Nine new members join the CHSAA Hall of Fame as the 2017 class
AURORA — The members of the 2017 CHSAA Hall of Fame were inducted during a ceremony on Wednesday night at the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast.
Tricia Bader-Binford (Roaring Fork), Jenny Coalson (Ellicott) Joe Silva (Fruita Monument), Bobbi Brown-Vandenberg (Boulder), Don Kimble (Limon), Ken Shaw (Regis Jesuit), Kent Smith (Boulder/Highlands Ranch/Ponderosa), Brian Richmond (Fort Collins) and L. D. Elarton (Lamar) were all inducted on Wednesday.
The nine new members are the 29th in the history of the CHSAA Hall of Fame, which was started in 1989.
Bader-Binford spoke for the class at the conclusion of the ceremony, saying, “This is an honor that we share with our communities. It is clear that we achieved because people believed in us. People believed in us, they supported us, they provided us the chance to be great.”
“The opportunities CHSAA has provided has changed each of us for the better,” Bader-Binford added.
Biographies of each new member are below, via the press release announcing the new members last October. With their inclusion the CHSAA Hall of Fame now has 197 members.
2017 CHSAA Hall of Fame class
Tricia Bader Binford (Roaring Fork HS): A three-sport athlete – basketball, volleyball and track – Bader was a five-time state track champion, three-time all-state basketball player and led the Rams to the 1989, 1990 and 1991 state basketball titles. She was a three-time all-state player and the player of the year as a senior.
She won the 1991 Rocky Mountain News’ Steinmark Award and RHS has named its “Three-Sport Athlete Award” after her.
A former WNBA and Australian professional player, Bader is the head coach at Montana State where she was the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year in 2015-16.
As great as she was on the court, she was equally great off it, maintaining great character, and inspiring many young women in rural communities to become involved in sports.
A girls’ coach for 32 years in Colorado and Wisconsin, Brown was the architect of one of the strongest girls’ basketball programs in Colorado.
Her BHS teams were 182-28, winning the 1984, 1986, 1989 (undefeated), 1990 and 1991 state titles. Her 1985 and 1992 teams finished second. She also took a leave of absence in the middle of her Boulder tenure to finish her graduate studies.
A former CU basketball player, was also an assistant varsity football coach in 1990, coaching wide receivers and defensive backs. She coached at Fairview and Boulder from 1981 until 1992.
She was Coach of the Year by The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News and Boulder Daily Camera five times.
She is currently the Viterbo University (La Crosse, WI) women’s basketball coach.
Jenny Coalson (Ellicott HS): Coalson was a three-sport athlete at Ellicott, leading her team to two state basketball championships and winning four state individual track titles, while placing 10 more times.
She won the triple jump as a freshman, the 200 meters and shot put as a junior, along with winning the long jump as a senior. The 2A Basketball Player of the Year twice in basketball, Coalson was all-state in basketball (twice) and volleyball (once).
She was selected to the CCGS and CHSCA All-State Teams in both sports as a senior. In addition, she is a Little Britches world champion rodeo performer.
She won the 1995 Rocky Mountain News’ Steinmark Award She went on to play and excel in basketball at Kansas State.
Eldon “L.D.” Elarton (Lamar Schools): One of the state’s most respected administrators, Elarton’s career as a student participant, teacher, coach and administrator was steeped in Lamar.
A native of the community, he played baseball, basketball and football, was student body president and an all-state participant for LHS. After college, he returned home to teach and coach, starting in 1968 and moved up the ranks, serving as teacher, assistant principal, principal, finance director and superintendent.
As a coach, Elarton earned Baseball Coach of the Year honors in the Will Rogers League at Widefield High School. Once returning to Lamar, he initiated the Academic Letter Award, host numerous CHSAA Music and Speech events, while the school’s baseball, wrestling and girls’ basketball teams won 10 state titles among them. He was active on the state and national scene through CASE and NASSP.
Don Kimble (Limon HS): A music teacher who established one of the finest music programs, the late Don Kimble taught music for the Badgers for 29 years after one year at Flagler.
His bands received 26 first division ratings in state large group festivals, both in performance and sight-reading. The marching band also won state recognition in 1977 for its field performances.
Kimble directed four different bands at Limon, the fourth-grade band, fifth-grade beginning band, the Cadet Band (6, 7 & 8 graders) and the Senior High School Band. He taught Music Appreciation and took his pep bands to many out-of-town athletic contests. He was also assigned three choirs to conduct.
Kimble was a master at balancing the demands for his students between athletics and his music programs.
Brian Richmond (Fort Collins): One of the state’s top gymnastics coaches and judge, Richmond coached high school for 17 years, but has been a high school judge since 1971.
He coached gymnastics at four high schools – Jefferson, Poudre, Fort Collins and Thompson Valley – with the PHS team winning the 1984 title and runners up in 1985.
A former CSU gymnast and coach, Richmond became one of the top judges in the state, as well as one the national and international scene. He judged 20 CHSAA boys’ state meets and has been a mainstay with the girls’ state meet, having worked 35 of those. He has judged on the national and international stage.
He was inducted in the National Gymnastics Judges Association Hall of Fame in 2011.
Ken Shaw (Merino, Yuma, Sterling, Rocky Mountain, Smoky Hill, Regis Jesuit HS): One of the state’s legendary athletes who become one of Colorado’s top prep basketball coaches, Shaw guided his Merino team to a pair of state tiles, while going undefeated.
He was a prolific high school athlete at Merino, and held the career scoring record when his career was over. That mark has since been broken, but Shaw’s name still dots the basketball record book as a player. Additionally, Shaw was a standout football player, and has his name in that sport’s record book.
As a coach, his teams have won more than 710 games and he guided Regis to three straight 5A championships. His teams also won titles two other times, at Yuma and Sterling.
His teams have a record 29 the state tournament appearances.
Joe Silva (Fruita Monument HS): A Bronze Star Recipient in Vietnam, Silva was a three-time state wrestling champion for Fruita Monument and compiled a 58-0-2 mark in his career.
In 12 state matches, opponents scored just 6 points on him. He also participated in football and baseball.
He is a former District 51 Teacher of the Year and taught 29 years at Fruita Middle School. During that time, he, along with 2016 inductee Ray Coca and others broadcast the Western Slope State Championship matches on radio and television.
From 1963-65, Fruita enjoyed much success in wrestling, baseball and football. The constant on these teams was Silva. The school won two wrestling team titles and the football team was state runner up twice and baseball once over the period.
Kent Smith (Boulder, Ponderosa, Aurora Central, Highlands Ranch, La Veta, Alamosa): Having just retired after 53 years of coaching, Smith is one of the state’s top coaches, regardless of sport. And, he is noted for his integrity and ability to build better people through activities.
He has been the head boys’ basketball coach at Boulder and Ponderosa, the head cross country coach at Ponderosa and Highlands Ranch, as well as the head boys’ soccer coach at Aurora Central. Additionally, he served as head girls’ basketball coach at La Veta and Alamosa.
His teams have won state titles in basketball (twice at Boulder) and cross country (six times at Highlands Ranch). He runs a dog and horse rescue ranch near Walsenburg.
