Flagstaff Sports Foundation

09/16/2026

Some Flagstaff sports stories deserve to be remembered. Who would you nominate?

Nominations are now open for the 2027 Flagstaff Sports Hall of Fame.

We’re looking for the athletes, coaches, teams and contributors whose achievements and impact have helped shape Flagstaff’s sports community.

Maybe it’s a coach who influenced generations of athletes. A team whose season is still talked about today. An athlete who made Flagstaff proud. Or someone behind the scenes whose contributions made a lasting difference.

Now is your chance to help make sure their story is recognized.

Nominations are accepted for:
Athletes | Coaches | Teams | Contributors

Visit our website to review the selection criteria and submit a nomination. https://flagstaffsportsfoundation.org/selection-process

Who belongs in the Flagstaff Sports Hall of Fame? Nominate them today.

09/15/2026

ON THIS DAY IN HALL OF FAME HISTORY...

On September 15, 1967, BILL EPPERSON coached his first game as the head coach for Coconino Football. They played the Flagstaff JV at Flagstaff High School and won, 25-0. DAN BENSON is credited with scoring the first touchdown in Panther history.

In previous years, Bill had been an assistant at Flag High under the tutelage of JOHN PLY. When Coconino opened in the fall of '67. Bill was tasked with creating Panther Football from scratch. In that first season, they played an independent schedule, not part of any conference. They played eight games, three of them against JV competition; in addition to playing Flag High's JV squad, they also played Prescott JV twice, beating them on both occasions.

Three weeks after beating Flag High JV, Bill and his Panthers would get their first full-fledged varsity win, 13-12 at Holbrook.

They would go on to finish their inaugural season with a 5-3 mark. They had no seniors, only underclassmen. The nucleus for that '67 team would go on to lead the Panthers to the Class AA state championship in '68.

Bill Epperson was inducted into the Flagstaff Sports Foundation's Hall of Fame in 2011.

09/09/2026

It's getting late, but it's still LARRY JOHNSON'S BIRTHDAY!

The Flagstaff Sports Foundation would like to say Happy Birthday to the inductee from our Class of 2024. He was a vital component to Flagstaff High School's Class AA State Championship in 1975; the Eagles went 25-0, and Larry earned First Team All-Conference and All-State honors. He continued his success at Mesa Community College, where he was named All-Conference, and NAU, where he was named Big Sky Player of the Week.

After his playing days, he continued in basketball as a coach at Cheyenne High School in Nevada, where his Desert Shield teams went to three state championship games, winning one in 2003 with a record of 31-1.

09/04/2026

Here are a couple of gems from last year, courtesy of RAY TSINGINE. Four Hall of Famers, hanging out at NAU's Homecoming in 2025. You've got Ray, WILLARD REAVES, RAY SMITH, and WILLARD TSINGINE. All Coconino grads of great reknown. All went to NAU to continue their legends.

08/31/2026

Kylyn Taylor and Yohanes van Meerten took wins in the Peaks Invitational summit races to kick off the 2026 high school cross country season.

08/30/2026

The spirit of BULLDOG TURNER (Hall of Fame Class of 2015) is alive and well at Coconino Football.

I am THRILLED that Coconino Football is keeping the memory of DAVID "BULLDOG" TURNER alive with their weekly BULLDOG OF THE WEEK award, given to the Panther who exhibits Bulldog's virtues of toughness and tenacity.

For Week One, DANIEL VILLAS is Coconino's Bulldog of the Week. He registered seven tackles and a sack against the top-ranked Snowflake Lobos.

I know everyone in town remembers Bulldog and is wife, JANNIE TURNER, as ubiquitous and beloved members of the Coconino Community, but a quick bio for those new to the program: Bulldog graduated from Flag High in 1964, after which he joined the Navy and spent two tours in Vietnam as a jet mechanic and in helicopter search and rescue. He came back to Flagstaff, married Jannie, and spent over forty years as an educator and coach. For as much as he was known for his rugged exterior, he was always fair and he was always there. He finally retired from coaching in 2014 but never stopped being a warm, friendly presence around town. He passed away two summers ago, as did Jannie this summer.

Thank you to Josh Clouse for keeping Bulldog's spirit alive and to James Garcia for posting about it on his page.

08/20/2026

The Foundation wishes to send HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to MIKE MORAN, from the Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Mike's coaching resume stretches for nearly fifty years. While primarily known for his basketball accomplishments, he also coached baseball, football, track and field, and volunteered with the Special Olympics. He bounced back and forth among several Flagstaff schools, either as a head coach or an assistant. It didn't matter if he was coaching boys or girls.

He led Coconino Boys Basketball to two 4A Final Fours, in 1998 and 2021. In just varsity-level basketball in Flagstaff, he collected 331 wins.

He also coached Coconino Football for one season, in 2018, bringing the Panthers back to respectability; the Panthers have been a winner ever since.

Thank you to Sierra Lee.

08/19/2026

The Flagstaff Sports Foundation sends HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to one of our Hall of Fame's most recent inductees, TERRENCE SIMS.

On this day in 1964, Terrence was born to Jim and Shirley Sims. He played football and ran track for Flagstaff High School, but it was basketball where his talents and passion lied. He led the Eagles to the AA state semifinals as a junior. He earned All-State status two years in a row before moving on to NAU.

Before he became a star with the Lumberjacks, he was sent to Eastern Arizona College, where he was a leader on a Gila Monsters team that won the NJCAA Region 9 championship. He came back to Flagstaff in 1985 and played a vital role coming off the bench as the Jacks won the Big Sky regular season title, so vital that he earned the Big Sky Conference Sixth Man of the Year Award. He was a full-time starter his senior year and averaged 12.6 points per game and had a high of 29 against Concordia.

Terrence was inducted into the Hall of Fame's Class of 2026. Previously he was inducted into NAU Athletic Hall of Fame as part of that 1985-86 team that won the conference title.