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.

History and organization

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. Plaques for each inductee are displayed on level 0 of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

Inductees

The 2012 nominees for induction will be determined by a public vote in Fall 2011.
The current members, events, and moments of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame are listed below.
Hall of Fame MemberSportInduction Year
George AttlaDog Mushing2007
Carlos BoozerBasketball2008
H.A. “Red” BoucherBaseball2009
Susan ButcherDog Mushing2007
Rosey FletcherSnowboarding2010
Scott GomezIce Hockey2007
Reggie JouleWorld Eskimo Indian Olympics2010
Nina KemppelNordic Skiing2009
Trajan LangdonBasketball2008
Wally LeaskBasketball2009
Hilary LindhAlpine Skiing2009
Lance MackeyDog Mushing2010
Tommy MoeAlpine Skiing2007
Kikkan RandallNordic Skiing2011
Joe Redington Sr.Dog Mushing2008
Mark SchlerethFootball2008
Rick SwensonDog Mushing2008
Kristen ThorsnessRowing2007
Norman VaughanExplorer2009
Bradford WashburnMountain Climber, Explorer2010
Chuck WhiteBasketball2011
Vernon TejasMountain Climber, Explorer2012

Hall of Fame EventDescriptionInduction Year
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog RaceAnnual dog mushing race covering 1,161 miles from Willow, AK to Nome, AK.2007
Great Alaska ShootoutCollegiate basketball tournament hosted annually by the University of Alaska Anchorage.2008
World Eskimo Indian OlympicsAnnual event featuring traditional Eskimo and Indian games based on ancestral hunting and survival techniques.2009
Midnight Sun Baseball ClassicAnnual baseball game played in Fairbanks, Alaska on the night of the summer solstice using no artificial lighting.2010
Mount MarathonAnnual footrace in Seward, AK dating back to 1915.2011

Hall of Fame MomentDescriptionInduction Year
First Ascent of Mount McKinleyWalter 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 RiddlesRiddles recorded the first victory by a woman in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.2007
Tommy Moe's 1994 Olympic Gold Medal in the DownhillMoe'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 1967Art 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 1985Herron, 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 1978Dick 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 1981Sampson, 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