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2008 Awards and Rankings: Hall of Fame

Welcome to the RamNation Hall of Fame page. This is the fifth year of the Hall's existence, and thus we'll be inducting another two-man class to add to our existing eight members. Stalwart Ram and Dall Ram comprised the inaugural class in 2004, while RAM-I-AM, RAMbler, RamMan, Doc, Swoll Cracker, and tweeter were inducted in subsequent years. Each year, we will select a maximum of four RamNation community members to enshrine in our Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Board reviewed a half dozen candidates who we felt deserved consideration for induction, but as has been the case in each of the three previous years, we have added only two members.

CRITERIA

The strict criteria we use are as follows:

• Must have an active posting tenure of at least five years on RamNation
• Must show exemplary posting ability
• Must leave a lasting impression/legacy on RamNation
• Must exemplify class and be worthy of representing RamNation.com

2008 INDUCTIONS

The two gentlemen to be honored as 2008 inductees to the RamNation Hall of Fame are:

JoeybtheRealAD -- JoeyB enters the Hall of Fame as the most controversial poster ever to make the Hall, much less be considered for it. In classic Joey style, he often tends to get ahead of himself, posts before his brain has had a chance to catch up, and occasionally, our board monitors have to do a little cleanup. While violating the site's terms of service is no joking matter, and certainly could be be a deterrent for HOF candidacy, JoeyB clearly brings more positive to RamNation than negative. Much more, in fact.

Typically, it takes more than being just a great poster to be inducted into the RamNation Hall of Fame. It takes a little extra "off-the-field" performance as well. And in Joey's case, he has stepped up for RamNation in more ways than one. For years, he paid for and hosted the RamNation tailgates every CSU football home game. He organized the RamNation golf tournament in 2004. He serves as an ambassador/liasion to the athletic department for RamNation.com. And, he's constantly pushing for folks to get more involved in CSU athletics -- buying tickets, donating to the Ram Club, participating in events, etc.

And in addition to all of those things that JoeyB has done off the field, his on-field performance rates among the elite posters in RamNation history. He can sometimes be crass, occasionally go overboard, but typically, he does things in good fun. He's funny, obnoxious, smart, and extremely active. JoeyB has two runner-up finishes (2003 and 2008) and a No. 1 ranking (2004) during his career. He also has two other top-10 finishes, including No. 7 in 2006, No. 10 in 2007. He's a poster that the HOF committee could not pass up.

BVP for Heisman 03 -- BVP4H03 has always been one of the HOF committee's favorite posters. He knows the Rams inside and out, and will also partake in countless non-CSU discussions as well. You just never know what you're going to get with him. Sometimes, you'll get done reading one of his missives, and you won't even know what it meant. Yet, you'll think to yourself, "That was one good post!" BVP4H03 has an interesting way with words. He has opinions that don't always jive with fellow posters, and that is always a good thing. It keeps the boards hopping and exciting. He's one of the most opinionated posters on the board, and that sometimes doesn't sit well with his peers, as he doesn't just share his opinion, he states it as fact. But, he's creative, he's quite possibly the smartest poster on the website and he's funny. He's had numerous posts registered as candidates for Post of the Year and in general is a guy that people like to read.

His lifetime rankings reflect his excellence. BVP4H03 finished No. 8 in 2008, No. 7 in 2007, No. 3 in 2006, runner-up in 2005 and 2004, and No. 3 and 2003. His No. 3 ranking in 2003 was the highest-ever finish for a first-year poster. So, in case you’re keeping score, BVP4H03 has been on the board for six years, and has been ranked in the top 10 each year with two runner-ups and two No. 3 finishes.

Like our other Hall of Fame members, BVP for Heisman 03 has also been notable "off the field", particularly in making sizeable contributions to many of our fundraisers over the years. Not to mention, he once sent the HOF voting commitee a gift several years ago. The committee is not too proud to accept bribes! In all seriousness, BVP for Heisman 03 is one of the best RamNation has ever seen.

ADDITIONAL MEMBERS

Swoll Cracker (Class of 2007) - Swoll, once known as Go Duke, just completed his fifth full year on RamNation, making him eligible for the RamNation Hall of Fame. He was a first-ballot shoo-in. Swoll become the first-ever poster to earn back-to-back No. 1 rankings (in 2005 and 2006) and narrowly missed out on a three-peat in 2007 (finished runner-up). He also took No. 4 in 2008. He has ranked in the top six spots in each of his years since joining the site in 2002. He took third in 2004 and sixth in 2003 (a year in which he was a finalist for Rookie of the Year). That's an incredible stretch of dominance. He is widely respected on the site for his knowledge, his unique way of looking at things, and his humor.

