sloan said. "Somebody gets in the huddle, (and) you never know what’s happening, especially if you’re the coach.
"Somebody might want to yank you out of there."
Always a fan of college football, (Michigan held his unwavering support, according to President Monson’s biography,) the West High graduate also found plenty of time to pay homage to the state’s two largest programs, BYU and the University of Utah.
A graduate of the U. who received an MBA from BYU, President Monson was honored by both institutions as a super fan. He regularly attended Utah football games and donned a bright crimson tie to show his support.
Even in the final years of his life, President Monson could proudly belt the words to "Utah man," as he did prior to the dedication of a university building.
#PresMonson = 🙌🏽 grad, as @RodZundel and @DeanieWimmer reminded us. pic.twitter.com/UeXQPTHitD
— KSL SportsBeat (@kslsports) January 4, 2018
His trademark humor was also easy to see when he engaged with students and players on his way to the sidelines or the luxury suites at LaVell Edwards Stadium at BYU, where he sat on the university’s board of trustees as a general authority.
President Monson presided over a halftime ceremony in 2003 in Provo where the Cougars retired the first football jersey in school history — the iconic No. 8 worn by quarterback Steve Young.
"Long ago I read a statement declaring that what the young people of America need is less criticism and more models to follow," said President Monson, who was then the first counselor in the First Presidency of the church. "Steve and Barb are models to follow. Congratulations to each."
Contributing: Rod Zundel
