Colorado University Athletics

Bill Fanning, Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame

Bill Fanning, Baseball

 

  • 1949 All-Big 7 Pitcher, Utility Infielder
  • Colorado Sports Hall of Fame
  • 35-Year Coaching Career At Grand Junction HS
  • CSHAA Hall of Fame

A diehard CU alum with a profound love for his alma mater, Bill Fanning was a four-time letterman in baseball (1946-49), earning All-Big 7 honors as a pitcher and utility infielder as a senior ... He was 5-3 that year with 44 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings, with a 3.08 earned run average ... One of his gems that year came in a complete game, 1-0 shutout at Missouri when he allowed the Tigers just three hits and struck out six ... Led CU to a sweep at Oklahoma in 1948, winning both games and batting .750; in the first game, he played seven different positions, and Sooner students presented him with a box of GÇ£DuzGÇ¥ laundry detergent because he did everything.

He was 4-1 in league play in 1948, the fourth best record in the Big 7, as he accounted for all of CUGÇÖs wins (CU was 4-6) ... He was 6-2 overall that year, with 51 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings with a 2.23 earned run average as he earned second-team All-Big 7 honors ... He would steal an occasional base, but his best was a steal of home in a win over New Mexico as a junior ... Batted .373 that season (28-of-75) ... The Buffs were 40-23-1 during his career, which saw CU jump from the Mountain States to the Big 7 prior to his junior year ... In 1954, he took over as the head baseball coach at Grand Junction High School and after retiring 35 years later as a Western Slope coaching legend, his teams compiled a record of 467-172, with 21 state playoff appearances and three state championships (1961, 1962, 1976) ... He was the first high school baseball coach in Colorado to record 400 victories, his teams once winning 43 games in a row ... He was the national high school coach of the year in 1984 and the stateGÇÖs coach of the year on four occasions ... He also spent 39 years as a umpire, 37 years officiating football and 32 years as a basketball official ... In 1994, he was inducted into the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame, and in 1998, he was inducted into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame (one of just four CU athletes to be honored, along with Byron White, Joe Romig and Chauncey Billups) ... The parade of people who cite the influence he had on their lives are impressive, including Eugene Garcia, Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Cal-Berkeley ... He attended CU after serving in the U.S. Navy for 37 months and fighting in World War II; while in the Navy, he was the starting third baseman on its baseball team for all-star Luke Appling ... Had a very successful semi-pro career playing for teams in Colorado and Nebraska ... He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 (in fact, he was in the same class as Bill Marolt andFred Casotti; the master of ceremonies forgot to mention that he was a CU alum, Fanning opened his acceptance speech with, GÇ£I too am a proud CU Buff!GÇ¥) ... He passed away Feb. 8, 2013 at the age of 91.