Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame honors Alaskan athletes, coaches, contributors, recurring events, and historic moments that have significantly impacted the sporting landscape of Alaska. The Hall was established in 2006 and the first class was inducted in 2007, with new inductees announced in December and added in February. The museum is currently on display at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

Alaska Sports Hall of Fame
Alaska Sports Hall of Fame display at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in August 2012.
Map
Established2006
LocationAnchorage, AK
Coordinates61°10′26″N 149°59′46″W / 61.174°N 149.996°W / 61.174; -149.996
TypeHall of fame
DirectorHarlow Robinson
Public transit accessPeople Mover routes 40, 65
Websitewww.alaskasportshall.org/index.html


History and organization

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The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame inducted its first class of five people, two moments, and one event in 2007, a group including dog mushers Susan Butcher and George Attla, Olympic medalists Tommy Moe and Kristen Thorsness, and National Hockey League Calder Memorial Trophy winner Scott Gomez.

New members, events, and moments are nominated and voted upon by the public each fall, with the results determining which nominees reach the selection panel ballot. The inductees are chosen by a voting panel of 8 members of the media and longtime Alaskan sport contributors with the public voting results equivalent to one member of the panel. The inductees are honored with a ceremony each February in the ConocoPhillips Building atrium.[1] Plaques for each inductee are displayed on level 0 of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.[2]

Inductees

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The 2012 nominees for induction will be determined by a public vote in Fall 2011.[3]

The Class of 2020 inductees, two people (Marcie Trent and Matt Carle), one event (Yukon 800), and one moment (University of Alaska Anchorage Upset of Boston College in the 1991 NCAA Hockey Tournament), had their induction ceremony postponed until April 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

The current members, events, and moments of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame are listed below.[5][6]

