University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Barbara Ann Cochran 1978 - Skiing
When Barbara Ann Cochran, 1988 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, was a youngster she was skiing for lollipops. In her teens, she was training at her parents' untrodden ski area in Richmond. A month after her 21st birthday, she won the Olympic Gold Medal in the women's slalom at the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. That spring, to the surprise of no one, she was named Vermont Athlete of the Year by the Vermont Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
Cochran, a member of the U.S. Ski team from 1967-74, won three U.S. national championships (the national slalom and giant slalom titles in 1969 and the slalom championship again in 1971). In 1970, she was also first in the World Cup slalom standings and was ranked fifth overall. Cochran was also a member of the 1974 U.S. World Championship team.
In addition to Barbara Ann, the Cochran legacy has been shaped by Bobby '76, the top U.S. male skier in the early '70s (NCAA downhill ski champion in 1973 and 1986 UVM Hall of Fame inductee); Marilyn '79, who won the World Cup in 1969, and Lindy '82, an All-America at Vermont and Broderick Award winner for athletic excellence by a woman collegian. Cochran is one of five members the famous Cochran family of Richmond to earn a place in UVM's Athletic Hall of Fame. Father, Gordon "Mickey" '48, was elected in 1971; brother, Bob '76, was inducted in 1986; sister, Marilyn Cochran Brown '79, was honored in 1989 and sister Lindy '82, was inducted in 1992.
Sports Illustrated selected Cochran as one of the Top 50 Vermont athletes of the 20th Century. The magazine's editors composed a list of the "Top 50 Athletes" in each state in its December 27, 1999 issue to commemorate the millennium. Cochran ranked ninth among the Top 50 Vermonters.
