Frank Prentup (2015) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame - University of Colorado Athletics

Frank Prentup

Induction:
2015

Nicknamed the “Chief” because of his Native American ancestry, he was the head coach of CU’s baseball team for 24 seasons (1946-69), the longest tenured of any CU head coach in the sport. He also was an assistant football coach for 15 seasons under three different head coaches between 1941 and 1958. He compiled a 257-255-2 record as head coach during a time in which he led the program into a transitional phase from the Mountain States Conference to the Big 7. He coached many CU football players into baseball stars, most notably Frank Bernardi, who had never played the sport before and would eventually become a .383 hitter. He was an assistant professor in physical education from 1941 until his retirement from the faculty in 1976, and was credited with initiating rope skipping as a popular school activity for a fitness regime, and later taught boxing. He passed away in Boulder in 1992 at the age of 85.