Stampede Magazine

VOLUME: 9 • ISSUE: 4

Year in

pictures 2012-13

LEADING THE STAMPEDE because of you

Because of you, the 2012-13 competitive year was a resounding success. Together, the Buff Club and CU Athletics thank you for your unwavering support of our outstanding athletic programs as we continue to strive for, and achieve, sustainable excellence.

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The past few years have seen our Buff Club membership grow, which is fantastic, but we have set our sights much higher going forward as we enter a new phase of initiatives. It will take continued philanthropy, but because of you, we believe we can reach our goals in record time.

Because of individuals like Julie Kunkel, who along with her son, Barry, and the whole Kunkel family, have invested in CU Athletics in memory of Zane Kunkel, we know we have incredible support standing shoulder to shoulder alongside us.

As seen in this special “Year in Pictures” issue, many programs experienced great accomplishments this past year, including a national championship for the ski team and two Olympians from the women’s track and cross country team.

However, success is not always measured in wins and losses. All of our programs saw success in growth as a team, in academic achievements and in each individual student-athlete’s progress as a leader in society. This past spring, we graduated 29 senior student-athletes, with four of them earning post-graduate scholarships from the Pac-12 Conference. We also recorded the thirdhighest student-athlete semester GPA in CU history. These are just a couple of examples of how academics continue to be a core focus for our student-athletes.

While we continue to see great accomplishments, we need your support more than ever. CU Athletics has seen a lot of change this past year and we are excited to move into a new era.

The Colorado athletic department is eager to spread the black and gold throughout the state of California – and beyond. To support this, we are planning greater outreach in the Pac-12 Conference footprint to further engage as many of our numerous alumni in the states of Arizona, California, Oregon, Utah and Washington as possible. Our out-of-state supporters are just as important as our local Colorado supporters, and we recognize how truly great we could be when we unite as one nation of Buffs fans.

The future is looking bright for CU Athletics with the recent hiring of Rick George as our new director of athletics. Rick served the Texas Rangers as the President of Business Operations for the past three years. Rick and his wife, Nancy, are not strangers to Boulder where he was previously part of the CU Athletics team under Coach McCartney as an Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations from 1987-91.

Rick brings with him exciting new ideas for energizing our donor base and revitalizing CU Athletics. With an impressive array of executive sports experiences leading him to the athletic director position, Rick is eager to lead our programs with passion and integrity. Welcome home, Rick and Nancy!

Because of you, our student-athletes have the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the classroom and in competition. Thank you!

GO BUFFS!

Kurt J. Gulbrand Associate Athletic Director – Development

MEET THE STAFF THREE Buffs you should get to know!

Meet… Katie Bason, Director of Football Academics (works with student-athletes to reach their academic potential; liaison between the football staff and the Herbst Academic Center, making sure that football coaches are aware of the needs and concerns of their team.) “My favorite CU sports memory was the Herbst Academic Center StudentAthlete Academic Awards Breakfast. I was so incredibly impressed with what the studentathletes have been able to achieve with the help and support of the members of the HAC staff. I’ve never seen so many student-athletes so focused on academic success. It let me know that we are in the right place.”

Meet… Rachel Ripken, Community Outreach Coordinator (creates, implements

and manages outreach programs and community affiliations for CU Athletics; works with internal and external constituents to engage CU coaches, athletes and staff members within the local communities). “My favorite memory of the 2012-13 athletic season would have to be our Read with the Buffs recognition ceremony at the women’s basketball game against Washington. Read with the Buffs is a reading incentive program, presented by IBM, for local elementary school students that takes place each year. This past winter, CU student-athletes visited 19 Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School District classrooms to read to students, answer questions and emphasize the importance of reading. In total, more than 1,400 kids in 60 elementary school classes participated

in the Read with the Buffs program. Students who met their reading goals were rewarded with a ticket to the Colorado-Washington women’s basketball game. In addition, each participating teacher had the opportunity to select two of their students who excelled in the Read with the Buffs program to come on court and be recognized at halftime of this game. It was great to bring everyone together and to celebrate the accomplishments of all the students that completed the Read with the Buffs program.”

Meet… Jason DePaepe, Assistant Athletic Director of Facilities (oversees management and maintenance of CU’s athletic department facilities and grounds.) “My favorite memory was the 2001 CU vs. Nebraska 62-36 victory.”

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VOLUME: 9 • ISSUE: 4 EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, BUFF CLUB Ted Ledbetter MANAGING EDITOR Doug Ottewill, Haas Rock Publications

Departments 06 12 64

In Focus BUFF Notes Buffalo Bill

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Marty Evans Natalie Meisler Daniel Mohrmann Will Petersen Dave Plati ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN Jake Blocker PHOTOGRAPHERS CU Sports Information Chip Bromfield, Pro-Motion, Ltd. Getty Images Jathan Campbell USA Today Sports Photos ADVERTISING SALES Chris Dolge Will McKinlay The Stampede is published and produced in association with: HAAS ROCK PUBLICATIONS, LLC PRESIDENT PUBLISHER PROOFREADER James Merilatt Doug Ottewill Lance Britton The Stampede is published four times per year, as a 64-page quarterly.

Buff Club, 369 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309 BUFF CLUB 800.621.2833 Subscription rate for The Stampede is a gift for $100 or more per year to the Buff Club.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Buff Club, 369 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309 Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content in any manner without written permission is prohibited.

Copyright 2013 / All Rights Reserved Printed in the U.S.A

THE STAMPEDE IS PROUDLY PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER We want to hear from you! Comments regarding The Stampede can be directed to buffclub@colorado.edu or 303-492-2200.

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26 Q&A: Linda Lappe

2425 CANYON BOULEVARD BOULDER, CO 303-449-2626

STAMPEDE

Features

14 STUDENT-ATHLETES’ SUMMER INTERNSHIPS | Getting a jump on the real world 18 CUSPYS | The Buffs TAKE HOME A LITTLE HARDWARE 22 donor PROFILE | honoring the life of Zane Kunkel

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Dawn of a New Era

On Dec. 10, 2012, the Buffs faithful were introduced to Mike MacIntyre, the newest head football coach at the University of Colorado. Since that time, MacIntyre has been hard at work, determined to get the Buffs back on track.

