ASU News: Former Sun Devils Enter AZ Sports Hall of Fame
The votes are in, and three former Sun Devils will be joining the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.
It was announced on Tuesday, Phil Mickelson, Andre Ethier, and Joe Caldwell will be inducted alongside other Arizona greats in Ann Meyers Drysdale, Paul Westphal, Roland Hemond and John Bridger.
During their time at ASU, each former Sun Devil was a legend in their respective sport. Even after they graduated, all three made it to the professional level, where they had outstanding careers.
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson is one of the most renowned golfers in the world. But his run of dominance first started as part of Arizona State's golf team.
He helped guide ASU to its first-ever NCAA team championship in 1990, while winning three individual titles in 1989, 1990, and 1992. Over the course of his collegiate career, Mickelson won a total of 16 tournaments - absolutely obliterating his competition.
His efforts on the fairways nabbed Mickelson many accolades. He was given the Haskins Award three times, which means he was recognized as the most outstanding golfer in college. All four years, Mickelson was first-team All-American, while winning the Pac-10 Player of the Year his last three in college.
On the professional level, Mickelson is one of the greatest to ever step on the greens. His 44 PGA Tour wins are tied for 9th-most all-time, including five major victories during that stretch.
This isn't the first time Mickelson has been inducted into a hall of fame, as he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012.
Joe Caldwell
The grandfather of incoming four-star recruit Marcus Bagley was dropping buckets during his time in college.
From 1961-1964, Caldwell averaged an impressive 18.3 points and a monstrous 11.2 rebounds. With Caldwell as the leader, the Sun Devils finished with an overall record of 65-18 during his three seasons.
After his collegiate career, Caldwell went to the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, helping the United States win a gold medal over the Soviet Union. The young buck was not there for a vacation - finishing as the fourth leading scorer on that Olympics team.
Caldwell's incredible play and maturity got him drafted number two overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1964 NBA Draft. He went on to garner four All-Star selections and one All-NBA team between the NBA and ABA.
Andre Ethier
It's hard to find something more impressive than Ethier ending his collegiate career on a 23-game hitting streak. Except, maybe the road he took to get to that point.
Ethier was enrolled in ASU in the fall of 2000, but coach Pat Murphy didn't think he had the talent at the time to play on the Division I level, so Ethier transferred.
After improving his skills at Chandler-Gilbert Community College for a year, Ethier re-enrolled at ASU in the fall of 2001. Over the next two seasons, he destroyed college pitching, finishing his ASU career with a .371 batting average. He was named to first-team All-Pac-10 both of his years at ASU.
Ethier's talent for contact hitting put him on the radar of MLB scouts. When he fell to 62nd overall in the 2003 MLB Draft, the Oakland A's didn't hesitate to take him.
However, Ethier ended up playing his entire career with the other 'Evil Empire' - the Los Angeles Dodgers - earning two All-Star selections and finishing runner-up in the 2017 World Series.