University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Lindy Cochran Kelley 1982 - Skiing
Not to be outdone by her older sisters or brother, the youngest Cochran made her mark in the skiing world and at UVM. Lindy Cochran Kelley, the recipient of the prestigious Broderick Cup Award in 1980, became the fifth member of the Cochran family in UVM's Athletic Hall of Fame after being inducted in 1992. The first to be admitted was her father, Gordon "Mickey" Cochran '48 in 1972. Dr. Robert Cochran '76, the last NCAA downhill champion, was elected in 1986; Barbara Ann Cochran '78, an Olympic Gold Medallist at Sapparo in 1972 was inducted in 1988 and Marilyn Cochran Brown '79, one of the top women skiers in the world in the early 80's, was named in 1989.
Cochran Kelley was a member of the U.S. Ski Team for eight seasons (1970-78) and earned a spot on the Olympic Team in 1976 and finished 6th in the slalom event at Innsbruck. While at Vermont, she was UVM's first women to earn first-team All-American honors (in 1979) and went on to garner All-America honors again in 1980 (finishing second at the NCAA's in slalom). That summer, she was named the Broderick Cup Award winner for the Most Outstanding Achievement for Alpine Skiing in Women's Intercollegiate Athletics.
She was presented the Clairol Personal Best Award for her voluntary work in her hometown of Starksboro, which included teaching skiing to area youths at her family's ski area (Cochran Ski Area) in Richmond. The award, established in 1964, honors past Olympians who have achieved "their personal best by enhancing the lives of others." Married to Steve Kelley (UVM '78), she has taken over the reins of the Cochran Ski Area in Richmond. Sports Illustrated selected Cochran Kelley 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 Kelley ranked 23rd among the Top 50 Vermonters.