Photo courtesy of Mile High Sports

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Handy in the Kitchen

On May 14, the CU “Coaches Caravan” rolled into the McDonald’s at 1350 West Colfax in Denver. Somehow, Chip snuck into the kitchen, where he had some minor difficulties getting his four fingers in the five-fingered sanitary gloves.

Photo courtesy of Mile High Sports

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Back at It

Just more than a year ago, fans gathered at Sports Authority Field at Mile High to show support for their Buffs. On Sept. 1, they’ll return, seeking revenge on the Rams of CSU, who stole the 2012 Showdown.

Photo from USA Today Sports Images 10

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The Buff Club has a

new website!

We are proud to introduce the new Buff Club website, www.cubuffclub.com, where you can view and download the 2013 Buff Club Membership Guide, log in to your Buff Club DonorNet account to renew your contributions or sign up to become a Buff Club member.

Everything you need to know about making your gift is detailed online, making it easier than ever to give back and enrich the lives of Colorado student-athletes. We are successful because of supporters like you who stand Shoulder to Shoulder with the Buff Club and the University of Colorado Athletics.

Thank you and GO BUFFS!

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the

Summer Interns Getting a jump on the real world

By Will Petersen

R

yan Savercool isn’t quite sure which direction life will take him after he’s done running at Colorado.

One thing is for sure – the summer of 2013 helped provide some clarity.

I’m a marketing major who’s lacking experience in sales.”

Savercool, who’s majoring in integrated physiology and philosophy, interned 15 hours a week at the district office in Boulder of congressman Jared Polis this summer.

He did case work for the congressman, answering phones as the filter to citizens who might call in and have questions about things like Social Security or Medicare.

He also took a trip to the mountains with Polis, heading to a couple of different town hall meetings and getting an inside peek at what the day-to-day life of a United States Representative is like.

It’s a foot in the door into the political realm. I get to see what happens behind the scenes in the congressman’s office.”

Ryan Savercool

Savercool says he now feels confident on major issues and what’s going on in battles over healthcare and immigration reform throughout the country. He says the biggest thing is just being competent on the issues. Should he pursue a career in 14 14

Taggart Spenst politics, he now has the base he needs to feel comfortable.

“It’s a foot in the door into the political realm. I get to see what happens behind the scenes in the congressman’s office. If I can get into politics doing this then seeing how it all works is very interesting and educational,” Savercool says.

Savercool, a recruited walk-on to the CU cross country and track teams, was quite busy on Thursdays and Fridays this summer.

The team would meet every day at 6:30 a.m. for training, be done by 8:00 and after a quick bite to eat, Savercool reported to Polis’ office by 9:00. The workday would generally go until the early afternoon.

The senior will have one more chance to make an impact on the Colorado cross country team this fall, after running two races each of the last couple of years.

“What drew me to the university was the outstanding cross country and track programs. I knew leaving I’d be the

best runner I possibly could be. I’m going to give it one last shot and hope to represent the team at the Pac-12 Championships in October in Boulder,” he says.

Regardless of how the season turns out, once Savercool graduates, he plans on going to law school and hopefully launching a career in healthcare law. Who knows where that could springboard him; maybe into politics, maybe elsewhere.

“Often times, it’s very easy to get completely absorbed into the athletic world. I wouldn’t have my internship without the help of the academic coordinators and the athletic department. When your athletic career is over, hopefully you’ve established the connections you need to be successful in the next part of your life,” Savercool says.

For a man who admittedly has two majors on opposite sides of the spectrum, his internship provided some much needed insight into the future. And with the

demands of being a student-athlete, it was the perfect summer gig to help Savercool budget his time.

“I preferred it to working a waiter job or a sales job where I’d be on my feet all day. It’s easier to balance an internship, especially a great one like I have, than a full-time job in the summer.”

Taggart Spenst was the chosen one from CU. The recent graduate is currently the Buffs representative at the Pac-12, as a postgraduate intern. There are 12 total interns, one from each school in the conference, selected after an extensive interview and application process that began in February.

Spenst drew the task of helping out with sponsorship sales at the Pac-12 offices near San Francisco. A student hourly assistant coach with the CU Ski Team last year, the 25-year-old coach is thrilled with the opportunity.

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“I’m a marketing major who’s lacking experience in sales. I’m excited to be around some experienced sales people in the sports industry and learn from them for my future. You never know if you can coach your whole life, so it’s a great opportunity to get that hands-on experience, especially with the Pac-12 which is such a great conference,” Spenst says.

Although coaching for a lifetime is a difficult task, at least in the short term that is Spenst’s plan. He will, in all likelihood, be promoted to a full-time assistant coach with the CU ski team once his internship ends on September 30. He says the timing will be perfect because that’s right when the

team will start its dry land workouts before hitting the slopes.

succeed and help them get a chance at all the opportunities that I’ve gotten,” he says.

The story of how Spenst landed the initial assistant coaching gig last year, which should turn into a full-time job, has an itfeels-like-it-was-meant-to-be vibe. He was a marketing intern with CU last fall doing office hours and working home volleyball and basketball games. An assistant coach on the ski team left and Spenst, a four-year letter earner on the team, slotted into the job, something he immediately embraced.

While opportunities have arisen off the mountain, Spenst worked hard on the slopes to carve out a very solid career while at Colorado. He finished his time at CU with eight top-10 finishes, 23 top-20 finishes and completed 43 of the 46 races he started. Throw in two academic awards and a service award and the Pac-12 got the real deal this summer.

“I put a lot into it every day that was given to me by the program. My biggest goal is helping all the current student-athletes

“I’m just trying to do as many things as I can on the business side and take advantage of the opportunities that come from being a student-athlete and all the great resources we have from the CU athletic department,” Spenst says.

Clay Jones was curious if Dean Callan & Company knew of any open real estate internships this summer. They did – one with them.

“I had an informational interview with (Dean Callan) to learn more about commercial real estate. Well, I guess they liked me and things worked out to where they brought me in and were willing to work with my time consuming and tricky football schedule this summer,” Jones says.

Football doesn’t last forever and I’m glad I found something I’m extremely interested in and can continue to pursue and set myself up for jobs out of college.”

Clay Jones

With the schedule quirks that meant some days Jones would go in during the afternoon if the football team had morning practice. On other days, the order would flip flop. He says every day was different. For example, one Tuesday in late June, he read a report on the Denver and Boulder markets to catch up on what the market did in the first 16

and second quarters. The next morning, he shadowed a broker on a couple of different showings.

