Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout Inducted to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame on Monday announced that the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout will be inducted into its second annual class. The University of Alaska Anchorage's 30-year-old college basketball tournament joins the Iditarod as the first two inductees under the Hall's 'Event' category.

"We are extremely proud to have the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout be commemorated as part of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame," said UAA Athletic Director Dr. Steve Cobb. "This honor not only recognizes the Shootout's significance as one of the premier sporting events in the state, it also speaks for the years of hard work and dedication from UAA officials and community volunteers, past and present."

Official induction ceremonies are set for February 22, 2008 at the ConocoPhillips atrium in Anchorage. Admission is free to the general public.

Started in 1978 as the Sea Wolf Classic, the Shootout has emerged as one of the top traditional tournaments in college basketball. Past men's champions include such college hoops royalty as North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and Duke, while women's titlists have included legendary programs like Tennessee, Stanford and Louisiana Tech.

The ASHOF's Class of 2008 will also include basketball players Trajan Langdon and Carlos Boozer, football player Mark Schlereth, Iditarod pioneer Joe Redington, Sr., and five-time Iditarod champion Rick Swenson. Tommy Moe's 1994 Olympic gold medal in the downhill was chosen as the Hall's inductee in the 'Moment' category.