Year Inducted: 1991
Nominated By: Jim Blanc
Sports Competed In: Football
Athlete, Coach or Contributor: Athlete, Coach
Before High School:
Played on the Old Timers baseball team which participated in the state tournament held in Grand Junction, CO, in the summer of 1949.
High School:
Attended Pueblo Centennial H.S., graduating in 1953...Won nine varsity letters as a three-sport standout for the Bulldogs (track: four letters; football: three letters: basketball: two letters).
Achievements:
High School:
● Led the South Central League (SCL) in during senior season (1952) as a running back.
● Named to the All-Conference and All-State (Team lost in semifinals).
● Played on the teams that made back-to-back state basketball tournaments appearances (1951-52).
● Named to the All-Conference basketball team and selected to the Second team All-State his senior year (1952).
● Two-time conference champion in the 100 and 200 yard dash (1952-53) and was undefeated in Southern Colorado during his senior season in the 100, 200 and 880 relay.
● Ran the 200 yd dash in the C.U. relays (1953).
● Member of Conference Championship 880-yard relay team (1952).
College:
Went to Pueblo Junior College - PJC - for two years (1953-55), played runnning back on the football team and ran the 100-220-880 relay on the track squad...Graduated from PJC with A.A. degree...Also attended Sacramento State College (SSC), in Sacramento, CA playing on the football team at running back for a season (1956-57)...Continued his post-graduate studies at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO, earning a Masters Degree in Physical Education in 1959.
Achievements:
College:
● Earned All-Empire Football League honors in 1954 as a running back.
● While working on his degree, he was a member of the Rams Division II Championship handball team in 1959.
Related Activities:
● Played for the U.S. Army I Corps football team as a running back and on the defensive side of the ball from 1958-59.
● I Corps was in the Far East Conference which included teams from Japan, Korea, Okinawa.
● He was the smallest player in the Far East Conference and was the only player to play both offense and defense.
● Chosen to the All-Star team.
Coaching Career:
Football:
● Junior Varsity Coach, La Junta H.S. (1963).
● Varsity Backfield Coach, La Junta H.S.(1964-68).
● Head Coach, Ft. Morgan H.S., Coaching record: 26-26-3 (1969-74).
● Head Coach, Pueblo County H.S., Coaching record: 69-47 (1976-84 and 1987-89).
Track:
● Head Coach, La Junta High School (1965-67).
Achievements:
Coaching Career (La Junta H.S.):
Football:
● Record: (8-2) SCL Champs, State AAA Quarter finals (1964).
● Record: (9-3) SCL Champs, State AAA Semi-Finals (1965).
● Record: (8-2-1) SCL Champs, State AAA Semi-Finals (1966).
Track:
● Record Dual Meets 16-2.
● SCL Champions (1965).
● SCL Runner-ups (1966-67).
Coaching Career (Pueblo County H.S.):
Football:
● Three-time SCL "Coach-of-the-Year" (1976, 1979 and 1984).
● Five-time McDonald’s "Coach-of-the-Year"(1976, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984).
● KCSJ "Coach-of-the-Year" (1984).
● Team Conference Champs (1979, 1981, 1984).
● Four-time state qualifier (1979, 1981, 1984, 1988).
Occupation:
Worked as a teacher and coach.
Personal:
Lived in Pueblo with his wife, Lynn...Passed away at age 74 on June 15, 2009, losing his battle with cancer.
