Former basketball star Arnie Ferrin reportedly died of natural causes on December 27, 2022. He was 97.
Ferrin’s death was announced by Utah Athletics on Twitter on Tuesday Morning.
“University of Utah Athletics is mourning the passing of former men’s basketball star and athletics director Arnie Ferrin,” Utah Athletics said in a statement shared on Twitter.
“Arnie Ferrin will forever be remembered not only as one of the most accomplished Utah athletes of all-time, but as a treasured member of the University of Utah family,” said Director of Athletics Mark Harlan.
“He made a lasting impact far beyond his athletics accomplishments, serving as athletics director for nine years and remaining a proud Utah Ute as he continued to support our athletics programs year after year. On a personal note, he was so kind to me and always there for helpful advice. I will miss him dearly. Our thoughts are with his family and the entire University of Utah family.”
Born July 29, 1925, in Salt Lake City, Utah, Arnie Ferrin attended Ogden High School and subsequently graduated from the University of Utah in 1948.
He played college basketball at the University of Utah. During his college career, he won the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player award in 1944 when the Utes won the NCAA Championship over Dartmouth. Ferrin also helped Utah win the 1947 National Invitation Tournament. He became the only four-time All-American at Utah.
Following graduation from Utah, Ferrin was named the MVP of the annual East-West All-Star game. He was then selected by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1948 Basketball Association of America (later the NBA) Draft and played for three years (1949-51), winning two championships in his time with the team, led by head coach John Kundla.
After retiring from playing basketball, Ferrin served as the athletic director at Utah, from 1976 to 1985, during which time Utah won 10 national championships and 15 conference championships.
Ferrin was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame as part of the charter class of 1970. He was inducted into the University of Utah’s Crimson Club Hall of Fame in 1985 and was named to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
On March 10, 2012, Ferrin was inducted into the Pac-12 Conference Men’s Basketball Hall of Honor during the 2012 Pac-12 Conference men’s basketball tournament.