Football Alumnus Dave Hestera Passes Away
August 31, 2023 | Football, Alumni C Club
One of team's stars in early 1980's was 62
BOULDER – Dave Hestera, one of CU's bright stars on the University of Colorado football team in the early 1980s, passed away here on Sunday after a valiant years-long battle with Parkinson's disease; he was 62.
A graduate of Arvada's Pomona High School, he signed with Wyoming in the winter of 1979, playing one season for the Cowboys, earning a letter under coach Bill Smith seeing increased playing time as the year progressed. He transferred back to his home state in 1980 and after sitting out a year as required at the time by the NCAA, he would go on to have a stellar career as a Buffalo.
He first played for head coach Chuck Fairbanks at Colorado, and then for Bill McCartney his final two seasons in Boulder.
As a senior in 1983, he earned honorable mention All-America honors from the Associated Press, as he caught 29 passes for 366 yards and one touchdown, averaging 12.6 yards per reception. He also recovered a fumble in the end zone for a TD in CU's 31-3 win over Colorado State, the first time the in-state rivals had met since 1958.
He was also the first-team tight end on the All-Big Eight Conference team that season, after having been named honorable mention as a sophomore in 1981 and second-team as a junior in 1982. He led the Buffs in receiving as a sophomore with 21 catches for 202 yards (9.6 per) and also as a junior, hauling in 41 passes for 489 yards and a TD, averaging 11.9 yards per catch. The 41 receptions were the second-most for a single season at the time, while the 489 yards set the CU season record.
Upon his graduation, his 91 career receptions were the second-most in CU history, with his 1,057 receiving yards the third-most and the most by a tight end, as he was just the third Buff to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. He caught at least one pass in 31 of 33 career games, also a CU best at the time. (Including his one year at Wyoming, he had collegiate totals of 98 receptions for 1,137 yards.)
He earned CU's Dean Jacob Van Ek Award as a senior for academic excellence, as he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Recreation with a grade point average in excess of 3.8. A three-time, first-team Academic All-Big Eight team member and an honorable mention Academic All-American, he was a finalist as a senior for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.
Hestera earned an invitation and played in the '84 East-West Shrine game, where he caught one pass for 14 yards. He was drafted in the ninth round (240th pick overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in the '84 National Football League Draft but was one of the final players released late in camp.
"Dave was a phenomenal athlete in both high school and college", said Kimbirly Orr, Executive Director of Colorado's Alumni C Club. "I was blessed to know him most of my life, meeting when we were both 15 years old at Pomona High School. Pomona has a proud history of prep football lead by wonderful coaches, including beloved head coach at the time, Gary Klatt. Dave was a man of great character and faith. He will be deeply missed by many including his family, friends and teammates."
Hestera, along with Barry Remington and other players from Colorado high schools played a significant role in McCartney's first recruiting class in the winter of 1983. They helped along the way in the process in which McCartney convinced most of the state's top recruits to sign with the Buffaloes – 11 players in all – something Jon Embree distinctly remembered.
"Dave, along with a handful of others, Barry, Walter Stanley and Sandy Armstrong were key players in the recruiting of that class," said Embree, who is currently the assistant head coach and tight ends coach for the Miami Dolphins. "I had more interaction with Dave since we were both tight ends."
"When I came in, Dave and (another tight end) Jeff Colvin really took me in, and gave me the lay of the land, even though they knew at one point I could take their spots," Embree said. "I roomed with Dave my freshman year because I was the backup. He was always very positive, very encouraging, and even when he came back after graduating, he was always really pulling for the team to do well, especially us tight ends. He taught me a lot, like how to prepare, how to practice, the little things. A lot of time people don't realize how the routines are totally different, from high school to college and from college to the pros."
"Dave would educate me," Embree continued. "Here's what practice will be like, really laying down the blueprint on how to be a player, how to do things the right way, not learn by trial and error. You knew he was the kind of guy who would go on and be successful in whatever endeavor he pursued after his playing days were over. He was a great dude, a humble and upstanding man, and a guy who wanted to the Buffs to win and try to help any way he could."
"Also, when we beat Nebraska in '86, we thought about some of those guys who didn't get to enjoy it as a current player, but they were definitely a part of it," Embree added. "They helped us mature. Dave was one of those guys who wanted players to come in and have success even if it meant they lost their roles or playing time. It would have been cool if he could have been on the field that day."
After retiring from football, Dave graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic (Davenport, Iowa) as a Doctor of Chiropractic and earned the college's Clinical Excellence Award in 1992. He went to work as a chiropractor in Milan, Italy for six years and loved his adventures there. He was fortunate to work on Italian Olympians, professional bicycle racers and soccer players helping them to achieve their best success in their sports endeavors.
He moved back to Colorado and established a private practice in Arvada for 14 years. His love of sports and chiropractic gave him an opportunity to work for the University of Colorado. He provided care to CU athletes through CU's sports medicine program for 13 years. He was awarded the 2002 Chiropractic Sports Award from the Colorado Chiropractic Association for his outstanding contributions to sports and chiropractic in Colorado.
Born David J. Hestera on May 15, 1961 in Berwynn, Ill., he was a three-sport star at Pomona, lettering in football, basketball and track. He was an avid outdoorsman enjoying hiking, fishing, skiing and golf; but most of all he loved to eat and those close to him knew he didn't go a day without chocolate.
He is survived by his wife Nancy, mother Pat, brothers Mike and Dan and his sister Lisa. A nephew, Jack Hestera, was a wide receiver for the Buffaloes the last two seasons and is now playing for Charlotte.
