Five individual Olympians, one Olympic team, one Paralympian and one coach, along with a veteran and a special contributor, will be honored during the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, presented by Allstate. The induction ceremony will take place Dec. 8 in Chicago, Ill., at the Harris Theatre and will again feature an awards-style show.

Additionally, a nationally-televised special will air early in 2006 to enable sports fans across the United States to relive the moments that catapulted the Class of 2006 inductees to U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame status. Broadcast details will be announced at a later date.

The Class of 2006 finalists in the individual, team, Paralympic and coach categories were selected by a nominating committee consisting of athletes, members of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, historians and USOC representatives. The committee also selected the individuals to be honored in the veteran and special contributor categories. 

Public voting for the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame began on Aug. 17 and ended Sept. 21.

U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2006 Finalists

Individual Finalists – Five (5) to be inducted
Evelyn Ashford, track & field
Greg Barton, canoe/kayak
Bruce Baumgartner, wrestling
Joan Benoit, track & field
Jeff Blatnick, wrestling
Brian Boitano, figure skating
Valerie Brisco, track & field
Rowdy Gaines, swimming
Bob Hayes, track & field
Roger Kingdom, track & field
Mary T. Meagher, swimming
Shannon Miller, gymnastics
Darrell Pace, archery
John Smith, wrestling
Kristi Yamaguchi, figure skating

Team Finalists – One (1) to be inducted
1968 Men’s Track & Field 4x400m Relay
1976 Women’s Swimming 4x100m Freestyle Relay
1984 Men’s Gymnastics
1988 Women’s Track & Field 4x100m Relay
1988 Men’s Volleyball

Paralympian Finalists – One (1) to be inducted
Ross Davis, track & field
Jean Driscoll, track & field
Diana Golden-Brosnihan, skiing
John Morgan, swimming
Dennis Oehler, track & field

Coach Finalists – One (1) to be inducted
Bill Bowerman, track & field
Herb Brooks, ice hockey
Carlo Fassi, figure skating
George Haines, swimming
Ed Temple, track & field

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. That Charter Class, which included Olympic greats Jesse Owens, Jim Thorpe and Muhammad Ali, remains the largest group (20 individuals and one team) ever inducted.  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, along with additional support from Kleenex® Brand Tissue. 

To date, 182 athletes (including six U.S. teams) and special contributors to the U.S. Olympic Movement have been enshrined.  From the Charter Class of 1983 to the 2004 inductees, Hall members represent an American honor roll of athletic ambassadors to the ideals of brotherhood and fair play.  The current nominees – 15 individual Olympians, five Olympic teams, five individual Paralympians and five coaches – each continue that tradition.

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 helps individuals in approximately 17 million households protect what they have today and better prepare for tomorrow through approximately 13,600 exclusive agencies and financial professionals in the U.S. and Canada. Customers can access Allstate products and services such as auto insurance and homeowners insurance through Allstate agencies, or in select states at allstate.com and 1-800 Allstate®. EncompassSM and Deerbrook® Insurance brand property and casualty products are sold exclusively through independent agents. Allstate Financial Group provides life insurance, supplemental accident and health insurance, annuity, banking and retirement products designed for individual, institutional and worksite customers that are distributed through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, financial institutions and broker-dealers.

About the USOC
The mission of the United States Olympic Committee is to support U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes in achieving sustained competitive excellence and preserve the Olympic Ideals, and thereby inspire all Americans. The USOC is the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sole entity in the United States with oversight of teams participating in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.