Walseth Era Honored At Weekend Buffs Reunion

BOULDER — Dozens of players representing three decades at Colorado gathered Saturday for the Russell "Sox" Walseth reunion in Boulder as the era of CU's all-time winningest men's basketball coach was recognized.

Walseth, whose name is emblazoned on the CU Events Center court, coached at CU for 20 years (1956-76), where he compiled a 261-245 record while playing in one of the nation's toughest conferences (Big Seven/Big Eight). In an era when only the regular season conference champions earned NCAA Tournament berths, Walseth won three Big Eight regular season titles (1961-62, '62-63 and '68-69), took his teams to three NCAA Tournaments, and was named the Big Eight Coach of the Year five times.

As several players noted Saturday morning, had today's NCAA selection standards applied, Walseth's teams almost certainly would have played in several more NCAA tournaments. Along with three conference titles, Walseth's teams also finished in the top three in the league on five other occasions.

Walseth also coached the CU women's team from 1980-83, compiling a 77-21 record that included a perfect 43-0 record at home in his tenure.

The annual reunions were started by current CU head coach Tad Boyle, who greatly values the Colorado program's tradition. It has been a point of emphasis throughout his 10-year tenure, and each year CU hosts a reunion for former players. The reunions are open to all Buffs, but each year, a coach from the past and players from that specific era are recognized.

It is something that the players and coaches from the past have come to greatly appreciate. Players from the 1950s, '60s and '70s were all in attendance Saturday.

"Years ago, somebody told me, 'There's no basketball tradition at Colorado.' I was really ticked off about that,'" said Bob Bauers, who played for Walseth in the mid-1960s, including the 1966-67 team that finished 17-8 overall and second in the Big Eight with a 10-4 record. "The thing is, people don't understand our tradition and they don't know what we accomplished. These reunions help people learn what these teams did and these current players understand what their legacy is. It means a lot. They have something to build on. They realize how important our tradition is and it means something to them."

The Walseth era is the sixth to be honored, joining former Buffs coaches Bill Blair, Tom Apke, Tom Miller, Joe Harrington and Ricardo Patton. Boyle had originally planned to make Jeff Bzdelik — the coach who preceded him at Colorado — next, but Bzdelik is still coaching in the NBA and several of his former players are still playing professionally.

"Sox's name is on the court, he's in the (CU Sports) Hall of Fame," Boyle said. "He's the best to coach here and they always say save the best for last."

Boyle is now second on CU's all-time win list with a 201-126 record. He welcomed the Walseth-era Buffs at Saturday morning's practice, introduced them to the current team and then hosted a luncheon for both groups.

Walseth no doubt had a big impact on CU's basketball tradition, but many of his players also mentioned the effect he had on them long after their playing careers were over.

"Sox taught more than basketball," said Ken Charlton, a two-time all-conference player from the 1962 and '63 conference champions and NCAA Tournament teams. "He taught us about families. We watched his kids grow up and we saw how he treated them and how important family was. Those were the types of things that helped anybody who played for Sox. He had values that were important. Some of the kids that came here didn't come from great backgrounds, and that kind of environment was very valuable for them. Those kinds of things stuck with you for life. You learned how to live your life, and that's what Sox taught us along with basketball."

While Boyle's Buffs did win a Pac-12 tournament champion in 2012, Walseth's 1968-69 team — which featured Big Eight Player of the Year Cliff Meely — is still the last CU squad to win a regular season conference title.

Reunion attendees were celebrated at a Saturday night reception in Boulder, and will be recognized at Sunday's Colorado-Utah game at the Events Center (4 p.m., ESPNU).

"Tad is the first coach who has done this type of thing and I think it's made an impact on his players and program, and I know it's made an impact on us old guys," Bauers said. "We appreciate the recognition, we appreciate being involved, we appreciate being invited back. It's a big deal, and someday, these young guys will know how big a deal it is for them as well."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

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