BOULDER — The 10th class of the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame was inducted here Thursday night, once again an evening filled with stories, anecdotes, emotion, sadness and humor.
Athletic director
Rick George opened with a few comments, including the fact that CU will now induct a class instead of every two years as has been the case since the third class in 2000. He also gave a quick overview of the department and talked about the quality of CU's current group of student-athletes.
Mark Johnson, CU's play-by-play man on KOA-Radio, was the emcee for the evening. He made special mention the longtime "Voice of the Buffs," Larry Zimmer, who missed the evening as he continues to be hospitalized with aspirational pneumonia and will likely miss the remainder of the season as he recovers. Zimmer was a 2012 inductee into CU's Hall.
Here are this year's inductees, including two who have passed on but were represented by their namesakes, with some select comments and/or memories that they recalled
He opened with pointing out the photo of him was when he was 23 … and wishing he was as young as that now. He recalled how he was also on the football staff as an assistant and also running the entire intramural program while coaching the ski team and was paid $4800 – and thought he was rich (and joked that, "I'd be back tomorrow if you want to pay me that."). He referenced some of the great competitors that he coached, and introduced two who were present, Billy Kidd and Moose Barrows, and said it was harder to make the CU ski team than the Olympic team in those days.
- Forrest B. "Frosty" Cox, Basketball Coach (1935-50)
Cox passed away at the age of 54; his son Forrest "Frosty" Jr., accepted on his behalf. "It's a privilege to be able to represent Dad in accepting this award. This is a tremendous honor for him and our family. We are so proud of his accomplishments here at the University of Colorado. He was a strict on discipline and a perfectionist, and tried to instill those traits into his players both on and off the court. But away from basketball, he was a kind man and a great sense of humor." Cox made mention that several family members went on to attend CU.
- Jim Davis, Basketball (1961-64)
"Spider" as he was known by his teammates, opened by congratulating the rest of the class. "I personally feel very, very honored to have this award bestowed upon me. I hope that whatever happens, I will always be a Colorado Buffalo. I am currently living in Canada, but it's a great privilege to be able to travel back here. This was my second home. I want to thank my teammates and all those who helped me earn this honor this evening." He introduced his two roommates, and hoped that they would truly enjoy themselves this weekend, "especially at The Sink." He said he was sold on CU when he woke up the morning of his recruiting trip and saw the sun shining on the Flatirons.
- Deon Figures, Football (1988-92)
"Enjoy the moment. I see a lot of my former teammates out there trying to make me nervous. Okay, I'm nervous," he joked. He thanked his late parents, who died in the 1990s, but credited them with why he was at Colorado and their desire for him to earn a degree. He spoke about an exchange he had with
Darian Hagan, about how "Two kids from the streets of L.A. are now both in the Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame." He thanked the CU coaches for going to Compton to recruit him and coaching him in Boulder, citing in particular
Bill McCartney,
Rick George and
Greg Brown.
- Bob Jeangerard, Basketball (1952-55)
Jeangerard succumbed to complications from Alzheimer's disease this past July at the age of 83; his son, Robert, Jr., represented him. "If my dad was up here accepting this honor tonight, what he would talk about would be his teammates and everything they did for him. The stories that he used to tell us about, everything was about teamwork and dedication. He would tell us about the magic that this university brought him and the opportunity that this university gave him." He spoke about how his father grew up in Chicago during a rough time, but excelled in basketball and baseball and was grateful that CU came along and gave him a chance. He also spoke about his dad's last days, where he still made everybody around him happy despite his nearly decade-long battle with Alzheimer's.
- Linn Long, Wrestling (1952-55; 1961-68)
He opened by stating, "Wrestling people, stand up!" About 25 in the audience did, including three in attendance from South Illinois, where he coached after his time in Boulder. "Every wrestler I hoped would be an All-American. Some made it, some didn't. But they all paid a price." He then spoke about some of his top performers at CU, and a pipeline he had to Adams City (High School, Denver). Throughout his speech, he "ordered" different people tied to his career and family to stand up and told a brief story about them. "The university gave me a platform for education, it gave me a terrific life." He talked about he met his wife in the library at CU, and how they honeymooned at a tournament in California, with family vacations and reunions at places like "the pool at a Holiday Inn."
- Don Meyers, Track & Field (1959-62; 1968-75)
Meyers was greeted by several former athletes, including former football players who ran track under him like Cliff Branch and Larry Brunson. "I am very humble to be inducted tonight. I'm excited to share this experience with my family, my good friends and many of my athletes, those who really are responsible for me being in front of you here today. It's an honor I will cherish forever." He talked about the influence of
Frank Potts, his former coach who he said was like a second father to him, and brought up a great story about another close friend, former trainer Monte Smith, who one day was tasked with removing a an arrow from Potts' sternum (there was an archery course next to track and Potts walked in and said, "Monte, I've been shot."). He remembered about he was on partial scholarship and one of his jobs was to sweep the floor at halftime of the basketball games in Balch Fieldhouse. He made special acknowledge of the late Jerry Quiller, who was an assistant coach under him who coached cross country, and Rich Castro, who was his sprint coach. He spoke about how the world record for the 60-yard dash at the time was 5.9, and how in two heats, Branch, Brunson, Marcus Walker and George Daniels ran three 5.9s and a 6.0, but eventually the group would be derailed by injury.
- Herb Orvis, Football (1969-71)
He pointed to the poster on the wall and stated, "When that uniform was put on it, was all business." He proceeded to cite his coaches, in particular, "My number one coach,
Dan Stavely, who had a wonderful influence on my life. He took the pagan out of me. And then there was my agent, Jack Mills, who guided me through a 10-year pro career. This is a tremendous honor, but it belongs to a group of us." He then delivered the line of night: "I've been a Lion, I've been a Bear. I've been a Colt. But being a Buffalo was my greatest accomplishment."
- Yvonne Scott, Track (1992-96)
The last honoree of the evening, she quipped, "My husband always tells me I get the last word," to resounding laughter. "It's such an honor to be here with all these great Buffaloes. It's a great feeling to come back to Boulder, and I'm so proud to be a Buff. One of my greatest moments was my senior year, competing in the final Big 8, and winning at Nebraska. But I have a lot of good memories here." She talked about important her mother, in attendance, was during her career, pushing her to be the best she could be, and how she compares what's going on at CU with
Rick George's monthly newsletters to her athletic director at UNLV, where she is the track coach.
