Year Inducted: 1988
Nominated By: Louis A. Paglione
Sports Competed In: Football, Wrestling
Athlete, Coach or Contributor: Athlete, Coach
High School:
Attended Pueblo Central year, graduating 1943...Played two seasons of football at fullback for the Wildcats (1941-42).
College:
● Went to Pueblo Junior College (PJC) and played on the football team for two years at fullback.
● Graduated after World War II in 1949.
● Furthered his education at Western State College (WSC) in Gunnison, CO, graduating in 1951.
● Played both linebacker and fullback for the Mountaineers football team for two seasons (1949-50).
● Also spent one season on the wrestling mat.
● Graduated with his Master's degree in 1960 from WSC.
Coaching Career:
● Spent five season each as a a coach of the Old Timers Baseball league and the head football coach at Pleasant View (1951-55).
● Moved on to become the head football coach at Pueblo County H.S. for five years (1954-58).
● Served for five seasons as the wrestling coach (1954-59).
● Named to coach the Pueblo South H.S. golf team on four occasions (1960, 1963, 1970 and 1971).
● Also spent four seasons as the wrestling coach and two (1962-63) as the baseball coach for the Colts (1963-66).
● Selected to run the Pueblo South football program for four years (1966-69).
Achievements:
Coaching:
● Led Pleasant View to the State Baseball Championship in 1952.
● Led the Hornets to the 1954 league football title.
● Led the 1957 wrestling squad to the District Championship, and coached Eugene Cozzolino, the state champion at 103 lbs.
● The 1964 wrestling team won East Tournament and the District Tournament.
● The 1966 wrestling team posted a record of 11-2-1.
● Selected to coach the North/South team in the 1969 gridiron All Star game.
● Posted a combined wrestling record 61-20-3 and football record of 35-56-1, coaching at both Pueblo County H.S. and Pueblo South H.S.
Related Activities:
Retired from coaching 1970 and put efforts into teaching and served as Activities Director at South H.S. until he retired 1982.
Occupation:
Teacher and coach
Honors:
Lived in Pueblo, CO with his wife, Mary E. DeGrado...Passed away on April 26, 2013.
