Don Branby (2004) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame - University of Colorado Athletics

Don Branby

Induction:
2004
Class:
1953

Three-Sport Letterman
Football First-Team All-American
CU Record Holder In Fumble Recoveries
Longtime college and professional coach

Don Branby was one of the last three-sport lettermen in Colorado history, as he earned nine in all playing football, basketball and baseball. His top honor was being named an Associated Press All-American in football in 1952, when he set what are still CU records with seven fumble recoveries and nine takeaways. Published reports at the time said he had at least 20 tackles in a 21-21 tie withOklahoma, the Sooners’ lone blemish in their famous Big 7 Conference run. He was just the sixth CU player to be invited to play in a postseason all-star game when he appeared in the 1953 East-West Shrine Game. A seventh round draft pick by the New York Giants in the 1953 Draft (the 79th player selected overall), he went on After his playing days, he went into coaching in college at Montana State, and then in the Canadian Football League with the British Columbia Lions and the Ottawa Roughriders. In basketball, he scored 165 points in 45 career games in primarily a reserve role, though he led the Buffaloes in free throw percentage in 1951-52, making a then unheard of 39-of-48 tries (81.3%). In baseball, he played first base, third base and in the outfield; his 16 runs batted in were the third most on the team his senior year. He also spent four years in the Air Force, playing service football in which he also earned high accolades.