Picabo Street Among Finalists for 2009 Olympic Hall of Fame Class

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and Allstate Insurance Company have announced the finalists for the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2009. Alpine skiers - three time Olympian Picabo Street, five time Paralympian Greg Mannino, and four time Paralympian Sara Will are among the star-studded nominee list of 15 individuals, five teams and five Paralympians.

The finalists were unveiled at an event headlined by Allstate chairman, president and chief executive officer, Tom Wilson, along with USOC acting CEO Stephanie Streeter, Chicago 2016 chairman and CEO Patrick Ryan, and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member John Naber.

"The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame celebrates our honorees' commitment to excellence and recognizes Americans who are role models and heroes," Wilson said. "Each of us can find strength, passion and inspiration in these ordinary people who achieved extraordinary success in the Olympics. They help make us proud to be Americans."

The charter class of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was enshrined in 1983 and annual additions continued through 1992. In becoming the presenting sponsor, Allstate sparked the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame's revitalization in 2004.

The inductees will be revealed in early July and will be honored at a black-tie induction ceremony on August 12 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate is the only national sports Hall of Fame that includes fan voting.

From now through June 16, you can vote for Picabo and either Greg or Sarah for the 2009 class of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame online at www.teamusa.org. The inducted class will include five individuals, one team and one Paralympian, as well as three additional individuals: a coach, veteran and special contributor.

_{Picabo Street photo © Mike Powell/Getty Images}