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Colorado Springs hosts RMAC Hall of Fame & Awards banquet on July 10

When the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference stages its 21st annual Hall of Fame and Awards and Awards banquet, the induction ceremony will feature the individual who created the recognition in 2002, when the late commissioners Paul and Wanda Brechler were featured in the inaugural class.

Joel Smith

Joel “JR” Smith will be one of six individuals inducted on July 10 at the RMAC fete at the Colorado Springs Marriott.  Doors will open at 5 p.m. MT, and the induction and awards ceremony will follow promptly at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at RMACSports.org/Tickets.  The induction and awards banquet will be streamed on the RMAC Network.

In July 2002, then-Commissioner Smith introduced the RMAC Hall of Fame, and the inaugural induction class consisted of Paul and Wanda Brechler. The Brechlers were the first full-time Commissioners of the RMAC.

Joining Smith, who served as the RMAC commissioner for 12 years (2001-13), will be coach Debbie Hendricks (MSU Denver volleyball) and players Hayley Hollenga of Fort Lewis (women’s soccer and basketball), Brandon Jefferson of MSU Denver (men’s basketball), Ryan Jensen of CSU Pueblo (football), and Lorie Moreno Roch of Western Colorado (women’s track & field)

The 2014 CSU Pueblo football team will also be inducted into the RMAC Hall of Fame. The seventh team after the school restored its football program in 2008, the ThunderWolves became the first—and to date, the only RMAC member to win the NCAA Division II Football Championship.   The 2014 Pack won their fourth-straight RMAC title that season and finished with a 14-1 record after defeating Minnesota State 13-0 in the title contest in Kansas City.

After this year’s ceremonies and since the Brechlers’ induction in 2002, a total of 123 individuals and 53 teams have been inducted into the RMAC Hall.

Along with the incoming Hall of Fame inductees, the RMAC will also honor the 2024-25 RMAC Coaches of the Year, the Brechler Award winners for top team grade-point averages, the Man and Woman of the Year, the 2024-25 Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the J.W. Campbell/Con Marshall Sports Information Director of the Year, the RMAC All-Sports Cup, and the RMAC Sportsmanship Cup.

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is an NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.

Individuals inducted, classification, affiliation, RMAC (*Colorado Sports Hall of Fame inductee)

 

Teams inducted, Sports, School, Gender, Participation Years, Induction

  • Basketball, MSU Denver, Men, 1999-2000 & 2001-2002, 2024
  • Cross Country, Fort Hays, Men, 1969, 2005
  • Cross Country, Adams State, Men, 1971, 2006
  • Cross Country, Adams State, Men, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 2008
  • Cross Country, Adams State, Men, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2011
  • Cross Country, Western Colorado, Men, 1986, 2012
  • Cross Country, Adams State, Men, 1992, 2022
  • Cross Country, Adams State, Women, 1981, 2008
  • Cross Country, Adams State, Women, 1989, 2014
  • Cross Country, Adams State, Women, 1991-1999, 2015
  • Football, Montana State, Men, 1956, 2004
  • Football, Western Colorado, Men, 1954, 2010
  • Football, Colorado Mesa, Men, 1982 & 1983, 2016
  • Football, CSU Pueblo, Men, 2014, 2025
  • Indoor Track & Field, Adams State, Men, 1990 & 1992, 2013
  • Indoor Track & Field, Adams State, Women, 1985, 2012
  • Soccer, Fort Lewis, Men, 2005, 2019
  • Soccer, MSU Denver, Women, 2006, 2023
  • Soccer, MSU Denver, Women, 2004, 2024
  • Softball, Nebraska Kearney, Women, 1999, 2017
  • Volleyball, Regis, Women, 1997 & 1998, 2018
  • Wrestling, Western Colorado, Men, 1963 & 1964, 2004
  • Wrestling, Adams State, Men, 1968 & 1969, 2005
  • Wrestling, Nebraska-Omaha, Men, 1970, 2006
  • Wrestling, Adams State, Men, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 2007
  • Wrestling, Adams State, Men, 1980 & 1990, 2010

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BFishInc

Tim Simmons is an independent event service consultant specializing in the distribution of media information at sporting events and for groups associated with intercollegiate athletics.
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