The Colorado fullback spent the break from school learning about the business and finding a passion for it. He says the opportunity to see the broker’s side of things is something he embraced. So much so, in fact, that he can now see himself entering that world once his spikes have been hung up.

I came to CU to get an education and play basketball at the same time.

“I’m enjoying every part of it. At first, real estate was something I thought I might be interested in. But with this internship, it turns out it’s something I can see myself doing. Football doesn’t last forever and I’m glad I found something I’m extremely interested in and can continue to pursue and set myself up for jobs out of college,” Jones says.

Shane Harris-Tunks

Although football won’t last forever, look for Jones to make an impact on the field for Colorado in the coming years. When the new coaching staff saw it had only one fullback during spring practices, about halfway through, he was switched from linebacker to fullback.

Jones admittedly hasn’t played offense in a while, but says he’s excited for the opportunity. Right now, he’s the No. 2 fullback on the CU depth chart, but says that’s something “that will take care of itself.”

One thing that won’t necessarily take care of itself, but Jones is getting an early jump on, is his plan post-football life. The internship at Dean Callan and Company seems to be the first step in the right direction.

“I’m just excited I’ve got my foot in the door.

I’ve met a lot of people in the industry and done a lot of networking to be in good shape for after college,” he says.

Shane Harris-Tunks came to Boulder to learn and not necessarily just to play basketball.

With the primary mission accomplished, he’ll forgo his final year of eligibility with the men’s basketball team and move on.

“I came to CU to get an education and play basketball at the same time. If the education hadn’t been important to me, I probably never would have left Australia because I could have just kept playing basketball (here),” the former Buffs forward wrote in an email.

With his education all wrapped up, HarrisTunks did a three-month design internship at Starz Entertainment. He says he focused mostly on graphic design, but because the content he was working on hasn’t been released yet, the specifics of what he did remain confidential.

“The internship was very beneficial because it allows you to put all your skills to work in a real situation and it also gives you the opportunity to work with people who have been doing their jobs for many years and know all the little tricks and nuances,” HarrisTunks wrote.

While future plans aren’t yet finalized for him, it’s clear that opportunities like Starz

and getting an education at Colorado were the reasons the 6-foot-11 big man left home in the first place. Still, don’t overlook his contributions on the hardwood during his career in Boulder.

He accumulated five starts in his 96 career games with CU and played in all but one of the Buffs’ 33 games in his redshirt junior, and final, season. Perhaps most impressive though is the team went to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time in 50 years with Harris-Tunks as a rotation player.

“My favorite memory would have to be winning the Pac-12 championship (in 2012) and going to the dance,” HarrisTunks wrote.

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Emma coburn Female Athlete of the Year

And the CUSPY Goes To… The Buffs take home a little hardware, capping another great year of competition

By Dave Plati

M

ore than a dozen major awards were presented on the night of April 30, as the University of Colorado honored its best at the 13th annual CUSPY Awards (CU Sports Performers of the Year).

More than 300 student-athletes, coaches, staff and C Club members attended the year-end banquet at the Coors Events Center, organized by CU’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to honor athletic accomplishments for the 2012-13 athletic year.

Three of the top awards came down to ties that just could not be broken by the sevenmember selection committee, choosing to honor two recipients instead of splitting hairs in deciding on one.

The Female Athlete of the Year Award honor easily could have been awarded to more than two, given the strength of the candidates. Emma Coburn (track) and Joanne Reid (skiing) were the pair selected to split the honor.

Coburn, the first three-time Athlete of the Year, male or female, was the NCAA indoor champion in the mile; her time of 4:29.91 marked only the second time in NCAA history that a woman has run a sub-4:30 18

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mile twice (and the first American-born runner to do so). Undefeated in her indoor season, she was the Mountain Region Track Athlete of the Year. In the young outdoor season, she has run the fastest times in the NCAA in the 1,500-meter run and the steeplechase, doing so 48 hours apart in two different time zones; her steeplechase time is the fastest in the world in 2013.

Reid was the NCAA champion in the 15-kilometer freestyle race, key in its timing as it was the next-to-last race of the event; CU entered the final day trailing by 54 points and Reid led a charge that saw Colorado rally from the largest last day deficit in NCAA history to claim the title. She was also fourth in the classical race and thus earned a pair of All-American honors. The Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association Women’s Nordic MVP, she won nine races (out of 12) for the winter, the third most by a CU skier in its six-decade-plus history.

The two other finalists were Chucky Jeffery (basketball) and Shalaya Kipp (cross country).

Rune Oedegaard (skiing) and Andre Roberson (basketball) were the corecipients of the Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Oedegaard was a key performer in CU’s national championship run, posting 10

top-three finishes in 12 races, including four wins and five second place finishes.

Among his victories was the 10-kilometer classical race at the NCAA Championships, an event in which he was also the regional champ. He was second in the freestyle at nationals, thus earning two All-American honors for the season.

Roberson was selected as the Pac-12 Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, and was also named as a first-team AllPac-12 performer. He finished second in the nation in rebounding (11.2 per game), leading the country much of the year, while also ranking 30th in the NCAA in steals (2.2 per). He had 12 double-doubles on the season, and in fact averaged a double-double (10.9 points), the first player in 22 years to do so at Colorado.

After deciding to turn pro, Roberson was selected in the first round of this year’s NBA draft.

The two other finalists were Jake Hurysz (cross country) and Joe Morris (track).

The Female Career Athletic Achievement Award was shared by two very deserving honorees, Coburn and Jeffery. Coburn, a four-time All-American, is a two-time NCAA champion (steeplechase and mile run), a two-time USATF steeplechase champion and a 2012 Olympian, finishing ninth in the steeple in London last August.

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Jeffery, a two-time, first-team All-Pac-12 performer, became the first player in CU history to (at least) score 1,600 points, grab 900 rebounds and dish out 400 assists. She ranks in the top 15 at Colorado in 17 different statistical categories, and helped the Buffaloes to three-straight postseason appearances, including the school’s first in the NCAA’s since 2003. She was drafted by Phoenix as the 24th overall pick in the WNBA Draft.

Rune Oedegaard Male Athlete of the Year

Andre Roberson Male Athlete of the Year

The other finalists were Eliska Hajkova (skiing) and Erin Sanders (tennis).

