Throughout the 50-year history of the University of Lethbridge, athletics has played a significant role in helping define the identity of the institution, in connecting the community to the U of L and in shaping the southern Alberta athletic landscape.
 
Over the course of those 50 years, of the thousands of athletes who have worn Pronghorns blue and gold, a select group has separated itself from the herd as the best of the best. In celebration of the University's 50th anniversary, a committee was struck to identify these student-athletes – The 50 Greatest Pronghorns.
 
The selection committee, consisting of both past and present members of Pronghorn Athletics, University faculty, community members and media representatives was tasked with creating a framework for selection and then, over the course of multiple meetings, hammering out a 50-name list.
 
"At first glance, it might seem like a pretty easy task but once you start to get involved in the selection process, it becomes extremely difficult," says Ken McInnes, executive director, Sport and Recreation Services, and a non-committee member. "I credit the selection committee for the process they developed to identify these student-athletes and then for engaging in some lengthy debates to finalize what I think is an outstanding list of Pronghorn greats."
 
The committee first had to establish what the list was and was not. It quickly defined the 50 Greatest Pronghorns as athletes only, meaning no coaches, administrators or Pronghorn supporters or builders were considered. A second criterion was a focus primarily on athletic achievements while representing the U of L. Finally, a universal ranking system was created for all athletes under consideration, awarding points for various benchmarks that could be applied across all sports. Categories such as Pronghorn Athlete of the Year, Canada West All-Star, CIS All-Star, national championship, league awards, years of eligibility as a Pronghorn and graduation were all considered with varying points allotted to each category, thereby creating a basis for comparison.
 
"Once the athletes were all charted, the committee examined the points awarded and began the difficult task of ranking the athletes from 1 to 50," says McInnes. "While the point system gave the committee a basic framework for ranking, much debate went into breaking the ties that developed, considering factors such as the strength of field the athletes were competing against and so on."
 
The 50 Greatest Pronghorns list celebrates the student-athlete at the U of L and the accomplishments of not only the 50 highlighted athletes, but all those who made the commitment over the years to represent the U of L while pursuing their academic goals. It is by no means a perfect list and is certainly up for debate, which is one of the great pleasures of creating such a list.
 
"I know the committee put a great deal of thought into these selections and has tried to present a balanced and unbiased representation of the best of Pronghorn Athletics over the years," adds McInnes. "They'll be the first to say that no list is absolute and welcome discussion over who is and is not on the list or where they are ranked. At the end of the day, it's fun to talk about the great athletes we've seen represent the Pronghorns over the years and to celebrate what they have all brought to our community."
 
The 50 Greatest Pronghorns list will be revealed over the course of five weeks beginning Nov. 6 with the unveiling of Horns #50 to #41, as well as an honourable mention group. Each week will see another 10 athletes announced until the final 10 will be revealed Saturday, Dec. 2 at halftime of the Pronghorns men's basketball game versus University of the Fraser Valley.
 
 
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