Albuquerque, NM – December 6, 2024 – The New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame announced today that it will release a series of press releases over the coming weeks, highlighting the distinguished individuals selected for its 2024 Hall of Fame Class. The announcements will begin today, Friday, Dec. 6, and continue through Friday, Dec 20, with each press release featuring a detailed profile of two newly inducted members.
The first in the series of press releases welcomes New Mexico natives Roy Cooper and Alana Nichols to the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Roy Cooper – The Hobbs, New Mexico native, is a former American professional rodeo cowboy who competed in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) events for over two decades.
Inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1979, Cooper was part of the Hall’s inaugural class enshrined in the category of Tie-Down Roping. For his skills in calf roping, he acquired the nickname “Super Looper”. The Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame calls Cooper “one of the most dominant ropers in the sport’s history.”
Cooper won the 1976 PRCA Rookie of the Year, the 1976 and 1980-84 PRCA calf roping world championship, the 1983 PRCA steer roping world championship, the 1983 PRCA all-around world championship and the 1992 PRCA Texas Circuit calf roping championship.
Cooper is a 1979 Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer, a 1983 Rodeo Hall of Famer of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, a 2008 Texas Rodeo Hall of Famer, a 2009 Lea County Sports Hall of Famer, and a 2014 Oklahoma Sports Hall of Famer.
Alana Nichols– Originally from Farmington, New Mexico, Nichols is a world-class athlete with a passion for challenging herself and others. From a young age, her passion for sports and adventure has driven her, and no matter what obstacle life throws her way, she takes a challenge head-on. After suffering a spinal cord injury at age 17 while attempting a back flip on her snowboard, Alana quickly transitioned to adaptive sports. She is the first American female to win gold medals at both the Summer (Wheelchair Basketball) and Winter (Alpine Ski Racing) Olympic/Paralympic Games.
Nichols’s impressive career includes a 2008 gold medal from the Paralympic Summer Games in basketball, two gold medals in downhill and giant slalom, a silver medal in the Super G, and a bronze medal in the Super Combined at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
She continued her success as a 2011 NWBA National Champion, a 2011 Colorado Sports Woman of the Year Recognition, the 2011 Paralympic Athlete of the Year, the 2011 World Champion in the Downhill Super G, and the 2014 silver medalist in the downhill at the Paralympic games in Sochi, Russia. In May 2014, Nichols was inducted into the Warner Brothers “Superman Hall of Heroes” in the inaugural class of real-life heroes.
“As a proud New Mexican, being inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame is an incredible honor,” said New Mexico Sports Hall of Famer Alana Nichols. “This recognition not only celebrates my athletic journey but also underscores the unwavering support from my home state. I am deeply grateful and hope to continue inspiring others to pursue their dreams, regardless of the challenges they may face.”
The New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame will host a press conference to welcome the new members of the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame on December 28th at 9 a.m. at the Pit on the campus of the University of New Mexico, followed by a recognition of new inductees at the New Mexico Bowl during the game.
The induction ceremony for the new inductees will occur on the weekend of June 27-29, 2025, with the induction ceremony being at the Albuquerque Convention Center at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 29.
For more information on the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame and the schedule of events for the induction weekend, visit www.NMSHOF.org.
