Hey! I'm in the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame!
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"Idaho made me what I am today. I was a very shy, meek person. It changed me." "It's the ultimate honor an Idaho athlete can have. Every time you get recognized, a lot of teammates and coaches deserve to be honored along with you... They all share in this. They should all be proud." Nancy Bechtholdt Koch '82 is possibly the most awarded athlete in University of Idaho sports history. She earned 23-All American honors as a swimmer at Idaho from 1979 to 1982. Nancy is one of nearly 100 former Vandals to be selected as charter members of the Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame. The first group of about 50 inductees will be honored Sept. 7-8 at a banquet and during the Vandal's football home opener against Cal Poly. Another group of 50 charter members will be inducted in 2008. Wayne Walker '58, a former National Football League star, has received many honors during his career. "It ranks right up there with the biggest thrills of my life," said Walker, who lives at Boise. Past presidents of the Vandal Booster Club decided to take the monumental step of creating an athletic hall of fame. Director of Athletics Rob Spear and a 10-person committee began to comb through more than 100 years of Idaho athletics history. They identified 93 athletes, coaches, administrators, and even a broadcaster, plus five teams deserving of honor. The Hall of Famer's represent a variety of sports: tennis, swimming, boxing, volleyball, skiing, track and field, baseball, golf, football and basketball. No matter what their era or sport, the inductees all agree on what a special place the University of Idaho was, and is. "It was a blessing and an honor to go the University of Idaho," says Gary Simmons '58, basketball guard who was drafted by the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers. "People who don't live in Idaho don't understand. It's in your heart, mind and soul." |