Aside from his contributions on the message boards, Swoll also served RamNation as an extremely skilled basketball beat reporter during the RamNation Pass days. His daily coverage and analysis were unsurpassed by anybody in the media, and RamNation Pass members benefited greatly from his efforts. He also was instrumental in organizing a night to remember for Bill "Doc" Sullivan, working with the CSU athletic department to make Doc a guest of honor during the CSU-CU men's basketball game in 2007. Swoll also helped set up the Bill "Doc" Sullivan Scholarship fund, in which RamNationers donated thousands of dollars towards endowing an athletic scholarship in Doc's name. Swoll has shaped RamNation in more ways than one, and will go down as one of the website's all-time greats.

tweeter (Class of 2007) - Ironically, tweeter has been inducted into the Hall of Fame during the first year that he hasn't finished in the Top 25. But, his body of work has long-secured his place in RamNation immortality. He has been the trusted recruiting guru since joining the site in 2002. He made the Top 25 five straight years (No. 14 in 2006, No. 15 in 2005, No. 6 in 2004, No. 7 in 2003, and No. 19 in 2002) before barely missing it in 2007 and then returning in 2008 (No. 19). He has kept Ram fans informed of the football program's top recruiting targets, has scooped local newspapers on commitments, and has tracked all of the information concisely for all to see, simply because he enjoys it.

While tweeter is an excellent source of information on our message boards, he's also provided an invaluable service to the website by developing and keeping current the RamNation recruiting database. He tracks commitments, and during the RamNation Pass days wrote incredible analysis pieces and provided interviews with prospects and committed players. RamNation is fortunate to have someone so knowledgeable and interested in CSU recruiting.

Doc (Class of 2006) - Doc was a regular poster on the board since Day 1, and was even a frequent visitor to RamNation's predecessor -- CSU Ramblings. In all of his years of posting, his frequency and quality have never waned. Heading into his induction year, he was part of an elite class in that regard, joining fellow Hall of Famer "Stalwart Ram" (Class of '05) as the only posters to be ranked in the top 25 in each year of the poll's existence since 2001. At induction, Doc had collected two top-10 finishes (a career-best No. 4 in 2004 and No. 8 in 2002), two No. 11 rankings in 2005 and 2003, No. 16 in 2001 and No. 20 in 2006. He then went back-to-back No. 1 years in 2007 and 2008 becoming just the second poster to take the No. 1 spot twice (Swoll Cracker did it in 2005 and 2006.

Doc has always been a big-time contributor to RamNation tailgates, never missing a weekend and often bringing food and beverages. He even has left his impression on RN Tailgates by building the RamNation Tailgate Spot #12 landmark - the field goal posts. Showing his true passion and connection with RamNation.com, he twice tried (unsuccessfully due to lack of help from yours truly and others) to organize a RamNation.com float for the CSU Homecoming parade. He was more than just a Ram fan and RamNationer, he was an ambassador for the university and for this website.

Doc exuded a class that all of us can admire. He rarely lets his emotions get the best of him, is always courteous to others on the board, and argues nicely with dissenting posters. As his track record shows, Doc is truly one of the best posters RamNation has ever seen. Unfortunately, Doc passed away in spring 2008 after a year-long battle with cancer, but he left a lasting legacy on this web community and is someone that all of us can call a friend. We miss you Doc!

RamMan (Class of 2006) - Younger RamNationers probably don't know much about RamMan, but like Doc, he is one of the longest-standing visitors to this website. Today, he is president of a successful company in Silicon Valley, so understandably we don't see much of RamMan on the boards these days. But, back in the day, he was a regular powerhouse. He is a three-time top-10 finisher with a No. 8 ranking in 2003, No. 6 in 2002, and No. 4 in 2001. Even during limited posting, he earned Honorable Mention honors the past two years and was a near-miss No. 27 in 2004. When he was a regular daily poster, RamMan carried an incredible amount of clout and respectability, and was remarkably in tune with CSU athletics despite living a thousand miles away in California.

RamMan has also been an innovator for RamNation, as he was the brainchild of the hugely popular General Discussion Board and the useful RamStorming Board. Like Doc, he is a true ambassador for RamNation and CSU.

RAM-I-AM (Class of 2005) - One of the top posters in the history of RamNation, RAM-I-AM has become harder and harder to find these days. Once a guy who would post dozens of times per day, he now has faded away, perhaps to let others earn their own glory, or perhaps tired of the years of dedicating so much wisdom and humor to the website. However, even today, in his limited appearances, RAM-I-AM commands respect, and when he shows up on the board, it's usually because he has a gem to offer.

RAM-I-AM earned a No. 1 ranking in 2001 and a No. 11 ranking in 2002 before taking a new job that took a toll on his posting abilities. His style typically incorporated humor, research, and intelligence in every single post. Despite having a CU grad school degree, he is one of the more anti-Buff posters the site has ever seen. During the peak of his posting, CU fans regularly called him a spin master.

