Happy birthday, Colorado — and Colorado sports.

Leading into the state’s 150th birthday Aug. 1, The Denver Gazette has partnered with the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame to publicize the definitive list of Colorado’s top 150 sports moments.

Colorado Sports Hall of Fame historian Dave Plati and a committee of 10 compiled and will release the list every week until the No. 1 moment on July 31. Plati and Broncos icon Jim Saccomano will unveil the list weekly on a Colorado Sports Hall of Fame podcast at coloradosports.org/podcast/.

No. 110

Aug. 25, 1944

One of the top athletes from northwest Colorado, Lewis “Dude” Dent, was gunned down by Nazi forces near Troyes, France, in World War II. He earned eight letters combined in football, basketball and track at Craig High School and earned a football scholarship to Colorado A&M, where he earned all-conference honors and the Mountain States Conference “best all-around athlete” honor in 1943. Four credits shy of earning his degree in mechanical engineering, he was called up to fulfill his officer commission. He was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States.

—Dave Plati, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame historian