Shiffrin named 2013 Colorado Athlete of the Year along with Peyton Manning

Shiffrin with her 2013 slalom globe (GEPA/Wolfgang Grebien)

DENVER, Colo. — Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and world champion skier Mikaela Shiffrin have been selected as Colorado’s Athletes of the Year for the 2013 calendar year as the pair will be honored with five other competitors from the “Centennial” state at the 2013 Colorado Sports Hall of Fame banquet on Thursday, April 17, at the Denver Marriott City Center Hotel.

At a meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 7), the selection committee of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame picked Manning as the men’s Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year after leading the Broncos to the franchise’s third-straight AFC West Division title and the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Manning joins Alex English (1982,1985), Joe Sakic (1996,2001) and teammate Champ Bailey (2005-06) as two-time Colorado Sports Hall of Fame professional AOY recipients.

Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, Manning completed 450 of 659 passes (68.3 percent) for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns for a 115.1 passing rating during the 2013 regular season. In leading the Broncos to their second-straight 13-3 record and an AFC West title, Manning’s 55 touchdown passes and 5,477 yards passing set single-season NFL records.

The 18-year old Shiffrin is being honored as Colorado’s female Athlete of the Year after she won the slalom title at the 2013 World Championships at Schladming, Austria, where she also placed sixth in the giant slalom.  After winning the slalom at the World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, Shiffrin secured the 2013 season title in the slalom discipline.  During the 2013 season, she won four slalom event titles starting with podium toppers in Sweden and Croatia.

Release courtesy of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame