CU Athletic Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2012
- Class:
- 1942
- 1941-42 First Team All-American
- Two-Time All-Mountain States Conference
- Member of 1942 Final Four Team
- Twice Led Mountain States Conference in Scoring (1940-41, '41-42)
A three-year letterman in basketball (1939-42) under legendary CU head coach Frosty Cox ... Known for his “silky-smooth” shot, and for also for being a great passer and rebounder ... A first-team All-American (the third in CU basketball history and just the sixth CU athlete in any sport), he was the Buffs’ best offensive player and leading scorer on the 1941-42 team that reached the Final Four ... That squad opened 14-0 before finishing 16-2, defeating Kansas in the Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion Stanford ... He scored 19 points in the 46-44 win over the Jayhawks, pouring salt in the wound as he had decided to attend Colorado despite an offer to play for KU and its Hall of Fame coach, Phog Allen (though Kansas did not offer a scholarship) ... Also a member of the 1939-40 team that won the N.I.T. and was invited to the first NCAA tournament ... A two-time All-Mountain States performer (junior, senior seasons) ... Colorado was 43-12 in his three seasons, including a 21-1 mark at Balch Fieldhouse, winning the Mountain States (also known as the Skyline Conference) title all three years ... He led the league in scoring both as a junior (14.1 per game, big for its day) and senior (16.5) ... Though there were no official polls yet, in February 1942, CU was considered to be the No. 1 team in the nation and most definitely the top-ranked team in the Mountain/Pacific States region ... Affectionately dubbed by CU teammates as the “Great America Eagle of the Hardwood” ... Joined the U.S. Air Corps after college and served stateside in World War II, eventually going on to work for Continental Airlines for 33 years ... As a prep performer, he led Newton (Kan.) to two state titles and a runner-up finish.