The Male Career Athletic Achievement Award went to Morris, a three-time All-American sprinter in the 60-meter dash, an event in which he holds the CU school record of 6.57. A six-time scorer in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships (including two first place efforts), he also scored for the Buffaloes in three events at last year’s Pac-12 Conference championship.

joanne reid

Female Athlete of the Year

The other finalists were Joe Bosshard (cross country), Jason Burstyn (golf) and Will Pericak (football).

The Male Freshman Athlete of the Year Award was Pierce Murphy, who had an outstanding debut season on the men’s cross country team. In earning AllMountain Region and second-team AllPac-12 honors, his performances helped CU to a repeat as Pac-12 champions and a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He was 14th at the Pac12’s and 45th in the NCAA’s, with his top finish a fourth place effort in the Rocky Mountain Shootout.

The other finalists were Philip Juel-Berg (golf), who was CU’s top finisher at the Pac-12 Championships, Christian Powell (football) and Josh Scott (basketball).

Women’s basketball player Arielle Roberson captured the Female Freshman Athlete of the Year Award, as she earned a host of postseason awards.

Most notable of those were being named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, third-team Freshman All-American and to the Pac-12 All-Freshmen Team (by both the league coaches and media).

She also earned Freshman Player of the Week honors in the conference on five occasions. She was second on the team in both scoring (12.1 points per game) and rebounding (6.2), numbers that ranked her 17th and 16th in the league.

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Also nominated were Alexis Austin (volleyball), Carrie Verdon (cross country) and Brooke Wales (skiing).

SAAC members selected several award winners, including the CU Sports “Moment of the Year.” The winning moment came at the Olympic Trials, when Coburn and Shalaya Kipp finished 1-3 in the steeplechase, meaning both made the U.S. Olympic Team and earned a trip to the 2012 London Olympics. Runner-up moments were the men’s cross country team repeating as Pac-12 champions (despite not returning a single scorer) and the ski team winning its 19th national championship, thanks to the largest final day comeback since the sport went coed in 1983.

Program for the department’s hard work with student-athletes on career services, leadership programs and community service opportunities. The prestigious Buffalo Award of Distinction, given to studentathletes of each gender for outstanding contributions to his or her team, their peers and the athletic department overall, was presented to Brianne Beemer (track) and Ian Mallams (skiing). Both participated in several CU community outreach projects, including Buffalo Hugs, Read with the Buffs and the Holiday Angel Tree, as well as other community activities.

Mary Ellen “Clyde” O’Malley was recognized as the staff member of the year; she is the department’s insurance coordinator in the sports medicine department and was summed up in one word by the selection committee: “Amazing.”

The SAAC Distinguished Service Award, presented to senior members who contributed significantly to the StudentAthlete Advisory Committee, was given to 11 seniors: Beemer, Mallams, Matt Biegner and Nikki Look (cross country and track), Annie Brunner, Shaye Marshall and Lauren Shaner (soccer), Devin Dougherty (golf) and Khyla Burrows, Max Lamb and Mary Rose (skiing).

The Student Athlete Support Award was given to the Leadership Development

The Spencer Nelson Buffalo Spirit Award, formerly the Athlete’s Choice Award and

Shalaya Kipp Moment of the Year

Arielle roberson

Female Freshman Athlete of the Year renamed for the CU skier who died in a tragic hiking accident in August 2010, was presented to cross country and distance performer Allie McLaughlin.

This honor is presented to the student or students who demonstrated outstanding spirit, enthusiasm and leadership while

overcoming adversity. McLaughlin has overcome numerous injuries and has still contributed to the success of the team.

The Speed, Strength and Conditioning Award for the “Buffest Buff” was awarded to Bianca Jones (soccer).

Created in 2001, the CUSPYs is an annual event tailored to be the final social gathering of the year, prior to finals and summer vacation. It is believed to be one of the few, and amongst the first, events in the country almost entirely organized by the student-athletes.

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Paying it Forward

“He gave everyone an opportunity,” recalls Andy. “If he was your friend, he was your friend for life,” adds Julie.

Barry’s wife, Beckie, and his son, Jayden, were newcomers to the Buffs and the Kunkel families, but they’re now as much a part of it as everyone else. They really got to see what it all meant when the entire family attended the 10year reunion of the Big 12 Championship team.

“I think it really sunk in for them when they saw my dad’s face as I was running out on

Folsom Field,” recalls Barry. “That weekend was eye-opening for them both. They discovered why my family loves CU so much.

We are all a part of it and now they are too.

Not just watching my dad’s expression, but saying ‘Wow, that’s my husband!’ and Jayden saying ‘That’s my dad!’ Sharing that with my dad and rest of the family is a special memory for us all.”

Sadly, that Big 12 Championship Reunion would be one of the last games Zane would attend in Folsom Field. On Oct. 6, 2011, Zane

passed away following a tragic accident at work.

Fighting through their grief, the family was determined to honor Zane’s memory. As the family sat down and discussed ways to do this, CU football jumped to the top of the list.

At Andy’s suggestion, Zane’s memorial service was held in the Byron R. White Club Level in Folsom Field. It was the perfect place to celebrate his life.

“We even had Nebraska fans wearing CU gear!” notes Julie. “One of our friends asked if Zane

Honoring the memory of Zane Kunkel

B

By Tate Nelson

arry Kunkel dreamed of playing football for CU. Though he wasn’t offered a scholarship coming out of high school, he chose to walk-on and play for the Buffs. He would go on to earn three varsity letters and was rewarded with a scholarship for his senior year.

Barry’s love for the Buffs was passed down from his father, Zane.

“Everybody knows how much the CU Buffs meant to my dad,” says Barry. “His celebration of life was Buff themed.”

As season ticket holders for 25 years, the Kunkel family has countless stories of gameday adventures with their father. Barry, his sister, Andi, and his brother, Preston, literally grew up around CU football.

Collectively, they struggle to think how many games their dad and mom, Julie, might have missed over the years, but the consensus is that it was maybe three at the most. And the next generation of Buffs from the Kunkel family is already in training, as Andi is quick to point out, “Dad taught my daughter, Sophie, the CU fight song before she was 2 years old!”

Love for the Buffs was just one thing you never questioned when it came to Zane Kunkel, along with his toughness, his work ethic and his love for his family and friends.

