Year Inducted: 2017
Nominated By: Keith Allan Lane (brother)
Sports Competed In: Football, Track
Athlete, Coach or Contributor: Athlete, Coach, Contributor
High School:
Attended Pueblo East H.S., gradiuating in 1979...Lane played both football and track for the Eagles.
Athletic Achievements:
Richard was a three-sport athlete his freshman and junior years at East High School: two-sport athlete his sophomore and senior years: wide receiver-defensive back in football, and long jumper-triple jumper in track. In senior year, the football team had the school's best season in history up to that point (1979) with a perfect 10-0 regular season, advancing to the state playoffs. That regular season record of 10-0 still holds. He wasn 't the biggest player on the team, but was undoubtedly one of the fastest and toughest. In track, he focused on triple jump, and was featured in a Pueblo Chieftain newspaper article his senior year under the byline "Inch for Inch, Lane of Eagles Leaps with Best".
Lane was a four-year athlete in track (1981-1984) at USC-Pueblo, specializing in triple jump. He was an Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) All-Conference Selection his senior year in 1984.
"Rich" played semi-pro football for the Pueblo Crusaders. He was a wide receiver on the team's first three years (1987-1989). The 1987 inaugural team made it to the first round of playoffs. In 1988, team made it to the semi-finals before falling to a team from Brooklyn by two points. A highlight of that game was his 88-yard catch and run touchdown. The 1989 team won the national semi-pro championship.
Coaching Achievements:
Lane served 23 years as a football coach in Pueblo working as an offensive coordinator at three different high schools (15 years at East; Five at Pueblo West, and three at Pueblo County).
Lane started at East as an Assistant on the Varsity squad as the Eagles Offensive Coordinator (1989-1999 and 2006). During that time, they made three state playoff appearances (1994, '95 & '96). The team entered the state quarterfinals in 1996 as the 16th seed, and defeated the No. 1 team in the first round of the playoffs. It was the first football playoff victory for East, a record that stood until 2012. Richard helped the team to bring home the coveted "cannon" four straight years (1993-1996),the first time the cannon was won by an East High football team since 1982.
"Rich" left East to take be an assistant on offense for the Pueblo Crusaders Semi-Pro football team for a season in 1990. Under Lane, the Crusaders advanced to the title game but lost on a failed 2-point conversion. It was the last game played by the semi-pro Crusaders
He returned to coaching high school football, joining Pueblo West High School (PWHS) as the the team's Offensive Coordinator (2000-2004). The Cyclones had been in existence for three years. The team had just been moved from 2A to 3A classification, which in effect was a move up two classifications since four of the teams in the league had been in 4A and changed to 3A for two years (2000-2001). The coaching staff set about to build a strong foundation upon which to build in the ensuing years. It was a learning and building time for PWHS players and a challenge for the coaching staff but players and coaches never gave up.
Lane joined current CSU-Pueblo football coach and 2015 GPSA inductee John Wristen, during the inaugural season (2008) of the resurrected football program as a receivers coach. It was the first time football had been played at the University after a 23-year absence. Richard left college football after a season and spent the next two years (2009-11) as the offensive coordinator at Pueblo County High School (PCHS). In his first season with the Hornets, the team advance to the 3A state playoffs (2009).
"Rich" returned to his alma mater (East HS) from 2012 - 2015. With his football savvy, combined with years of experience, as the offensive coordinator he was a big part of the teams' successful resurgence. Studying different zone-read offenses, taking the best from all of them and installing in the offense and fitting it to the talent available, the school's records in these years were impressive. In 2012, the Eagles advanced to state semi-fmals, first time in school history; in 2013, lost in quarterfinals; in 2014, the school's first trip to state title game (record 11-3), winning the 3A State Championship. In 2015, again made the trip to state title game, winning back-to-back championships (record 13-1). First time in history a Pueblo football team won back-to-back championships. In the 2014 season, overall points: East 459 points to opponents' 202. In 2015 season, overall points: East 636 points to opponents' 225.
Contributor Achievements:
Lane was a founding member of "Friends of Football" - 2005 - present (2017). "Friends of Football" is local nonprofit organization formed in 2005 "to support and promote football in Southern Colorado and to provide opportunities for area youth to play the sport we love" (quote by Dr. Eddie DeRose in May 10, 2007 Pueblo Chieftain newspaper article). In May 2007, the organization donated to CSU-Pueblo $6.6 million in cash and another $1 million in in-kind donations to resurrect football, wrestling, and women's track and field at the University. The CSU System Board of Governors unanimously approved the plan to expand the athletic programs. The first resurrected football season began in 2008 played at the newly built ThunderBowl stadium. The money raised and donated by the Friends of Football also support scholarships. In May 2016, the Friends of Football donated another approx. $3 million to provide improvements for all 22 CSU-Pueblo athletics programs including building a new weight room, expansion of the athletic training room in the Fieldhouse, locker additions in the Pack football locker room, upgrades to the women's track and field locker room and new turf for the ThunderBowl field.
Richard was awarded the "Jim Turner Award (service to Colorado Youth Football)" from the National Football Foundation - Colorado Chapter in April 2016.
Related Activities:
Richard was a member of the Pueblo non-profit organiztation, "Friends of Football".
Personal:
Lane has lived in Pueblo for over 50 years and is married to his wife, Mary.
