For many weeks, Denver Post staffers discussed, disagreed, argued, justified, cajoled, begged and whined (a lot) when deciding who would make our list of the 150 most influential people in Colorado history.
We — and readers — had nominated people who may have been famous, notorious, important, standouts in their professions and/or well known, but … were they really influential?
And if they were, how strong were their ties to the Centennial State? (Born here but moved at age 3? Sorry, not influential.)
Using those criteria, we had dozens who were booted from that primary list but thought them still worth mentioning. In alphabetical order:
Amy Adams (actor)
Billy Adams (governor)
Norma Anderson (state legislator)
Sam Arnold (restaurateur)
Wayne Aspinall (U.S. congressman)
Felipe Baca (founder of Trinidad)
Richard Ballantine (publisher of Durango Herald)
Bill Barrett (oil and gas explorer, businessman)
Phil Bender (co-founder of Pirate Art)
Bruce Benson (Republican Party chairman)
Jello Biafra (punk rock icon)
Blinky the Clown (TV personality)
Arleigh Burke (U.S. chief of naval operations)
Neal Cassady (Beat Generation author)
Butch Cassidy (outlaw)
Lon Chaney (actor)
Mary Coyle Chase (journalist and playwright)
Don Cheadle (actor)
Col. John Chivington (Sand Creek Massacre)
Ken Chlouber (state senator)
Dutch Clark (first All-American football player from Colorado)
Buffalo Bill Cody (showman)
Margaret Coel (author)
Schuyler Colfax (U.S. vice president)
Judy Collins (singer)
William Cooke Daniels (entrepreneur, Daniels & Fisher tower)
Paul Danish (slow-growth plan developer)
Kristin Davis (actor)
Terrell Davis (Broncos)
Fisher DeBerry (Air Force Academy football coach)
John Dunning (author, bookstore owner)
Mamie Eisenhower (first lady)
Charlie Ergen (Dish Network/EchoStar founder)
Anne Evans (arts patron)
Douglas Fairbanks (actor)
Brad Feld (Foundry Group co-founder)
Kate Ferretti (nationally known hatmaker)
Eugene Field (poet)
Redwood “Red” Fisher (rancher)
Keith Fitzgerald (celebrity veterinarian and comic)
Eugene Fodor (classical violinist)
Barney Ford (civil rights pioneer)
Loretta C. Ford (co-founder of first nurse practitioner school in U.S., at CU)
Ross Ford (radio commentator)
Missy Franklin (Olympic swimmer)
Andrea Gibson (poet laureate)
Candy and David Givens (pioneering blues-rock band Zephyr)
Goose Gossage (MLB pitcher)
Horace Greeley (“Go West, young man”)
Pam Greer (actor)
Peter Groff (member of Obama administration)
Regis Groff (teacher, politician)
Troy Guard (chef and restaurant owner)
Ruth Handler (creator of Barbie)
Kent Haruf (author)
Kalyn Rose Heffernan (activist for disabled)
Herman Heiser (maker of HHH saddles)
John Iliff (founder, Iliff School of Theology)
Hale Irwin (golfer, course designer)
James Irwin (astronaut)
Dan Issel (Nuggets coach)
William Henry Jackson (Western photographer)
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Glenn Jones (cable news pioneers)
George Karl (Nuggets coach)
Bob Katz (pioneer in recording industry)
Jack Kerouac (author of “On the Road)
Ken Kesey (author)
Vance Kirkland (painter and educator)
Jon Krakauer (author)
Sadie Likens (Denver’s first policewoman)
Dave Logan (sports radio personality)
Amory Lovins (co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute)
Charlie Lyons (media executive)
Bob Magness (cabel and telecommunications giant)
Michael Malone (Nuggets coach)
Peyton Manning (celebrity quarterback)
Bruce McCandless (astronaut)
Steve McNichols (governor)
James Michener (author of “Centennial”)
Doug Moe (Nuggets coach)
Greg Moore (Denver Post editor)
John Kernan Mullen (founder of Colorado Mining & Elevator Co.)
Dikembe Mutombo (Denver Nuggets)
Joe Nacchio (Qwest exec, convicted of insider trading)
Quigg Newton (Denver mayor, CU president)
Tom Noel (historian)
DC Oakes (brought first sawmill to Colorado)
Bill Owens (governor)
Alfred Packer (cannibal)
Sean Payton (Broncos coach)
Cassandra Peterson (Elvira)
Zebulon Pike (explorer)
Little Raven (Native American chief)
Roy Romer (governor)
Keri Russell (actor)
Rashaan Salaam (Heisman Trophy winner)
Kristen Schaal (actress, comedian)
John Shafroth (governor)
Soapy Smith (con artist, gangster)
James Stafford (Catholic cardinal)
Ben Stapleton (Denver mayor)
Clyfford Still (artist, teacher)
Winfield Scott Stratton (prospector, capitalist)
Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson (Frasca restaurateurs)
Sam Suplizio (Colorado Baseball Commission)
John Suthers (state attorney general, Colorado Springs mayor)
Arie Parks Taylor (first Black female Air Force officer)
Nikola Tesla (scientist, inventor)
Chogyan Trungpa (founder of Naropa University)
Charles Tutt Sr. (Colorado Springs real estate investor)
Amy Van Dyken (Olympic swimmer)
John Valentine (founded FTD flower delivery)
Lindsey Vonn (Olympic skier)
Joe Walsh (musician, sang “Rocky Mountain Way”)
Walton-Penner family (majority owners of the Broncos, part owners of the Rockies)
Shaun White (Olympic snowboarder)
Betty Woodman (pioneering ceramics artist)
Bowen Yang (actor, comedian)
