General | 7/8/2015 11:15:00 AM

Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2015

GUNNISON, Colo. – Former Western State Colorado University All-American skier Dick Mize was one of three individuals part of the 2015 class recently inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in Anchorage.
 
Mize, 79, was a two-time All-American (1956-57) for the Mountaineers from 1953-57. In 1956, he was awarded the Don Johnson Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding skier at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
 
Following his collegiate career, Mize earned the honor of representing the United States in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, as a member of the U.S. Biathlon Team. During his professional career, Mize was a six-time World Masters Champion and captured both the World and U.S. Masters titles in the 20k Freestyle and 10k Classic races in 1998 in Lake Placid, New York.
 
Mize is known for far more than his success on the national and international stages, helping create close to 100 miles of ski trails throughout the city of Anchorage. Mize has helped build a majority of the trails at Kincaid Park, which has hosted national championships, Olympic trials and World Cup races. His namesake trail, the Mize Loop, is one of the most popular trails at Kincaid Park.
 
Mize has also helped create trails at Russian Jack, Hillside and Girdwood Parks in Anchorage, connecting one end of the city to the other.
 
Mize has served as principal at three schools in Anchorage and later served as the activities director for the Anchorage School District, promoting sports participation and active lifestyles. For the past 12 years, he has worked with the Kincaid Project Group to make upgrades to the park.
 
In 1999, Mize was inducted into the Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame as part of the fifth induction class in school history. He was also inducted into the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Alaska Cross Country Hall of Fame in April 2015.