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.

For Nos. 50 to 1, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame historian Dave Plati coordinated a 19-member committee to rank in order what they considered the top moments. The No. 1 moment will be revealed 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. 38 — Feb. 7, 1964

It was referred to at the time as the “biggest upset in Olympic ski history.” Two Alpine skiers from Colorado won the first Olympic medals in skiing, with Billy Kidd winning the silver and Jimmie Heuga the bronze in the slalom in Innsbruck, Austria. Called “a pair of daring 20-year-old American students,” they upstaged several of the world’s best skiers in the 2-3 finish. Heuga was a member of CU’s ski team, but Kidd chose to race professionally even though he, too, was a CU student. Both trained under CU head coach Bob Beattie.

—Dave Plati, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame historian