Dan Stavely (2024) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame - University of Colorado Athletics

Dan Stavely

Induction:
2024

An academic counselor at CU for 18 years, and to many a mentor, surrogate father and a life counselor as well, Dan Stavely left an indelible mark in his nearly three decades associated with CU athletics … His first stint at Colorado came in the 1958 football season under head coach Dal Ward, where he was head coach of the freshman team and assisted with the varsity; he spent the next four years on the football staff at Stanford University (after Ward was not retained after the ’58 season), but returned to CU in 1963 when Eddie Crowder brought him back, once again to coach the freshman teams and assist with the varsity which he would do through 1976, the last three years under coach Bill Mallory … His 15 seasons as a football assistant remains the fourth-longest in any sport … CU’s frosh teams were often undefeated (usually three or four game seasons) … After retiring from coaching, he remained as an assistant athletic director and oversaw all areas of academic counseling until retiring in 1983 … He ran study halls and often purchased books that would be distributed (and then collected) from the athletes after each semester … CU Hall of Famer Brian Cabral said of Stavely: “Dan probably made the greatest impact in my life. He was like a father to me, my academic counselor, my life counselor. He is the big reason why I am who I am today.” … Those sentiments were echoed by basketball and baseball letterman Dudley “Bo” Mitchell: “Dan Stavely has done more for the University of Colorado than any other individual involved in the school’s athletic department. He made a choice to remain as an assistant to stay closer to the players. He was like a father to literally thousand of athletes who came through the CU program.” … Stavely’s coaching career started at Aguilar (Colo.) High School in 1936, before moving on to Johnstown (Colo.) High School for the next three years (1937-39) … He then joined the collegiate coaching ranks at his alma mater, the University of Denver, assisting with the football and wrestling programs (1940-41, 1946); in-between, he was in the Air Force … He then spent the next decade in the state of Washington, as an assistant coach at Eastern Washington College (1947-48) and then on the Washington State staff from 1949 through the 1957 seasons … Heavily involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he was named the 1975 FCA National Coach of the Year … In 1977, he was inducted into the Colorado Coaches Hall of Fame, and in 1988, he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame … In 1991, the FCA inducted him into its inaugural class of Champions Hall of Fame; other inductees included Tom Landry, Roger Staubach, Steve Owens and Archie Griffin … He graduated from the U. of Denver in 1936, where he lettered in both football and wrestling (undefeated his senior year) … One of his summer jobs was portraying the “Masked Marvel” … His son, John, lettered three years as a defensive end for CU from 1970-73 … He was born Nov. 22, 1912 in Cortez, Colo., and passed away on May 28, 2003 at the age of 90.