Cordova Times sports writer extraordinaire Dick Shellhorn will be inducted into the Alaska High School Hall of Fame with a Lifetime Achievement Award in ceremonies on April 26 in Anchorage.
Shellhorn is one of 14 individuals named by the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) to be honored for excellence in athletics and having made lasting impacts in schools and communities statewide.
“Thanks to all who contributed along the way,” he said.
A retired math teacher and a fixture in Alaska high school basketball for more than five decades, Shellhorn officiated games across the state from 1970 through 2022, including numerous 2A and 3A state tournaments and six state finals. In 2021, he was also inducted into the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Shellhorn is also a longtime contributor to The Cordova Times, covering sports and writing his legendary Cordova Chronicles columns.
Basketball has a special place in his heart, beginning with his years on the Cordova High School basketball team from 1958 to 1962. He also played fastpitch softball while stationed in the Army in Korea.
Shellhorn’s first teaching job after serving in the Army was in Kodiak. His career in broadcasting also started there.
A year later the Shellhorn family moved back to Cordova, where a position for a math teacher opened up in the summer of 1972. He began his career in sports broadcasting that first year when the local sports broadcaster retired, and he also began referring that year.
The most memorable game he covered on the air, he said, was the 1987 girls 3A state championship game, where Cordova beat Delta at the buzzer.
His career highlights have included working with coaches like Bob Lenz and Virginia Anderson, meeting coaches and referees all across the state, and refereeing with partner Jerry Bendzak for 50 years, Shellhorn said. Being chosen to referee both 2A and 3A state tournaments and mentoring younger referees – two of whom went on to referee state tournaments – were also highlights, he said.
The big downside in all those years of refereeing was driving at night to get to the games, especially over Thompson Pass in the winter, something he did for 47 years.
Overall though it was a great experience in both broadcasting and officiating, Shellhorn said. He still runs into coaches, referees and players he interacted with over the years, sharing stores and memories of those days.
The 2026 class overall includes seven athletes, three coaches, three lifetime achievement honorees and one official.
The Alaska High School Hall of Fame was established to identify and honor, in a permanent manner, individuals who exhibited high ethical standards and integrity while achieving excellence in high school athletics and activities, as well as others who distinguished themselves by virtue of exemplary contributions to the advancement of interscholastic athletics and activities in Alaska.
