The Greater Pueblo Sports Association (GPSA) is a group of people interested in promoting those prominent athletes, sports teams and recreational activities in Pueblo County to be a part of the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame.

The Pueblo Greater Sports Association (GPSA) would like to thank Louie Carleo, the owner of LDC properties for his partnership with the GPSA.

Carleo, an inductee of the GPSA class of 2003, is the 2025 sponsor for the 10 newsletters that will distributed during the year.

He has also provided a lasting partnership with our association providing a home for 266 GPSA inductee pictures that are currently on display in the hallway on the first floor of the Thatcher Building (503 N. Main Street).

Louie, THANK YOU for your continued support of the GPSA.

Louie Carleo GPSA bio

David Stanley Knapp, 80, passed away on Jan. 14, 2025, in Pueblo, Colo.  Knapp graduated from South High School, received his bachelor's degree from Pueblo Community College and his master's degree from Adams State College.

He was a teacher and coach at Central High School. In addition to his football coaching, he started the Central boys swimming program in 1970, and coached the Wildcats to a State Championship in 1977, the first ever championship for a team outside the greater-Denver area. Coach Knapp also coached the Belmont Club Barracudas to three Summer State Championships.

In 1998, he was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame, in recognition for his accomplishments in swimming. Coach Knapp went on to enjoy over 40 years of success in insurance and financial consulting

He was the husband of Norma Jane "Janie" Knapp. They shared almost 60 loving years of marriage together. Born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, he was the son of Mildred Mynatt and stepson of Joseph Mismash.

The above obituary and photo is courtesy of T.G. McCarthy Funeral Home, Pueblo, CO.

David Knapp's Bio 

The Pueblo Greater Sports Association (GPSA) has announced the passing of one of its own — Nick Graham, a 2004 inductee who was currently living in Bakersfield, CA.

Graham, the middle child of seven siblings, was raised under challenging circumstances by his grandparents in the steel mill town of Pueblo, CO. Like the rest of his siblings, he found success in athletics at the local schools including Pueblo Central High School where he became the only two-time state wrestling champion as well as being named an All-State quarterback.

Nick was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Colorado in Boulder where he was fortunate to play in the 1962 Orange Bowl against LSU. His athletic achievements were recognized years later with the induction into the Greater Pueblo Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Living Legend award in 2011 by the University of Colorado.

It was in high school where he met the love of his life, Marva Jean O’Brien. They married in 1961 while he was attending school in Boulder, Colorado, and enjoyed 63 years of marriage. After graduation, Nick, Marva and their baby, Tracie, relocated to Bakersfield, California, where he began his career in education.

The family was completed with the birth of his son, Randall. Nick spent his entire educational career at Bakersfield High School where he turned his passion for sports into a coaching/teaching career and touched the lives of many students and athletes. He was recently celebrated at a Driller baseball reunion where former ballplayers paid tributes that humbled and honored Nick, revealing he’d made an enduring impact on many lives.

The above obituary and photo is courtesy of Hillcrest Memorial Park and Mortuary, Bakersfield, CA.

Nick Graham's Bio 

Joe Massaro and Jerry Sisneros at 2024 GPSA BanquetDIn each 2025 newsletter (10 total), the Greater Pueblo Sports Association will put out a short feature story on one of its committee members. Our January nominee that you will get to know is Joe Massaro.

Joe is one of two members that has 30+ years with the GPSA (the other being Jim Blanc). He was inducted into the GPSA Hall of Fame in 1995 and has been a committee member ever since. In 2023, he was honored as a lifetime member. Joe spent 32 years coaching at both the high school (Pueblo Central) and collegiate level as an assistant at the University of Southern Colorado (now CSU-Pueblo).

He graduated from Pueblo Centennial High School in 1963. Graduated in 1967 with a B.A. degree from Southern Colorado State College. Massaro also worked on a masters on Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) at Adams State College (Alamosa), Western State College (Gunnison) and the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley).

Joe has been awarded many honors for his lengthy baseball coaching career (too many to list here) and served for 25 years on the Runyon Board of Directors (1967-1992). He retired from teaching in 1999.

A big part of his duties as a GPSA committee member is organizing “The Greatest Moments in Pueblo Sports History”, which Joe has been in charge of for the last 25 years.

Joe and his wife Gail have been married since 1967! They have three children. Kristi, Susan and Mike and five grandchildren.

If you would like to become a GPSA member for 2025, contact Jerry Sisneros at: jrrysis@yahoo.com

By Gregory Howell with Jerry Sisneros
The Star Journal
Dec. 11, 2024

The Greater Pueblo Sports Association (GPSA) hosted its 52nd Annual Awards Induction Banquet on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, at the Occhiato Student Center
Ballroom on the CSU Pueblo campus. The event brought together 205 guests who celebrated the induction of seven sports greats into the GPSA Hall of Fame, solidifying the legacy of Pueblo’s rich sports history. Read More...