Colorado University Athletics
Colorado Athletic Hall Of Fame Profile: Ken Charlton
Editor's Note: Today is the first edition of a 10-day celebration of this year's Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame induction here at CUBuffs.com, profiling each of this year's inductees, leading up to the Nov. 13 football game against Iowa State. Today, we look at the career of men's basketball standout Ken Charlton. This year's Hall of Fame festivities begin Thursday, Nov. 11, with the induction ceremonies at the Omni Interlocken Hotel & Resort (6 p.m. reception, with induction ceremony at 7 p.m.). The celebration continues with a women's/men's basketball doubleheader on Friday, Nov. 12, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The honorees will be introduced publicly at halftime of Saturday's game, which kicks off against the Cyclones at 11:30 a.m.
Colorado basketball has had a number of standouts throughout the years. One of those players was Ken Charlton, a 6-foot-6 forward who played at CU from 1961-63 and who was a member of two Big Eight Championships and two NCAA tournament teams.
Although his playing career ended over 40 years ago, Charlton still has fond memories of playing at CU. The honor of being inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame is a team honor, he believes, rather than an individual honor.
"We had wonderful teams back then; 13-1 in the conference (in 1962)," Charlton said. "But I wasn't that good; I was a slow boy who couldn't jump."
His affinity for passing praise to his teammates and coaches defines what kind of player he was. Basketball is a game of teamwork, five players coming together as one on the court. Charlton explained that there was no one who understood that better than legendary CU coach Sox Walseth.
"It wasn't a matter of an individual," Charlton said. "It was a matter of a team working together, knowing you have a job to do. We didn't have any exceptional athletes; Sox taught us how to play as a team."
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| Ken Charlton was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1963 NCAA Midwest Regional |
Of course Charlton left CU as the all-time leading scorer when he graduated. Not bad for a throw-in recruit.
The Buffs of the early '60s won two consecutive Big Eight titles thanks to Charlton. At the time, the NCAA tournament only fielded 16 teams, so Charlton's Buffs had to win the conference title to receive a tournament bid.
"We were always fighting K-State. They had guys that went in pro ball, which was rare since there were only eight pro teams," Charlton recalled.
The Buffs had a matchup with Kansas State in 1963 with the Big Eight title on the line: "We had to beat them in Manhattan, which we rarely did; we won by [a bunch]."
Naturally, Charlton attributed the win to fellow Buff Jim Davis' tremendous defensive play as the Buffs won 69-56.
Always one who regarded his opponents highly, Charlton remembered tangling with some great Cincinnati teams in the NCAA tournament. CU lost to Cincinnati in 1962 and 1963 in the second round of the tournament, including the year Cincy won the national championship in 1962.
"I respected those guys, they had tremendous talent. They all played pro but we had an awfully good chance to beat them," Charlton said.
He battled knee problems throughout his career as well. When asked about playing through the pain of bad knees, Charlton said he never thought about it.
"Senior and junior year they would drain it, shoot it with cortisone every Tuesday. I wouldn't practice Wednesday, then we'd do it all again [every week]," Charlton said.
He alluded to the fact that they would probably do things a little differently nowadays, but back then they didn't really know any better.
Mind over matter, team over self; the Buffaloes welcome Ken Charlton into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame.