Year Inducted: 2014
Nominated By: Dr. James Bergles
Sports Competed In: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Track
Athlete, Coach or Contributor: Athlete, Coach
High School:
Attended Pueblo Catholic H.S., graduating in 1966.
Achievements:
Basketball:
● Four-year letterman as a guard (1963-66).
● Kaplan was a two year starter and shares or holds record for career rebounds, rebounds in a season and rebounds per game.
● Named to the All-City team his senior year (1966).
Football:
● Four-year letterman as a quarterback (1963-66).
● Starting QB in three state championship games.
● Named to the All-State team in 1965 by The Denver Post-Rocky Mountain News.
● Played in the All-State football game his senior season (1966).
Baseball:
● Started at catcher for three years (1964-66).
● selected to play in Senior All-Star Game vs. Colorado Springs.
Track:
● Spent one season (freshman year) running in the hurdles event.
College:
Went to the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado (UNC) where he graduated in 1971...Kaplan received a scholarship to the University of Colorado (CU)...He had to compete with Bobby Anderson for QB... George ended up transferring to (UNC)...Earned a football scholarship to play for the Bears... Red-shirted his sophomore year (1968) as he transferred from CU...Kaplan was the starting quarterback for UNC for two seasons (1969-70), compiling a record of 18-2.
Coaching:
Spent nine years (1977-85) as the head football coach at Poudre High School (PHS) in Fort Collins, Colorado... He amassed a record of 59-33-2, winning three conference championships and making four state playoff appearances...Kaplan also was the head varsity baseball coach for three seasons (1974-76) for the Impalas.
Contributions:
Kaplan served for eight years (1994-2002) as the Athletic Director at PHS and was a member of the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) soccer committee for two years (2000-02).
Professional Affiliations and Achievements:
Member of the Northern Colorado Coaches Association (NCCA), the Colorado Coaches Association (CCA), and the National Football Coaches Association (NFCA).
Occupation:
Teacher, coach and administrator at PHS.
Personal:
Lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife, Ginny.
