COLORADO SPORTS HALL OF FAME HONOREES

by Mike Moran, The Colorado Springs Sports Corporation 

Outfielder Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies headlines a list of five individuals that will be honored as the 2007 "Centennial" State Athletes-of-the-Year at the April 8 Colorado Sports Hall of Fame banquet at the Denver Marriott City Center Hotel.

The Selection Committee of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame picked Holliday as the Professional Athlete-of-the-Year as he led the Rockies to the National League pennant by leading the senior circuit in batting average (.340), hits (216), doubles (50), RBIs (137), extra base hits (92) and total bases (386).

Other selections here Tuesday were Mark Dylla (Heritage) and Hannah Bower (Loveland) as the High School Male and Female Athletes-of-the-Year, respectively, and Chad Hall (U. S. Air Force Academy) and Brittany Somers (Adams State College) as the College Male and Female Athletes-of-the-Year, respectively.  Also to be honored at the April 8 ceremonies will be Melissa Stokes, the 2007 Disabled Athlete Recognition Award winner.

The Class of 2008 selections will be honored at the April 8 banquet along with the newest Colorado Sports Hall of Fame inductees of Fisher DeBerry, Dow Finsterwald, Pierre Lacroix, Bill Noxon, Frank Shorter and the late Starr Yelland.   The newest members of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame were selected this past October. Tickets for the banquet are $150 each and are available by contacting the CSHOF office at Invesco Field at Mile High.

In addition, the Rockies and manager Clint Hurdle will be honored with the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame's King of the Hill Award at the banquet.  Colorado advanced to the 2007 post-season by winning 14 of its last 15 regular-season, including 11 in a row, to advance to the National playoffs where the Rockies were unbeaten in seven games to eliminate the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Holliday's 2007 season was the best of his career as he played in 158 games while also posting career highs in runs (120; third in the NL), home runs (36), walks (63), on-base percentage (.405) and slugging percentage (.607; third in the league).  He became only the fifth National League player in the last 59 years to lead the NL in both batting average and RBIs and also became only the 13th major league player in the last 45 years to finish a season with at least 200 hits and 50 doubles.

The 2007 Colorado High School Swimmer of the Year, Dylla was an eight-time prep state champion, as he was undefeated in every event of his prep career.  He holds 41 Colorado individual records and earned 24 All-America honors.  Currently a freshman at Georgia, Dylla has qualified for the Olympic Trials in four events. 

A junior at Loveland, Bower became Colorado's first three-time high school all-around gymnastics champion at this past November's Class 5A meet since Marilyn Price accomplished the feat from 1976-78 for Steamboat Springs.  In posting a 38.850 all-around score, .Bower also finished first in vault and the balance beam, second in uneven parallel bars and third in floor exercise.

Hall established himself as one of the best players in college football this past season as he was named the Mountain West Conference's offensive player of the year.  He led the Falcons in rushing yards (1,478), receiving yards (524), receptions (50), rushing touchdowns (15), all-purpose yards (2,683), punt returns (12.6 yards per return) and kickoff returns (23.0 yards per return).  He was the only player in the nation to lead his team in rushing and receiving yards.

After leading Adams State to a fifth-straight NCAA Division II national championship this past November, Somers has now compiled nine All-American citations during her collegiate career.  During the recently completed cross country season, Somers won her first two career meets including the RMAC Championships to earn RMAC Runner of the Year honors.  Somers was just as impressive during the track and field season as she won her first career individual title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase during the 2007 outdoor campaign.

Stokes has been involved with Special Olympics since she was 10 years old.  For the past 14 years, she has enjoyed competing in the sports of Alpine Skiing, Basketball, Track & Field, Softball, Volleyball and Floor Hockey.

The CSHOF Selection Committee also awarded 2007 citations to the following:

• Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton
• Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki
• University of Colorado linebacker Jordan Dizon
• U. S. Air Force Academy hockey player Eric Ehn
• Colorado State University basketball player Jason Smith
• University of Colorado distance runner Jenny Barringer
• University of North Carolina tennis player Sara Anundsen
• Overland High School spring Jeremy Rankin
• Adams State College Coach Damon Martin
• Colorado State University women's volleyball team
• Western State College Coach Jennifer Michel
• U. S. Air Force Academy Coach Troy Calhoun
• Cyclist Taylor Phinney of Boulder

NOTE - Tickets for the banquet are $150 each and are available by contacting the CSHOF office at Invesco Field at Mile High or by telephoning 720/258-3535.  The 2008 Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Banquet is Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at Denver Marriott City Center Hotel. Or contact Tom Lawrence at tlawrence@coloradosports.org