In case you had any doubts, consider the

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trip Zane and Julie took down to the Orange Bowl in 1990. They drove from Colorado to Miami. Having never been to the ocean, the beach was the first stop. As Zane was casually strolling through the shallow waters, he stepped on a stingray and was instantly stung. The barb embedded in his foot and as the venom worked into his system, Zane’s leg started to swell and fill with pain. Julie

Dad taught my daughter, Sophie, the CU fight song before she was 2.” years old!”

Andi Kunkel

called her cousin, an avid diver, and they found out the sting would be extremely uncomfortable but not too serious. So, instead of heading to the hospital, they went right to the stadium. Zane wasn’t about to let a stingray get in the way of watching his beloved Buffs. After watching the Buffs beat Notre Dame and bring home the national championship, they drove home and the next day Zane finally saw a doctor and had the stingray barb removed.

A little more than a decade later, Barry was suiting up in the black and gold and running out onto Folsom Field behind Ralphie, as

a member of the CU football team. Every time Barry took the field it was a special experience for him. The fact that Zane was always there in the stands watching made it even more special.

“When I played, he and my mom drove to every road game. CU football wasn’t just my love, it was his. He was invested in CU football both financially and emotionally. By playing for the Buffs I feel I was able to give back to my dad. I was making him proud while living my dream, a dream I never would have accomplished without him.”

Zane loved being around the program and he celebrated every moment with the team. Preston remembers celebrating one victory in particular with his dad, “He was jumping around like a little kid after we won the Big 12 Championship!” For Barry, the celebration with his dad were always the most meaningful.

“The two best hugs my dad I and shared,” she says, “were after the Big 12 Championship and the 62-36 win over Nebraska.”

Zane was always more than happy to share his passion for the Buffs and often brought a couple of Barry’s friends, Thadd Strom and Andy Ventura (who would later marry Zane’s daughter, Andi), not just to home games but also to all of the road games. Thadd first rode with the Kunkels to the Insight.com bowl and immediately became a fixture on the Kunkel road trips.

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If he was your friend, he was your friend for life” Julie Kunkel

would have worn Nebraska gear had the situation been reversed and I had to say, ‘Absolutely not!’”

While the celebration of Zane’s life at the memorial service eased some small piece of the pain, the family felt that they wanted to do more. The family had enjoyed so many great moments together at Buffs games over the years that it only seemed fitting to make a gift to the program in Zane’s name.

Julie reached out to the Buff Club, saying that the family would like to make a gift – beyond the contributions they had made for so many years. After some brief discussion, the family settled on becoming scholarship donors.

Next fall, the Kunkel family will be supporting a scholarship for the football program. The scholarship will go to a former walk-on that has earned a scholarship, just as Barry did back in 2003.

For the Kunkel family, becoming scholarship donors was about two things, honoring the memory of Zane Kunkel and “Paying it Forward.” By awarding the scholarship to a former walk-on they know it will go to someone Zane would respect.

“Dad worked his way up from the bottom to the top,” says Preston, “He always admired men of character. Walk-ons work hard to be a part of the team. When a walk-on receives a scholarship they won’t quit. This scholarship represents who he was.”

While the scholarship is tremendously meaningful for the entire family, it has a 24

more personal meaning to Barry. He not only has the opportunity to honor his father, he also has a chance to provide another young man the same opportunities he had here at CU. He has a chance to truly Pay it Forward.

“As much as I loved playing football at CU, there was a point where I thought I had had enough,” says Barry. “When I talked to my dad, he encouraged me to stay on the team. He understood how special it was to be a part of the team and he knew that I would regret it for the rest of my life if I had left the team.”

The Kunkels hope that this scholarship is enough to encourage other young men to stick to their dreams and to be rewarded for their hard work in pursuit of those dreams.

As the Kunkel family gathers at Folsom Field for the first home football game of 2013, they will look out and see a young man pursuing his academic and athletic dreams. They will take great pride, knowing the role they are playing in helping make that young man’s dreams come true.

There is no question and no doubt that the Kunkels will be missing their husband, father and grandfather, but they will know that they are honoring him in a way that would have made him proud.

Though Zane will no longer be sitting in the stands cheering his heart out, with the Zane Kunkel Scholarship, he will still be supporting the program the way he had for the last 25 years.

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STAMPEDE Q&A

The

Stampede

Q&A

Linda Lappe

Led by one of its own, CU women’s basketball returns

By Robin Carlin

We didn’t like that feeling at all – not one person liked how that felt.”

Linda Lappe

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urning around a college athletic program is no easy task, and perhaps the term “turnaround” might not be fair in the case of CU women’s basketball. After all, a culture of winning has always existed in Boulder when it comes to women’s basketball.

But when Ceal Barry put down her clipboard as head coach after the 2004-05 season, the wins didn’t necessarily pile up like they had before. The reasons were enigmatic, as the Buffs still recruited fine players and the program maintained a high level of support.

Linda Lappe knew there was something still there. She knew there was no reason CU couldn’t return to the type of powerhouse program she remembered from her own playing days as a Buff.

So, when she got the opportunity to return to her alma mater as the program’s head coach – just a couple months after her 30th birthday, becoming the second-youngest head coach of the CU women’s team and the youngest head women’s basketball coach at a BCS conference school – she knew what was possible in Boulder.

Just three seasons in, those possibilities have become reality.

Lappe now has her Buffs pointed in the right direction, knocking on the door of becoming the powerhouse program she came to know as a student-athlete. What’s next can only be described as bigger and brighter.

Every coach has to be confident in her abilities, but were you surprised by how fast you have been able to turn this program around?

What’s been fun about the experience that we’ve had is how fast our players were able to buy into the system that we implemented and buy into the culture that we’re trying to create. We’ve turned it around in one sense, but we’re not at all where we need to be because we haven’t sustained anything. It’s pretty typical that teams can have one or two good years, but the challenge is making sure that your culture is good and to make sure that you ensure success over a long period of time.

If you don’t spend the time to really build 28

that culture and that foundation then you can’t sustain success. So, that’s kind of our next challenge, to be able to do that. Yes, I am happy with our progress – my first two years, we went to the NIT, which was great, and last year, we reached the NCAA Tournament. But more importantly, we’re playing together and playing at a high level every single day – like a business – and we’ve been able to show some strides in areas that we haven’t been able to in previous seasons.

