Emma Coburn highlights 2023 CU Buffs athletics Hall of Fame induction class – The Denver Post

Together they represent more than 70 years of Colorado athletics excellence, from the late 1930s to a Buffaloes alum so recent she still will be competing for a national championship this week.

Yet they will forever have one prestigious honor in common.

On Thursday, the University of Colorado announced its 2023 athletic Hall of Fame class, honoring nine new inductees in the 18th class since the Hall of Fame’s inception in 1998.

That list includes 2016 Olympic steeplechase bronze medalist Emma Coburn, who is competing at the U.S. Track and Field championships this weekend in Oregon; former football greats Nate Solder and Andre Gurode; men’s basketball pioneer Robert Doll; former football player and CU administrator Bill Harris; All-American high jumper Karol Damon; skiing standout Clark Matis; women’s basketball star Brittany Spears; and Laura Munnelly, a Colorado native who helped put the women’s soccer program on the national map in the early 2000s.

Additionally, Nike senior director of global communications Heidi Burgett (a former CU soccer player) and sports media personality/writer Kate Fagan (a CU basketball player under the legendary Ceal Barry) were named CU Hall of Honor inductees, while CU chancellor Phil DiStefano and John and Shaaron Parker, pioneers of the Ralphie program, will be inducted into the “Legacy Wing.”

Coburn became the first American woman to medal in the steeplechase at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. She is one of just 10 CU athletes in any sport to win at least three national championships, winning the 2011 and 2013 outdoor steeplechase titles in addition to the 2013 one mile indoor title.

A native of Crested Butte, Coburn won four conference championships and was a three-time winner of CU’s Female Athlete of the Year award.

“I have been a Buffs fan my entire life, so to be inducted into the Hall of Fame makes me feel so honored and proud,” Coburn said in a release from CU. “My years as a student-athlete at Colorado were incredibly special. I want to say thank you to my college coaches, Coach (Mark) Wetmore and Coach (Heather) Burroughs, and to my teammates, for making those years such a highlight in my life. Also, thank you to my parents, Annie and Bill, for not only establishing my love of all things CU, but for supporting my athletic career from the early days.”

Gurode will be the fifth member of CU’s 2001 Big 12 title team to enter the CU Hall of Fame, joining Daniel Graham, Chris Brown, assistant coach Brian Cabral and head coach Gary Barnett. Gurode was a two-time first team All-Big 12 selection and a first team All-American as a senior. He was selected by Dallas in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft and played in 161 games in his pro career.

Solder, also an offensive lineman after moving from tight end early in his CU career, played in 146 NFL games and won a pair of Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots.

“Looking back, it was all so unbelievable, coming out of Buena Vista when I was first thinking about playing basketball, or not playing sports at all and concentrating on academics,” Solder said in a release. “My brother was at Stanford, and there were other schools I was thinking about to play basketball, Dartmouth for one. But CU was a great option for me, and my first priority was to major in biology. On my campus tour, they emphasized the importance of academics, and they were able to accommodate me with the classes I needed and still be able participate in everything with the team.

“Playing at CU, a prestigious university in my mind, then getting to start as a member of a Big 12 team, earning All-America and (National Football Foundation) Scholar-Athlete honors was beyond a dream come true. I busted my tail in academics and was always studying as hard as I could.  I really enjoyed biology – what I miss about college to this day is going around campus and attending lectures.”

Spears remains the all-time leading scorer for the women’s basketball team and played professionally overseas for seven seasons. Doll was one of the first stars of the men’s basketball team, winning the Most Outstanding Player award as CU won the 1940 NIT. Doll served in World War II before becoming the first CU graduate to play professional basketball.

Damon was a four-time All-American in the high jump and still holds the program event records indoor (6 feet, 2 inches) and outdoor (6-3). Matis became the first CU athlete in any sport to win a repeat NCAA title when he won the skiing cross country championship in 1968 and 1969. He later competed in the Winter Olympics in 1968 and 1972.

Harris starred for the Buffs as a running back in the early 1960s and returned to CU in 2000 to work in the Alumni Association office. Munnelly, a defender who earned four All-Big 12 honors (three second team, one first team) helped the Buffs win the 2003 Big 12 regular season championship. Her sister, Fran, was inducted into the CU Hall of Fame in 2016.

“I looked up the date when we beat Nebraska to win the Big 12 championship — it was on Halloween in 2003, so this will be that 20th anniversary.  I think that win solidified CU as a soccer program,” Munnelly said in the release. “I’m very honored, especially as a defender, you don’t get to set many records, but I’m proud that I played all but 20 minutes over my entire career.  (Coach) Bill Hempen gave me a chance, and I didn’t look back.  I had the opportunity to be irreplaceable, and that’s what I tried to be my whole career — to be that one you couldn’t afford to take out.”

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.

Source: Read Full Article