LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Class of 2023 has officially been inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall Of Fame.
That included Connor Fields, Kenny Guinn, Kevin Higgins, Lon Kruger, Karen Weitz, and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Fields is the first American man to ever win an Olympic gold medal in BMX racing, which he won at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. He grew up in Las Vegas and competed in his first BMX race at the track on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway property. He graduated from Green Valley High School and UNLV. He retired from competitive cycling in 2022.
Guinn coached a variety of youth sports when he arrived in Southern Nevada and helped spearhead building Potulski Gymm on Lindell Lane for kids to be able to play in a safe environment. He also helped Western High School acquire new football stadium lights, upgraded football locker room and the auxiliary gym. Guinn was elected as Nevada governor in 1998 and 2002. While in office, you initiated the Millennium Scholarship that helps students and student athletes with college expenses if they attend college in Nevada. He passed away on July 22, 2010 at the age of 73.
Higgins has been involved in all levels of baseball, as a player, coach, mentor, and broadcaster. Higgins led Arizona State University to the College World Series in 1989 and was drafted by the San Diego Padres that year in the 12th round of the draft. He spent five seasons in the organization. Higgins was also the first base coach with the Las Vegas 51s for two years and a color analyst for two season. He has also coached at the College of Southern Nevada and is currently the associate head coach at UNLV.
Kruger led the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team for seven years. He coached the team to the NCAA Tournament four of his last five seasons after the program appeared in only two of the previous 15 tournaments. Over those five seasons, Kruger's teams posted a .743 winning percentage going 127-44. Kruger is also the only coach to win NCAA Tournament games with five different programs. He did so with Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV, and Oklahoma. In 2017, he was honored with the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Metropolitan Award for long and outstanding service to men's college basketball and in 2018, the John R. Wooden Award selected Kruger as the recipient of its Legends of Coaching award. In 2022, Kruger was also inducted to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall Of Fame.
Weitz graduated from UNLV in 1992 and began her coaching career. While at Swainston Middle School in Las Vegas, she led the first-year girls' middle school program to the city championship during the 1994-1995 season. She joined the staff at Centennial High School in 1999. In 2002, her team won the Nevada large-school state basketball championship and had a perfect 34-0 season. It was the first time in 21 years that a school from Southern Nevada won a large-school state girls' basketball title. No coach has won more games in Nevada high school basketball history than Weitz. She has won 14 state championships and recorded more than 700 wins in her coaching career. That includes eight straight titles as the girls' coach at Cheyenne and Centennial. In addition to the girls team, in May 2022, Weitz was also named the coach of the Centennial boys' teams.
The Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the largest sports venue in Nevada. It opened in 1996 and the NASCAR Cup Series made its first stop in Las Vegas in 1998. That year, Speedway Motorsports purchased the speedway and continues to make improvements. The state-of-the-art dragway is one of only three dragstrips to host two NHRA national events. Since 2011, the speedway has also been home to the Electric Daisy Carnival, which is the largest electronic music festival in North America. Thanks to Speedway Children's Charities, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway has also donated almost $5 million to Las Vegas area charities since 1999.
The Southern Nevada Sports Hall Of Fame is located at the Dollar Loan Center arena in Henderson. You can learn more about the organization here.