You had a 25-7 record last season. You reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine years. You finished No. 19 in the polls. Talk a little bit about the high expectations for this next season.

Well, anytime that you lose seniors and you gain freshman, there’s going to be a period of time where you’re unsure in terms of exactly what to expect and how the dynamics are going to change. Even if you lose one senior and gain one freshman, the team dynamics are completely different, year to year. We’re optimistic that we have a lot of great players on our team and in the program, but until we actually get to work and start practicing, it’s hard to really be able to predict. I’m never one to predict wins and losses. It’s more than just wins or losses; it’s does your team keep improving each and every day? Are they really taking to heart what it means to be a great teammate and what it means to play for something bigger than yourself?

When you can get that right, then the wins come after that, and the wins take care of themself. So, that’s kind of the biggest challenge for this new group is to get the same cohesiveness that I felt like we had most of the year last year and being able to get to know our four new freshmen.

Obviously, losing Chucky (Jeffery), Meagan (Malcolm-Peck) and Brenna (Malcolm-Peck) was tough – they were all three big losses in different ways. But at the same time, we’re excited about the new year, the new freshmen coming in, our returning players, as well, and what they’re going to add to their games over the offseason. I always enjoy seeing strides that players make in the offseason – by themselves – because I think it shows the true commitment in terms of what they want to get out of their college experience. The players that stay the same year to year and don’t do anything over the summer – those players are ones that probably are going to be disappointed at some point with their performance. So, it’s fun to see the

returners and what they’ve added to their game or how they’ve matured throughout the course of their careers, as well.

Tell us about your first time coaching in the NCAA Tournament. As a player, you experienced it three times.

But as a coach, what did you learn about yourself?

I knew what to expect. I knew it was going to be different than any other games that we had played. But, with not one of our players having any NCAA Tournament experience, I thought that hurt us a little bit, in knowing exactly what it was going to take. (In) the NCAA Tournament, everyone has to be at their best at that time of year.

Kansas is an example of a team that did not play that well throughout the course of the season, but playing their best in March; they ended up being a really good team. I think the culmination of everything that you’ve done throughout the season is really important as you get to the NCAA Tournament. Just having that confidence of knowing what to expect – none of them really knew that with our team. Everyone was kind of in a different situation. So, I think just the experience of being there is important, but at the same time, the experience itself doesn’t really mean anything; you have to learn from that experience. I don’t mind the loss – if you get to learn from it and it makes you better as a player, as a person and as a coach.

Those two weeks in between when we played our conference tournament game and the NCAA Tournament game was hard.

Nobody had really been a part of that on our staff or as a player. I would probably do some different things in those two weeks to get more ready – not necessarily more prepared – but more ready for what that first game would be like.

At what point does the team get over the Kansas loss? Or is it something that you want to remember day in and day out, so the next time is different?

The Kansas loss helped us to not be complacent in the offseason and it got us a little fired up, which is never a bad thing as you head into the offseason. If you’re satisfied with where you are as a player, then you don’t do the work it takes in the offseason to get better. We could have very easily – if the season had ended before the Kansas game – gotten complacent and thought that we had arrived. But what the Kansas game did was keep us all hungry

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shot. So, her getting that mentality will help. As a junior, it will be easier because you’re no longer trying to figure things out – you have things figured out. Now it’s just a matter of if you want to do it and how tough mentally can you be when you miss shots and when things don’t go quite your way. Is she going to be a little bit more mentally tough to be able to get through those circumstances? What Jen brings is invaluable because she knows the game so well. Her teammates have a lot of confidence in her and what she brings.

Her teammates want her to take shots and I think whenever you are part of a team and you have teammates that want you to have the ball in late-game situations, it’s a compliment. But it’s also something that you have to take on and feel good about. to get better. We didn’t like that feeling at all – not one person liked how that felt.

So, we have all been working really hard in the offseason to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

You have four starters returning – Arielle Roberson, Rachel Hargis, Brittany Wilson and Jen Reese. How do you see their roles evolving this year and what do they need to do to step up to the plate?

We’ll start with Roberson.

Arielle is in the process of recovering from surgery over the summer, so she’s been limited in what she can do skillwise, but hopefully she’ll be on hand and be really good for her last three years of competition. What she needs to do is to continue to get stronger. Physically, there’s a lot of pushing and shoving that goes on – especially when she is playing the four – so she’s just got to get a little bit stronger and that will help her rebound and it will help her finish around the paint a little bit better. She also needs to continue to work on her outside skills, so we can, at some point, maybe move her. She played a little bit of guard for us last year and she’ll play a little bit for us this year probably much like she did last year. But she should continue to go along in her career being able to have the post skills that she has, but also get better on the outside and become a better ball-handler and passer from the outside.

(Rachel) Hargis just has to continue to work on her offensive game. Her strength is in her defense and I felt like she was very powerful for us on the low block.

It was hard for opposing teams to score against her. She also covered up for a lot of different players – when maybe a guard got (beaten off the drive) – she was right

30

there to help them with a blocked shot.

She was very important to our defense, but her offense is where she has to get better and be able to score with somebody behind her and hit easy shots. I thought she got much better at that last year, but I’d like to see her take that next step. Also, as a senior, I’d like to see her be a little bit more vocal and make sure that she can communicate what needs to be done by some of the other players in order to ensure a high level of practice and a high level of intensity in whatever it is that we do.

Brittany Wilson needs to be a little bit more versatile this year. With Chucky playing the point last year, (Brittany) could pretty much play a two guard and that was her spot. This year, I foresee her playing point guard – maybe a lot of point guard, depending on how our other two point guards (Kyleesha Weston and Desiree Harris) come along. But Brittany has done a great job at continuing to get better. I think she has made strides every year and she’s got one more stride to make as a senior.

Her ability to be able to shoot the ball, be more consistent on the outside, cutting down on her turnovers, and continuing to bring energy and continuing to bring fire is going to be a huge part of improving her game. She was much more consistent last year and hopefully she will be even more consistent this year.

Jen came off the bench for us most of last year. She is a player that I felt was much more steady. She got herself into pretty good shape towards the end of last year and she has to continue to keep that. I’d just like to see her be more aggressive. I always tell her, “I’ve never seen you take a bad shot.” She thinks she takes bad shots, but I have never seen her take a bad

What do you like about your 2013 recruits?

