Willie Sojourner played three seasons at Weber State, and participated in the NCAA Tournament during every single one…In 1969 he led the Wildcats to a pair of NCAA Tournament wins, with victories over Seattle and New Mexico State… The native of Philadelphia was recruited to Weber State by legendary coach and fellow Big Sky Hall of Famer Dick Motta... He became a three-time First Team All-Big Sky selection, and led the Wildcats to three consecutive Big Sky titles… Sojourner still holds the Big Sky record for career rebounding with an average of 14.1 per game… He scored 1,563 points with 1,143 rebounds in 81 career games… His No. 35 uniform was the first retired in Weber State basketball history… The 6-foot-9 center/power forward was drafted in 1971 in the second round by the Chicago Bulls... He Played four years in the ABA with two different teams before embarking on a long professional career in Italy… Sojourner was a teammate of Julius Erving with the ABA Virginia Squires and New Jersey Nets, where he bestowed the iconic “Dr. J” nickname to the NBA Hall of Famer… Sojourner also became Weber State’s first NCAA All-American athlete when he placed third in the 1970 NCAA Men’s Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship with a high jump of 7-feet… Sojourner passed away in 2005 in a car accident in Rieti, Italy... The arena of his former team Sebastiani in Rieti is named in Sojourner’s honor.