The next round of Buffaloes legends are set to take their place in the Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame.
The university announced its 2024 induction class on Tuesday, featuring 10 athletes from 10 different sports, a coach and administrator, as well as the Hall’s annual additions to the Hall of Honor and the Legacy Wing.
The list of standout CU football figures joining the Hall of Fame includes former cornerback Ronnie Bradford, who forever changed Colorado football history by blocking the extra point that made the difference in the Buffs’ national championship-clinching win in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame; Don Hasselbeck, one of the top tight ends in CU history who enjoyed a nine-year NFL career; kick returner extraordinaire Ben Kelly; 1930s-era star Harold “Monk” Saunders, who also was a standout golfer; and Dan Stavely, who served as an assistant coach for 15 seasons under three different head coaches (Dal Ward, Eddie Crowder, Bill Mallory).
“I never thought I would have the fortune of being enshrined in the CU Hall of Fame next to some great athletes that put in hours of training and performance to represent this amazing university to best of our abilities,” Bradford said in a release from CU. “It was never about the fame or glory that concerned us, but the pride and tradition of this university that sustained our drive. My four years at CU will always be some of the most memorable, first arriving at CU and seeing how the university and community were grieving but came together to honor a fallen teammate (Sal Aunese). Then playing in two national championship games and winning one, to winning multiple conference championships, to being a part of a brotherhood, who sweated and trained to compete week in and week out, to be called “Colorado Buffaloes.”
Among the former stars being honored from CU’s many other sports are John Gregorio, the first CU athlete to receive All-American honors in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track; John Skajem, who became the first CU skier to win four races in the same season in 1986; Anette Skjolden, a six-time All-American Nordic skier in the early 1990s; former volleyball star Rachel Wacholder Scott, a three-time all-conference selection; and Shayne Wille Culpepper, a one-time walk-on with the track team who went on to earn five conference titles and four All-American honors.
In addition to the regular Hall of Fame induction class, Ron Ginley and Tom Lawrence will be recognized as Hall of Honor inductees. Ginley is a former standout CU gymnast who went on to a decorated electrical engineering career at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder. Lawrence is a former CU basketball player who has been a leading executive with the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame since 2003.
This year’s Legacy Wing inductees will be Alan Cass, formerly the public address announcer and venue director at the Events Center, and longtime donor/supporter “Pasta” Jay Elowsky.
The Colorado Hall of Fame’s 19th induction class will be honored at a ceremony during the weekend of Nov. 14-16 — the weekend of the home football game against Utah on Nov. 16 — with the details still pending.
