Aspen, BHS football stars Hurd, Daniel honored by Colorado’s National Football Foundation
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Not only was Henry Hurd speaking on behalf of the student-athletes, but he had to go directly after Denver Broncos legend John Elway.
Seems it went well.
“It was crazy, honestly,” Hurd recalled on Wednesday of Monday’s banquet in Denver. “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.’ And he was like, ‘Nice speech.’ And I was like, ‘Thank you, man.’ That was a cool moment.”
Hurd, a senior at Aspen High School, and William Daniel, a senior at Basalt High School, were two of 17 student-athletes from across the state honored by the Colorado Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame during its scholar-athlete awards on Monday night from the Denver West Marriott.
This was the 32nd annual class, dating to its charter in 1992. Over that time, no other Roaring Fork Valley student-athletes had ever been recognized by the organization before Hurd and Daniel.
“It was really cool that both of us were able to be recognized,” Daniel said on Wednesday. “It was really cool to see Elway speak and get a few pictures and get some stuff signed by him.”
According to the official program, the Colorado Chapter has as one of its primary goals the desire “to recognize and honor the top high school football student-athletes in the state — young men who have distinguished themselves on the field, in the classroom and in extracurricular and community activities where leadership abilities are displayed.”
Hurd’s off-the-field accolades certainly stand out, which was why he was chosen to speak on behalf of the others. A signee of Brown University — turning down offers from Notre Dame and Northwestern — the tight end also sports a 4.71 grade-point-average through the fall semester, which according to his bio is the highest GPA in AHS history. He scored a perfect 36 on the ACT.
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From left, Bob Daniel, William Daniel, and Amy Daniel during the National Football Foundation scholar-athlete awards on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the Denver West Marriott.
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Aspen High School senior Henry Hurd poses during the National Football Foundation scholar-athlete awards on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the Denver West Marriott.
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Aspen High School senior Henry Hurd’s graphic is shown during the National Football Foundation scholar-athlete awards on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the Denver West Marriott.
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Aspen High School senior Henry Hurd’s graphic is shown during the National Football Foundation scholar-athlete awards on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the Denver West Marriott.
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From left, Jordan Ebel, Megan Hartman, Bob Daniel, Madilyn Kuhl, William Daniel, Amy Daniel, Carl Frerichs, Laura Suffield, and Jacob Ashworth pose during the National Football Foundation scholar-athlete awards on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the Denver West Marriott.
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Football legend John Elway, left, and Aspen High School senior Henry Hurd pose during the National Football Foundation scholar-athlete awards on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the Denver West Marriott.
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Basalt High School football coach Carl Frerichs, left, and BHS senior William Daniel, right, stand with NFL legend John Elway during the National Football Foundation scholar-athlete awards on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the Denver West Marriott.
Courtesy photo
“It was one of the coolest things I’ve been a part of,” Hurd said of Monday’s banquet. “It goes to the top football players in the state who are also good students and community members. 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.”
The Western Slope has had a handful honored over the Colorado Chapter’s history, but it’s few and far between. Two Rifle players — Mitch Kosht (2005) and Ryan Moeller (2012) — were recognized, and Steamboat’s Greg Holloran was part of the 1993 class. Battle Mountain has two (Chris Jackson and Parke Robbins), but never has the Roaring Fork Valley been included until now.
Daniel, who will play running back for Division III Bethel University in Minnesota, was holding a 4.23 GPA through the fall semester and, like Hurd, was a finalist for The Denver Post Gold Helmet Award this year.
His favorite part of Monday’s ceremony might have been seeing Carl Frerichs, the longtime BHS football coach, meet one of his idols in Elway, who was the featured speaker.
“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 said. “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 and being successful within the classroom is something that not a lot of athletes are able to do.”
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