The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization established in 2006 to educate Alaskans and visitors alike about the people, events, and great moments in Alaskan sports history, and to provide activities that will inspire young Alaskans to strive for success in their own lives. The classic sled dog related Alaskan sports provide youth with positive role models, promote healthy lifestyles, and teach important life skills such as leadership, teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship.
Alaska has a rich tradition in sled dog related activities, from the dog weight pulls of the Klondike era to the famed serum run and subsequent Iditarod and Yukon Quest sled dog races. The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame has recognized several Alaskan mushers and a number of great events and moments in Alaska's mushing history: George Attla, Susan Butcher, Libby Riddles, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Joe Redington Sr., Rick Swenson, and the inimitable Col. Norman Vaughn.
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VIDEO: Watch past Hall of Fame induction speeches.
-- George Attla |
On Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008, Sled dog racing legend and Alaska Sports Hall of Fame charter inductee George Attla cut the ribbon on the inductee exhibit at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. During the ceremony Attla stressed the importance of the Hall to Alaskan youth, especially rural Alaskans. The Gallery, located in the corridor between the parking garage and in-state flight gates on Level 0, is accessible to the public 24 hours a day. In addition to the inductee portraits, the display features a dedication plaque and a flat screen monitor that showcases inductee biographies.
In February 2010 the newest inductee, Lance Mackey, the four-time Yukon Quest champion and three-time Iditarod winner, will join his father, Dick Mackey, as both are inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in the annual ceremony, which is free and open to the public. The elder Mackey earned his place in the Hall of Fame as one half of the closest finish in Iditarod history, with a one-second triumph over Rick Swenson over 30 years ago. Dick Mackey's win resolved the question of whether it was the lead dog's nose, the sled, or the musher himself who had to cross the finish line for the win. In one of the most thrilling moments in Alaskan sports history, Dick Mackey seized the 1978 Iditarod championship by a lead dog's nose!
Lance Mackey sorts through his drop bag at Pelly Crossing in the 2008 Yukon Quest.
Lance Mackey mushes in the 2009 Iditarod.
Dick Mackey talks about racing at the Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla, July 2009.