I never like to predict with our freshmen; I haven’t seen any of them really yet – definitely not in a practice setting. I like to keep my eyes open and I never like to predict who is going to step in and play right away or start. I think all of them have the chance to contribute right away, in their own way. As a group, they provide a lot of strength and a lot of toughness, which is what we need. The games we lost last year were mostly because of strength.

They all bring a good level of those qualities. It will be interesting to see which one of them steps up and who is ready right away to contribute, whether that is on the floor or off the floor.

What do you have to do to get more physical? You’ve previously noted CU’s inability to match the physicality of a team like the Cal Bears. What will give this team the toughness and the grit to compete in the Pac-12?

I felt like we competed really well in the Pac-12; the games we lost were all against ranked teams. I felt like for the most part, we were always the more physical team.

And even against those teams, they left the floor thinking that we were a really physical team. That’s how you’re going to beat one of those teams because they are all physical, so if you can match that then you have a shot. But if you can’t match that physicality, then you don’t have a shot to win or even to compete. I felt like we could match it pretty well and it’s more than just strength. It’s mentality and the mindset of knowing that we expect to be on that floor and we expect to win against the best teams. I felt like we expected to win most

games last year, which is why we were able to in so many games. But expecting to beat the best teams in the nation is the next step and understanding what that is going to take and not be surprised when you get in the game. Those teams will push back; they’re not just going to lay down and die. They’re going to push back at you and give you everything that they have. As a player, as a coach and as a team, you’ve got to be ready to come back at them. Hitting the weight room hard this summer is important. We have some players that just need to get stronger and maybe get in better shape. So, that’s what the summer is for.

teach the right things, you hold everybody to a high standard and you have high expectations. In the end, if that’s what keeps your job, then that’s great and if not, well, you did your best. So, I don’t think you can put too much stock in what confidence other people have in you, you have to have confidence in yourself, in your beliefs and how you know to run a program and lead. So, yes, in recruiting, it definitely helped. But otherwise, it’s a nice compliment; but it doesn’t really mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

You were just given a contract extension through 2018. What kind of confidence does that give you as a coach and how do you think that will assist you in recruiting?

Probably that there’s no substitution for hard work. You can be as talented as you want to be. You can be as smart as you want to be. But at the end of the day, if you don’t work hard, none of those things are really going to matter. Hard work can compensate for some other things that you might lack. That’s what we try to teach our players all of the time – do the extra.

I felt like she was about doing the best and wanting to be the best and doing the extra. So, that’s what we try to do and that’s what our players try to do.

It helps in recruiting more than anything.

It gives stability. I get questioned all the time, “Do you think you’re going to be there?” What I always tell people is that I love Colorado – this is my dream job.

Having gone to school here, it’s a unique experience. There are not many people that have more passion about Colorado than I do, so I think that helps in being able to recruit and it has helped to get the program to the place where it is right now. As far as the extension and what it means otherwise, it doesn’t really mean anything to me. It’s something that I can’t necessarily control. All I can control is coming to work every day and working extremely hard and putting together a great staff that works hard, as well. You

What’s the most important thing Ceal Barry taught you?

You face a tough 2013 schedule, including non-conference Louisville.

What games do you feel are your toughest match-ups?

We have a pretty tough non-conference schedule. We play Iowa at home, we play Illinois at home, we play Louisville on the road, we play Wyoming on the road, New Mexico on the road, CSU on the road – so

we have a few (tough) road games this year, probably more than we’ve ever had.

So, I feel like it’s a good schedule. I feel like it will be challenging. Our players will enjoy it. They’ll look forward to some of the teams they’re playing. That’s the only way you can really get better. So, it will be challenging, but something that we need at this point with where we’re at in this program.

Talk about the CU Buffs Coaches Caravan. You guys seemed like you were having a lot of fun. Why is it important for you to connect with fans and the community?

For women’s basketball, that’s a huge part of what we do. People come to women’s games because they can connect with coaches and, most importantly, the players. It’s important for people to understand what we are about and who we are as people. You can only do that when you spend time and get to meet people. Being around – and getting to meet – so many different people helps them see how genuine we are and what we are doing. That’s really important. And it was fun. One of the most fun parts was getting to meet the new people and not just the ones we already knew. It’s also fun for me to get to know Coach (Mike) MacIntyre a little better, with him being new. I haven’t really spent much time with him. To be able to spend a week on a bus with Tad (Boyle) and Mac and some of the other coaches, it was a lot of fun. We’re all trying to do the same thing, so being able to hear stories and help each other as much as we can, it was important and fun.

People come to women’s games because they can connect with coaches and, most importantly, the players.”

Linda Lappe

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The year in pictures Capturing the best of CU athletics one frame at a time

Stars and Stripes

Colorado seniors Emma Coburn and Shalaya Kipp punched their tickets to London on June 29, 2012, with a first- and third-place finish, respectively, in the women’s 3,000 meters steeplechase final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. The Buffs track stars represented both school and country dutifully.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics 32

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WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

Sounds of Queen filled the mountain air once again, as the CU ski team claimed its 19th national title.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics

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Finger Roll

Throughout the men’s basketball season, sophomore guard Spencer Dinwiddie shined. This summer, Dinwiddie was rewarded with an invitation to play with Team USA in the World University Games.

Photo from USA Today Sports Images

24:34:30

At the Rocky Mountain Shootout on Sept.

29, Colorado’s Jake Hurysz bested the field (in fact, he beat the next closest runner by a whopping 30 seconds). “I was just hoping to break 25 minutes,” Hurysz said afterwards.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics 38

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Super Sabatino

Trustworthy and generous with the ball in hand, senior guard Sabatino Chen wasn’t necessarily known for his high-flying antics. But here, against Northern Arizona, Chen went airborne while the ball found its way to the rim.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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An All-Time Great

Chucky Jeffery became the first player in program history to record 1,600 points, 900 rebounds and 400 assists; following her career at CU, she was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx with the 12th pick in the second round, 24th pick overall, of the 2013 WNBA draft.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics

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GOOOOAAAAALLL!!!

Against Stanford, this Emily Paxton shot bounced around like a pinball until it finally found its way to the back of the net.

