U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, Presented by Allstate

U.S. Olympic Committee and Allstate Announce the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2009

The fans have weighed in, the votes have been counted and the results are final. Today, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and Allstate Insurance Company (NYSE: ALL) announced the members of the Class of 2009 who will be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame is the only national sports hall of fame that uses fan voting as part of its selection process. This year's class is comprised of five Olympians, one Paralympian, one team, as well as three additional individuals: a coach, veteran and a special contributor.

The star-studded inductee list includes Michael Johnson (athletics), Picabo Street (alpine skiing), Teresa Edwards (basketball), Willye White (athletics), Mary T. Meagher (swimming), Sarah Will (Paralympic alpine skiing), the 1992 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Team, longtime Men's Gymnastics coach Abie Grossfeld, skiing veteran Andrea Mead-Lawrence, and special contributor Peter Ueberroth. Amazingly, members of this talented group of athletes, teams and coaches have been a part of a combined 21 Olympic and Paralympic Games and brought home a total of 46 medals.

"Olympians are champions, role models and leaders that inspire us to pursue our passions," said Tom Wilson, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Allstate. "The Class of 2009 continues this tradition and embodies the commitment to excellence and drive to succeed. They make us proud to be Americans. Allstate is proud to honor them as members of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame."

The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2009 will be formally introduced and honored August 12 at a banquet-style induction ceremony at McCormick Place in Chicago. Through a partnership with Chicago 2016, the ceremony will also serve as a final fundraiser for the organizing committee's bid to bring the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games to the city. The International Olympic Committee will announce the host city on October 2. The induction ceremony, hosted by Dan Hicks and Summer Sanders, will air in a nationally-televised broadcast on NBC on September 5 at 2 p.m. ET.

In addition, a new international award - the Olive Branch Achievement Award - will be introduced and presented at the Induction Ceremony. The award was created to honor an individual who best represents the international ideals of the Olympic Movement by working to build a peaceful and better world through sport. The Olive Branch Achievement Award recipient will be announced in the coming weeks.

"The USOC is very excited to honor this year's U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame legends who have inspired many generations in this country with their courage and thrilling Olympic performances," said USOC Acting Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Streeter. "Each of these Olympians is a worthy addition to the Hall of Fame and an overall symbol of the U.S. Olympic Movement. We're also pleased to continue to partner with Allstate, a company that shares our commitment to America's Olympians."

Nominees for the Class of 2009 were selected by a seven-person nominating committee consisting of Olympians, members of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, an NGB executive director, and a USOC representative. Fan votes submitted at www.teamusa.org also played an important role in the selection process, with more than 112,000 votes cast during the voting period.

Tables and tickets for the induction ceremony may be purchased online at support.chicago2016.org/halloffame.

July 1, 2009 -- U.S. Olympic Committee and Allstate Announce the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2009

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