Services to honor and celebrate his life will be held on Sunday, October 29; details including location and time to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in his name to Buffs4Life; seven years ago Dave was a recipient of Buffs4Life. He and his wife Nancy are so grateful for the gift of ground-breaking stem cell injections that helped decrease the progression of his battle with Parkinson's disease.
A graduate of Arvada's Pomona High School, he signed with Wyoming in the winter of 1979, playing one season for the Cowboys, earning a letter under coach Bill Smith seeing increased playing time as the year progressed. He transferred back to his home state in 1980 and after sitting out a year as required at the time by the NCAA, he would go on to have a stellar career as a Buffalo.
He first played for head coach Chuck Fairbanks at Colorado, and then for Bill McCartney his final two seasons in Boulder.
As a senior in 1983, he earned honorable mention All-America honors from the Associated Press, as he caught 29 passes for 366 yards and one touchdown, averaging 12.6 yards per reception. He also recovered a fumble in the end zone for a TD in CU's 31-3 win over Colorado State, the first time the in-state rivals had met since 1958.
He was also the first-team tight end on the All-Big Eight Conference team that season, after having been named honorable mention as a sophomore in 1981 and second-team as a junior in 1982. He led the Buffs in receiving as a sophomore with 21 catches for 202 yards (9.6 per) and also as a junior, hauling in 41 passes for 489 yards and a TD, averaging 11.9 yards per catch. The 41 receptions were the second-most for a single season at the time, while the 489 yards set the CU season record.
Upon his graduation, his 91 career receptions were the second-most in CU history, with his 1,057 receiving yards the third-most and the most by a tight end, as he was just the third Buff to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark. He caught at least one pass in 31 of 33 career games, also a CU best at the time. (Including his one year at Wyoming, he had collegiate totals of 98 receptions for 1,137 yards.)
He earned CU's Dean Jacob Van Ek Award as a senior for academic excellence, as he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Recreation with a grade point average in excess of 3.8. A three-time, first-team Academic All-Big Eight team member and an honorable mention Academic All-American, he was a finalist as a senior for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.
Hestera earned an invitation and played in the '84 East-West Shrine game, where he caught one pass for 14 yards. He was drafted in the ninth round (240th pick overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in the '84 National Football League Draft but was one of the final players released late in camp.
"Dave was a phenomenal athlete in both high school and college", said Kimbirly Orr, Executive Director of Colorado's Alumni C Club. "I was blessed to know him most of my life, meeting when we were both 15 years old at Pomona High School. Pomona has a proud history of prep football lead by wonderful coaches, including beloved head coach at the time, Gary Klatt. Dave was a man of great character and faith. He will be deeply missed by many including his family, friends and teammates."
Hestera, along with Barry Remington and other players from Colorado high schools played a significant role in McCartney's first recruiting class in the winter of 1983. They helped along the way in the process in which McCartney convinced most of the state's top recruits to sign with the Buffaloes – 11 players in all – something Jon Embree distinctly remembered.
"Dave, along with a handful of others, Barry, Walter Stanley and Sandy Armstrong were key players in the recruiting of that class," said Embree, who is currently the assistant head coach and tight ends coach for the Miami Dolphins. "I had more interaction with Dave since we were both tight ends."
"When I came in, Dave and (another tight end) Jeff Colvin really took me in, and gave me the lay of the land, even though they knew at one point I could take their spots," Embree said. "I roomed with Dave my freshman year because I was the backup. He was always very positive, very encouraging, and even when he came back after graduating, he was always really pulling for the team to do well, especially us tight ends. He taught me a lot, like how to prepare, how to practice, the little things. A lot of time people don't realize how the routines are totally different, from high school to college and from college to the pros."
"Dave would educate me," Embree continued. "Here's what practice will be like, really laying down the blueprint on how to be a player, how to do things the right way, not learn by trial and error. You knew he was the kind of guy who would go on and be successful in whatever endeavor he pursued after his playing days were over. He was a great dude, a humble and upstanding man, and a guy who wanted to the Buffs to win and try to help any way he could."
"Also, when we beat Nebraska in '86, we thought about some of those guys who didn't get to enjoy it as a current player, but they were definitely a part of it," Embree added. "They helped us mature. Dave was one of those guys who wanted players to come in and have success even if it meant they lost their roles or playing time. It would have been cool if he could have been on the field that day."
After retiring from football, Dave graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic (Davenport, Iowa) as a Doctor of Chiropractic and earned the college's Clinical Excellence Award in 1992. He went to work as a chiropractor in Milan, Italy for six years and loved his adventures there. He was fortunate to work on Italian Olympians, professional bicycle racers and soccer players helping them to achieve their best success in their sports endeavors.
He moved back to Colorado and established a private practice in Arvada for 14 years. His love of sports and chiropractic gave him an opportunity to work for the University of Colorado. He provided care to CU athletes through CU's sports medicine program for 13 years. He was awarded the 2002 Chiropractic Sports Award from the Colorado Chiropractic Association for his outstanding contributions to sports and chiropractic in Colorado.
Born David J. Hestera on May 15, 1961 in Berwynn, Ill., he was a three-sport star at Pomona, lettering in football, basketball and track. He was an avid outdoorsman enjoying hiking, fishing, skiing and golf; but most of all he loved to eat and those close to him knew he didn't go a day without chocolate.
He is survived by his wife Nancy, mother Pat, brothers Mike and Dan and his sister Lisa. A nephew, Jack Hestera, was a wide receiver for the Buffaloes the last two seasons and is now playing for Charlotte.
Services to honor and celebrate his life will be held on Sunday, October 29; details including location and time to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in his name to Buffs4Life; seven years ago Dave was a recipient of Buffs4Life. He and his wife Nancy are so grateful for the gift of ground-breaking stem cell injections that helped decrease the progression of his battle with Parkinson's disease.
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