Aspen and Basalt Athletes Honored at State Awards Ceremony

DENVER, Colo. — Henry Hurd spoke on behalf of 17 student-athletes during the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame’s annual scholar-athlete awards banquet on Monday night. The event took place at the Denver West Marriott, where the guests were honored for their accomplishments on and off the field.

Hurd, a senior tight end at Aspen High School, recalled the moment he met Denver Broncos legend John Elway at the event. “It was crazy, honestly,” Hurd said. “A little moment that was pretty crazy was when I was walking out of the bathroom and he was walking in, and he goes, ‘Hey, Henry,’ and I was, ‘Oh, my god, he knows my name.’ He said, ‘Nice speech,’ and I replied, ‘Thank you, man.’ That was a cool moment.”

Hurd and fellow senior William Daniel from Basalt High School were the first student-athletes from the Roaring Fork Valley to be recognized by the Colorado Chapter of the National Football Foundation since its founding in 1992. “It was really cool that both of us were able to be recognized,” Daniel said. “It was great to see Elway speak and get a few pictures and some stuff signed by him.”

The Colorado Chapter’s mission emphasizes “recognizing and honoring the top high school football student-athletes in the state” based on their performance on the field, academic success, and leadership in extracurricular activities. Hurd was chosen to speak due to his notable off-the-field achievements, including a 4.71 GPA, the highest in Aspen High School’s history, and a perfect 36 score on the ACT. “It was one of the coolest things I’ve been a part of,” Hurd said. “Pretty much everyone there was going to big DI schools, like Nebraska, San Diego State, etc. So, it was pretty cool to meet all those kids.”

Daniel, who has a 4.23 GPA and plays running back, also shone in the spotlight as a finalist for The Denver Post Gold Helmet Award. He noted a memorable moment from the ceremony when Carl Frerichs, the longtime football coach at Basalt High School, met Elway. “Frerichs is a huge fan of Elway and a huge Bronco fan, so it was really cool for him to get to see him and get a picture with him,” Daniel shared. “Getting some on-field recognition is really cool, but at the end of the day, football is going to be over at some point, so that work ethic you have on the football field and being able to translate it to the classroom is something that not a lot of athletes are able to do.”