By Jeff Letofsky
The Pueblo Chieftain
July 17, 2022
The Greater Pueblo Sports Association will celebrate 50 years of service during its annual banquet in November and the organization's committee is planning on making this year's induction extra special.
While the names of this year's hall of fame inductees have yet to be released, the organization has plenty of ideas in the works.
"Right now we're still trying to put together a documentary on how the GPSA started and the amount of people we've inducted," GPSA president Jerry Sisneros said. "We want to give people a history of the GPSA and the founding fathers.
"Of course, we don't want to take away from the inductees but we do want to celebrate the history of the organization."
That history began more than 50 years ago. An article in The Chieftain explained how the hall of fame was formed:
"The sports hall of fame was a brainchild of the Pueblo Sports Booster Club's program sub-committee comprised of Ernie Ballotti, Loren Kilstofte, Ken Coatney and Madeline Suazo," the article said. "The idea, which also has been received favorably by the club's budget and membership sub-committee, will be presented to the PSBC body as a whole at its next scheduled meeting."
Dave Perkins, assistant general manager of the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, said about forming the hall of fame: "In order for us to get the interest we need initially in the Pueblo Sports Boosters' Club, and what it is trying to do, we have to have one single thing people can identify with and one they can feel will benefit all sports. Naturally, the hall of fame could serve this purpose."
Sisneros said he understands how important the history of the GPSA is and how it has impacted so many in Pueblo, which is why he's hoping to make the 50th celebration a memorable affair.
"To say you are a part of the GPSA is a big deal for the community," he said. "We're in the process of getting a Facebook page together and we're working on getting information out on Twitter and social media."
The GPSA's website can be found at pueblogshof.com
Deadline for applications for new inductees is Aug. 1 and the banquet will be held Nov. 16 at the Occhiato Ballroom on the Colorado State University Pueblo campus.
The affair will include the inductions of more athletes, coaches and contributors along with three "Great Moments of Pueblo Sports."
Those moments include the celebration of Jerry Kersey being named the Steinmark Award winner in 1980, the only Pueblo-area student-athlete to receive that honor; Mike Zaremba winning the Colorado Open in 1995 with a birdie on the final hole; and the first wrestling state championship achieved by the Pueblo County High School wrestling team in 2016 led by head coach Eddie Soto.
Other awards will be presented to the top male and female athletes at CSU Pueblo and from area high schools.
Chieftain senior sports reporter Jeff Letofsky can be reached by email at jletofsky@chieftain.com or on Twitter @jeffletofsky
