NORTHBROOK, Ill., Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Olympic
Committee and Allstate Insurance Company (NYSE: ALL) today
announced the list of nominees eligible for induction into the U.S.
Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate and invited fans to
start voting for those athletes and teams they feel are most
deserving of a spot in the Class of 2012.
The nominee list consists of the following 18 individual Olympic
athletes, five Paralympic athletes and five teams.
Individual Nominee Finalists
|
Paralympic Nominee Finalists
|
Greg
Barton, canoe/kayak
|
Jean
Driscoll, track & field
|
Valerie
Brisco, track & field
|
Sharon
Hedrick, track & field
|
Gail
Devers, track & field
|
David
Larson, track & field
|
Anne
Donovan, basketball
|
Jim
Mastro, goalball, judo, track & field, wrestling
|
Lisa
Fernandez, softball
|
Tony
Volpentest, track & field
|
Gretchen
Fraser, alpine skiing
|
|
Cammi
Granato, ice hockey
|
Team
Nominee Finalists
|
Gary Hall,
Jr., swimming
|
1976
women's swimming 4x100m freestyle relay
|
Bill Koch,
cross country skiing
|
1988 men's
volleyball
|
Kristine
Lilly, soccer
|
1996
women's basketball
|
Dan
O'Brien, track & field
|
1998
women's ice hockey
|
Darrell
Pace, archery
|
2004
women's softball
|
Tracie
Ruiz-Conforto, synchronized swimming
|
|
Terry
Schroeder, water polo
|
|
John
Smith, wrestling
|
|
Dawn
Staley, basketball
|
|
William
Steinkraus, equestrian
|
|
Jenny
Thompson, swimming
|
|
"The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame celebrates a commitment to
excellence and perseverance and recognizes American athletes who
are role models and heroes," said Mark
LaNeve, Allstate's chief marketing officer and senior
executive vice president of agency operations. "Allstate is proud
to protect the legacy of these athletes and their accomplishments
while offering fans the chance to play an important role in
selecting who will be eternally etched in Olympic history."
The public is invited to vote for their preferred candidates and
teams by visiting a dedicated voting portal at
TeamUSA.org/halloffame. Voters will be allowed to vote once per
day, per category, through April 9,
2012. Recognizing the ongoing support that fans give U.S.
Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls in their training and
competition, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate
was one of the first major sports halls of fame to incorporate fan
voting into the selection process.
Once voting closes, the public vote totals will be added to the
vote totals of Olympians, Paralympians and U.S. Olympic Family
members to determine the six Olympians, one Paralympian and one
team that will make up the 2012 class. The U.S. Olympic Hall of
Fame presented by Allstate Class of 2012 will be announced in May
and inducted on July 12 during an
induction ceremony at the Harris Theater in Chicago, Ill.
"It is a privilege to introduce this incredibly deserving group
of nominees for induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and an
honor to invite the American public to vote for who they want to be
a part of the class of 2012," said Scott
Blackmun, USOC chief executive officer. "With excitement
building ahead of the London Games
this summer, there is no better time than now to honor the legacy
of the great individual and team performances, and make them a
permanent part of U.S. Olympic Team history."
The nominees for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by
Allstate class were selected by a nominating committee comprised of
individuals representing the following areas of the U.S. Olympic
Movement: United States Olympians Association, Athletes' Advisory
Council, media members, USOC executive team, USOC Board of
Directors, one at-large committee member and a Paralympic sports
representative.
About the USOC
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., the U.S. Olympic
Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and
National Paralympic Committee for the
United States. As such, the USOC is responsible for the
training, entering and funding of U.S. teams for the Olympic,
Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games,
while serving as a steward of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements
throughout the country. For more information, visit
TeamUSA.org.
About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest
publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the
"You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan, Allstate is
reinventing protection and retirement to help nearly 16 million
households insure what they have today and better prepare for
tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products (auto, home,
life and retirement) and services through Allstate agencies,
independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial
representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and
1-800 Allstate®. As part of Allstate's commitment to strengthen
local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees,
agency owners and the corporation provided $28 million in 2011 to thousands of nonprofit
organizations and important causes across the United States.
About the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was established in 1979 to celebrate
the achievements of America's premier athletes in the modern
Olympic Games. The first U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame class was
inducted in 1983 during ceremonies in Chicago and included Olympic greats such as
Bob Beamon, Cassius Clay, Peggy
Fleming, Al Oerter,
Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Mark
Spitz, Jim Thorpe and the
1980 "Miracle on Ice" men's hockey team. In 2004, after a 12-year
hiatus, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was revived through the
support of the Allstate Insurance Company as the presenting
sponsor. Now every Olympic year, past Olympic athletes, teams,
Paralympians, coaches, veterans and special contributors gather to
welcome in the newest members of the Hall of Fame.
SOURCE Allstate Insurance Company