Hall of Fame Member Sport Birthplace Alaska Affiliation(s) Induction Year
George Attla Dog Mushing Koyukuk, Alaska Huslia 2007
Chad Bentz Baseball Seward, Alaska Juneau-Douglas High School 2019
Carlos Boozer Basketball Aschaffenburg, Germany Juneau-Douglas High School 2008
H.A. “Red” Boucher Baseball Nashua, New Hampshire Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks 2009
Holly Brooks Cross-country skiing Seattle, Washington Alaska Pacific University 2018
John Brown Basketball Ketchikan High School 2015
Martin Buser Dog Mushing Winterthur, Switzerland Big Lake 2017
Susan Butcher Dog Mushing Cambridge, Massachusetts Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race 2007
Matt Carle Ice Hockey Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage 2020[4]
Mario Chalmers Basketball Anchorage, Alaska Bartlett High School 2014
Don Clary Athletics Anchorage, Alaska East Anchorage High School 2016
Corey Cogdell Trapshooting Palmer, Alaska Palmer 2019
Janay Deloach Athletics Panama City, Florida Ben Eielson Junior/Senior High School 2016
Herb Didrickson All-around Sitka, Alaska Sitka, Sheldon Jackson High School, Sheldon Jackson Junior College 2013
Rosey Fletcher Snowboarding Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage 2010
Scott Gomez Ice Hockey Anchorage, Alaska East Anchorage High School 2007
Jeannie Hebert-Truax Basketball Glennallen, Alaska Wasilla High School 2014
Virgil Hooe Volleyball Anchorage 2018
Nicole Johnston World Eskimo Indian Olympics World Eskimo Indian Olympics 2017
Reggie Joule World Eskimo Indian Olympics Nome, Alaska World Eskimo Indian Olympics 2010
Nina Kemppel Nordic Skiing Boulder, Colorado Alaska Pacific University Ski Team 2009
Jeff King Dog Mushing North Fork, California Denali Park 2017
Trajan Langdon Basketball Palo Alto, California East Anchorage High School 2008
Wally Leask Basketball Metlakatla, Alaska Sheldon Jackson boarding school 2009
Hilary Lindh Alpine Skiing Juneau, Alaska Eaglecrest Ski Area 2009
Lance Mackey Dog Mushing Anchorage, Alaska Kasilof 2010
Dick Mize Skiing Gilman, Colorado Anchorage 2015
Tommy Moe Alpine Skiing Missoula, Montana Palmer, Girdwood 2007
Buck Nystrom American football Ben Eielson Junior/Senior High School, North Pole High School 2013
Nancy Pease Mountain running Crow Pass, Bird Ridge, Mount Marathon 2015
Kikkan Randall Nordic Skiing Salt Lake City, Utah Anchorage 2011
Joe Redington Sr. Dog Mushing Kingfisher, Oklahoma Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race 2008
Mark Schlereth Football Anchorage, Alaska Service High School 2008
Bill Spencer Skiing Anchorage, Alaska Service High School 2012
Rick Swenson Dog Mushing Willmar, Minnesota Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race 2008
Vern Tejas Mountain Climber, Explorer Portland, Oregon Mount McKinley 2012
Kristen Thorsness Rowing Anchorage, Alaska West Anchorage High School 2007
Marcie Trent Running 2020[4]
Norman Vaughan Explorer Salem, Massachusetts Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race 2009
Bradford Washburn Mountain Climber, Explorer Cambridge, Massachusetts Mount McKinley 2010
Chuck White Basketball Seattle, Washington East Anchorage High School, West Anchorage High School 2011
Hall of Fame Event Description Induction Year
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Annual dog mushing race covering 1,161 miles (1,868 km) from Willow, AK to Nome, AK. 2007
Great Alaska Shootout Collegiate basketball tournament hosted annually by the University of Alaska Anchorage. 2008
World Eskimo Indian Olympics Annual event featuring traditional Eskimo and Indian games based on ancestral hunting and survival techniques. 2009
Midnight Sun Baseball Classic Annual baseball game played in Fairbanks, Alaska on the night of the summer solstice using no artificial lighting. 2010
Mount Marathon Annual footrace in Seward, AK dating back to 1915. 2011
Yukon 800 Annual speedboat race from Fairbanks to Galena and back. 2020[4]
Hall of Fame Moment Description Induction Year
First Ascent of Mount McKinley Walter Harper, Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens and Robert Tatum became the first to reach the highest peak in North America on June 7, 1913. 2007
1985 Iditarod Victory by Libby Riddles Riddles recorded the first victory by a woman in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. 2007
Tommy Moe's 1994 Olympic Gold Medal in the Downhill Moe's surprise victory led to the cover of Sports Illustrated and guest appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. 2008
First Winter Ascent of Mt. McKinley in 1967 Art Davidson, Ray Genet and Dave Johnston, over a 42-day period, reached the peak of Mt. McKinley in the winter of 1967. 2009
Doug Herron's Track Performance in 1985 Herron, an Anchorage high school student, shattered the Alaska State High School 800-meter run record with a 1985 national best time of 1 minute, 49.2 seconds. 2009
Iditarod Photo Finish in 1978 Dick Mackey defeated Rick Swenson by one second in a sprint finish at the end of the 1978 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. 2010
Elliot Sampson's Upset Victory in 1981 Sampson, an Eskimo high school student from Noorvik, AK, claimed the 1981 Alaska State High School Cross Country Running championship. 2010
Scott Gomez Brings the Stanley Cup to Alaska Ice hockey player Scott Gomez brought the Stanley Cup to Anchorage, AK in the Summer of 2000 after winning the National Hockey League championship with the New Jersey Devils. 2011
University of Alaska Anchorage Upset of Boston College in the 1991 NCAA Hockey Tournament The University of Alaska Anchorage Ice Hockey team upset Boston College by winning the first round series 2-0 in the 1991 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. 2020[4]

References

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  1. ^ "February 2010 Media Release" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  2. ^ "Airport Gallery". Archived from the original on November 15, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  3. ^ "Public Voting Will Begin this Fall 2011". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e Williams, Van (March 21, 2021) "Class of 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony postponed to April 2022". Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "October 11, 2010 Press Release". Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  6. ^ "Alaska Sports Hall of Fame - The List". Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 7, 2021.