Colorado Sports Hall of Fame

Description

The idea of a Colorado Sports Hall of Fame was first presented to the Greater Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors in 1960 as an outgrowth of discussions within the Chamber's Metro Sports Committee. When the Board expressed interest in the concept, a Sports Hall of Fame Committee was formed to draft bylaws and to develop the appropriate organizational structure. The committee included many future Hall of Fame notables, including it's first President, Roger Dougherty and future inductee Byron White. Sports media figures including Chet Nelson, Starr Yelland, Fred Leo and many others assisted the Committee in it's deliberations. With bylaws in place, the Chamber Board voted in July 1964, and the necessary resources to incorporate the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame were put into place. Incorporation formally took place through Byron White's law firm on November 4, 1964. As part of it's organization, a Selection Committee comprised of members of both print and electronic media from throughout the state was established to prepare procedures and criterion for induction into the Sports Hall of Fame. The first class was inducted in April of 1965. This independant selection process continues today. The Museum... After nearly 35 years of honoring Colorado sports legends, the idea of a permanent Museum started to gain ground in 1998, when the Metropolitan Football Stadium District approached the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors about their interest in establishing a "bricks and mortar" Museum in the proposed new Denver Broncos football Stadium. Following the successful stadium election in November of 1998, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors went to work to build the necessary community-wide relationships the launch The Museum project. As a true community asset, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Museum partnered with local academic institutions to involve students in the project. Graduate students at the University of Denver Daniels College of Business wrote a business plan, while students at the University of Colorado at Denver Graduate School of Architecture prepared The Museum's design concepts and necessary construction documents. In addition, students from the University of Colorado at Denver's Public History and Preservation program helped develop The Museum's initial exhibits. Because of generous financial support, both in terms of capital and in-kind contributions, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Museum opened in August of 2001, and strives to preserve the legendary stories that make sports an important part of our social fabric.