Once while posting under a pseudonym, Jeremiah Johnson, he authored numerous extremely creative posts, including the 2004 Post of the Year. However, what he may be most remembered for was when he "spied" on CU football practice during the 2003 season, and posted some of his observations -- one of which included CU's move of defensive lineman Sam Wilder to offensive line. The post soon became well-known statewide, causing a bit of a ruckus with CU football officials and it even got Jeremiah Johnson/RAM-I-AM some ink in the Denver Post.

RAMbler (Class of 2005) - RAMbler was once a dominating force that occasionally still shows up on the message boards. In his hay day, he was untouchable in terms of class and wisdom. On the surface though, he may appear to be the least credentialed poster enshrined in the Hall of Fame. After all, he has just one official appearance in the top 25, and that was a No. 21 ranking all the way back in 2001. However, he was the first and only top-ranked poster on the old CSU Ramblings message board, which ultimately went under shortly before RamNation came about in 1999. While technically, his work on that site shouldn't necessarily be counted towards his accomplishments on RamNation, we like to pay tribute to our heritage, and don't want to forget the great contribution that RAMbler made back in the day and still does occasionally these days.

Back during his regular posting days, RAMbler was a formidable powerhouse who knew history, and was a well-rounded Ram fan with knowledge not just of football and basketball, but also of women's basketball and volleyball. He used to be known simply as the "sage" of the board, because he served as the elder statesman and the most knowledgeable of all of the fans on the board. He brought a breath of fresh air to the community, as was regularly an optimist who preferred to look at the bright side of CSU sports. Perhaps due to his perspective of CSU athletics history, he takes the recent Rams' blips on the field in stride, and combats some of the newcomer fans when they're quick to say the "sky is falling" and call for firings of coaches. But like the sage that he is, he never flies off the handle, but always treats fellow posters with respect.

RAMbler is also a regular at RamNation events, such as the athletic director forums and football tailgates. RAMbler may never return to his old posting capacity, but what he has historically brought to this website community is second to none.

Stalwart Ram (Class of 2004) - Stalwart Ram, true to his name, has been a staple of RamNation, since its inception. In fact, he was one of the handfuls of regular posters that migrated over from the antiquated "CSU Ramblings" message board so long ago, and even back then was listed near the top of our unofficial rankings. He was a top-notch regular contributor on that board, and all these years later, is a guy you can count on making a board appearance almost daily. We've had many great posters who originated in the Ramblings era and who brought their strengths to RamNation. But, many of them have either disappeared completely, or post very rarely, making us appreciate the longevity of Stalwart. He is the Cal Ripken of RamNation.

Stalwart has now finished in the Top 5 of our RamNation rankings four times, and took top honors in 2002. His posts are always must-reads, and carries as much clout and credibility as anybody on the board. He's smart, funny, and carries the Anti-Buff banner well, without getting nasty. He was the poster who started the term "ucb" (University of Colorado at Boulder), which most RamNationers use now when referring to the University of Colorado, seemingly irritating all Buff fans. He provides both informational/opinionated posts, as well as comedy, and can debate with any poster on any topic. His overall creativity, intelligence, and daily contributions-over the long haul-have made Stalwart our first-ever entry into the RamNation Hall of Fame. He's one of the best (if not the best) posters this website has ever seen.

Dall Ram (Class of 2004) - Dall Ram is another charter member of RamNation, showing his brilliant posting abilities from Day 1. He is most known for his humor and sarcasm, which has historically provided great comic relief. If you analyzed 100 posts by Dall, you'd maybe find one or two serious posts in the mix. The rest are knee-slappers, and good ones at that. His allegiance to the University of Nebraska has been well-documented, and that, combined with his love for Colorado State, has made him Public Enemy No. 1 with CU fans in the past. He has embraced that role and done well with fending them off with old-fashioned smack talk and uproarious comebacks. Dall Ram hasn't posted with the same fervor as he once did, dating back to the site's infancy days, but that can be expected in this day and age of up-and-comers and "look at me"-type of posters. Some of our best posters have chosen to go quietly into the night. But Dall Ram still shows his presence every now and then, and exudes an old-school attitude with a style of posting that shows he isn't afraid to take a humoristic crack at any of the big dogs that cross his path.

His credentials are among the best this site has ever seen: He earned the Funniest Poster Award in 2002 and 2003, and prior to this year had finished in the Top 25 in each of the site's first three years of existence, with a third-place finish in 2001, second-place in 2002, and a No. 24 finish in 2003. And even before the creation of RamNation, he was a Top 5 poster in the unofficial CSU Ramblings message board rankings.