We all knew Bo Hanson was a legend, but now it is official…. In July 2021, he was inducted into the exclusive group of ‘Legends of State High’ during their 100 year celebrations.
The ‘Legends of State High’ initiative was a vision of the 1964 School Captain, Paul Morgan, who is now a well-known Brisbane businessman. His idea was to highlight the achievements of State High Alumni who have gone on to contribute to their state and country through their achievements at the highest levels in public life, business, sport, and community. Paul believed that highlighting the calibre of those who have graduated from the school and who have achieved greatness, would be motivational for current students to follow in their footsteps in the years to come. In 2007, State High inducted 21 inaugural ‘Legends of State High’, followed by a further nine in 2014. Most recently, in July 2021, during State High’s 100th year celebrations, a further 19 ‘Legends of State High’ were inducted, including our very own Bo Hanson.
State High inducted Bo as a Legend as he graduated in the Class of 1990, and went on to become Australia’s youngest ever rower to compete at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games at 18 years of age. Following his first Olympic appearance, Bo went on to win medals in 1996, 2000, and 2004. Utilizing his personal experiences from his four Olympic campaigns, combined with his training and development qualifications, Bo founded Athlete Assessments in 2007 with a vision to enable athletes, coaches, and sports organizations to achieve peak performance.
When speaking about the award Bo says,
“When I think about why this recognition exists, it means even more to me. The concept was created by the first inductee, Paul Morgan. He wanted to provide a visible symbol of how students of our school stood up and had a positive impact in their choice of careers, and for this to serve as an inspiration to the current group of students. For these students to see the very same classrooms and extracurricular opportunities the school provides, can see any one of you go on to do truly amazing things on the world stage. I hope that my recognition gives students the belief that if you attend Brisbane State High you can face the world with a sense of pride in where you were educated, and massive belief that you can achieve anything you set your focus on…as many of your alumni have done this themselves.”
Alongside Bo, there were 18 other Legends recognized including a Supreme Court judge, Property Developer, Philanthropists, Medical Doctors and Specialists, Entrepreneurs, Authors, and Chief of Airforce.
Bo says,
“For me to be given a special recognition as a Legend of State High, a school who today boast 3500 students and has for many years been one of our country’s largest schools, is a rare honor. There are a total of 49 Legends, it is the most unique group of people I have been recognized amongst and I am enormously proud to be a member of the Legends of State High.”
Brisbane State High School (BSHS or as we and most of Brisbane refer to it as ‘State High’) is a partially selective, co-educational, state secondary school, located in the inner-city suburb of South Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. State High is a member of the Great Public Schools Association of Queensland, and the Queensland Girls’ Secondary Schools Sports Association, and prides itself on its image of excellence and high standards both on the sporting field, and in academia. It was the first state secondary school established in Brisbane, as well as the first academic state high school to be founded in Queensland. The school employs a variety of selection criteria for prospective students, maintaining a quota for local area enrolments, but also using academic, sporting, cultural, and artistic talents as means of determining the annual intake.
Bo seconds this notion,
“State High has had far more than its fair share of extraordinary students who have proceeded in life out of school, to add enormous value to our communities both locally and on an international level. This is seen in public service, medicine, sporting achievements, education, sciences, business, all endeavors really.”
To conclude Bo shared,
“I would hope that everyone would be proud to talk about where they went to school. For my school, Brisbane State High, 100 years old now and has been the center piece of public school education since opening the doors. My family is now in its third generation of attendance at State High, my Dad was a student in the 50’s, he then was a teacher there for many years. My brother attended during my time at school and now both my daughters are student athletes, playing basketball and volleyball for the school.”
Where to from here?
Whether you are a coach, consultant, sport psychologist, or professor, your people rely on you for the tools and information that will elevate their performance. Developed by Bo Hanson, Athlete Assessments DISC Profiles are the first and only reliable DISC Profiles exclusively for sport. Find out more how they can enhance the way people understand themselves and interact with each other.
We would love to provide any information about the way Bo Hanson and Athlete Assessments’ programs and services can add to your program or practice, just reach out and contact us.
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Watch the interview that was broadcast live on the ABC 24 News Channel. Bo Hanson appeared on the Weekend Breakfast Show on 2 March 2013 to discuss player behavior in professional sports and profiling of athletes, and it provides a useful introduction to the work of Athlete Assessments.
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