The Buffs ultimately fell to Stanford, but certainly gave the No. 2 ranked Cardinal a scare.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics, Chip Bromfield

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Yes, Indeed!

Whoopin’ Stick

Boulder’s own Nicole Edelman celebrates a point for the Buffs. Just a freshman, Edelman stepped into the role of a team captain after the senior captain, Kerra Schroeder, was sidelined for the season with an injury after the second game.

Freshman Philip Juel-Berg had a banner rookie season in America, away from his native Denmark, and finished third on the team in stroke average. That helped the Buffaloes to experience a successful season, making it to the NCAA Central Regional and finishing 8th.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics

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Big Hugs

Brooke Wales is embraced by head coach Richard Rokos after her second-place finish in the giant slalom during the first day of the NCAA Championships. Rokos and crew went on to win it all two days later.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics 48

Big W

The Buffs took their share of lumps during the football season, but when Jordan Webb and Co. headed north to visit the Washington State Cougars, they dished out more than they received, getting a big win in Pullman.

Photo by USA Today Sports Images 49

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X-Man

Few will dispute the notion that modern college basketball is played above the rim.

CU’s Xavier Johnson demonstrates that it’s more than a notion.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics

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Par for the Course

The CU women’s golf team cuts loose on campus. Although the sport of golf is generally regarded as a pretty serious game, the Buffs know how to keep things light.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics

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Take That!

Then-freshman Alexis Austin goes on the offensive, as she spikes one past two Washington State blockers. Austin started in 31 of 32 matches and led the team with 364 kills.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics

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Tough Out

Senior-to-be Carla Manzi played excellent tennis all season long. Currently, her 50 wins on the doubles court ranks No. 22 on the school’s all-time list, and in 2013, she posted 15 singles wins, ranking third on the team.

Photo courtesy of CU Athletics

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Flip ‘em n’ Serve ‘em, Coach

Tad Boyle and Mike MacIntyre found themselves in an unfamiliar, behind-the-scenes scenario – constructing the burgers served at McDonald’s. The CU Coaches Caravan created unique opportunities for the Buffs coaches to touch base with their fan base.

Photo courtesy of Mile High Sports

Geoff Weisbart

The Game Winner

It took two overtimes for the Buffs to finally prevail over the USC Trojans in Los Angeles, but senior captain Amy Barczuk (10) helped the Buffs to their first overtime goal in the fifth minute of double overtime, sealing the W. Photo courtesy of CU Athletics 58

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IN

Cliff Meely Basketball

LOVING MEMORY

He was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.

Farewell to the following Buffs

Rich Newton, who served as CU’s head athletic trainer from 1973-76, passed away on June 20, 2013, after an eight-month battle with brain cancer. He was 69.

Bart Roth passed away of a presumed heart attack last Dec. 20, 2012, in Omaha.

He was 58.

Born in Biloxi, Miss., (where his father was stationed in the Air Force), on Jan. 23, 1954, he earned the nickname “The Hitman” playing linebacker for the Buffs, lettering three times (1974-76) after prepping at Aurora (Colo.) Central High School. He was known for his hard hits and competitiveness. As a senior and team captain, he helped lead the Buffs to a share of the 1976 Big Eight Championship and a berth opposite Ohio State in the Orange Bowl, with CU finishing 8-4 that year.

After his playing days, he was an assistant coach at several universities, including a graduate assistant stint at CU, and then went into business in his family’s landscaping operation in Highlands Ranch before moving to Omaha in 2010.

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, brothers Jeff and Scott, sister Teri and several nieces and nephews.

Thomas Duncan passed away on February 13, 2013, from complications of a heart attack he suffered the day before. He was 67.

Duncan was a 6-foot-3, 205-pound defensive end from Lawndale, Calif., and lettered in 1968-69 (he wore number 85).

He tied for the team lead in interceptions as a junior in 1968 with two, one of which he returned 52 yards. He was in on 36 60

School Coaches Hall of Fame and the National High School Sports Hall of Fame.

his life as a fatherless child growing up in segregated south Texas.

When he turned 90 in July 2011, hundreds of former players, colleagues and friends gathered together to help him celebrate at Grand Junction’s Blue Moon Bar and Grille.

A product of Sam Houston High School in Huntsville, Texas, he is survived by his wife, Shirley, daughter Courtney and son Coby.

R. Bruce Smith passed away in Toronto, Ontario, on Jan. 3, 2013, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 63.

He recorded 220 career tackles (97 solo), which ranked, at the time, as ninth-most in school history and a number that is still 52nd all-time at Colorado.

BART ROTH Football

tackles and had two pass deflections that season when he shared duties at right defensive end with Dave Bartelt.

won 43 consecutive games spanning the ‘61 and ‘62 seasons. The 1962 team went undefeated.

Bill Fanning, who won three state championships and 467 games over a 35-year career as Grand Junction High School’s baseball coach, passed away on February 8, 2013. He was 91.

Fanning’s teams won the 1961, 1962 and 1976 state championships, and

The high school renamed its practice facility Bill Fanning Field, and the annual season opening prep baseball tournament is named the Bill Fanning Classic in his honor. He’s a member of numerous halls of fame, including the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Colorado Living Legends, the Colorado High School Activities Association, Colorado High

47), Los Angeles Rams (1947-49) and the Chicago Rockets of the old All-America League. He returned to Boulder to earn his degree and graduated from CU in 1951.

A 6-foot-1, 235-pound defensive tackle, he lettered for the 1968-69-70 seasons (he wore number 61), playing alongside two of the greatest defensive ends in Colorado history in Bill Brundige and Herb Orvis.

He would go on to play eight seasons in the Canadian Football League, having served as a team captain for the Toronto Argonauts for four seasons when he retired after the 1979 season. He was a member of the Grey Cup champion Hamilton TigerCats as a rookie in 1972. He also played with Ottawa and Edmonton.

After his retirement, he went on to have a very successful real estate business based in Toronto, where he called home until he died. He was one of Canada’s top-selling agents during his career, also working as a motivational speaker. He was an advocate for non-profit groups, helping raise money for the less fortunate, in addition to working with underprivileged kids. He entered the ministry in 1999, as he was the chaplain of Toronto’s King Bay Chaplaincy.

He authored a highly acclaimed book, Our Father, Father to the Fatherless, which was called a compelling memoir chronicling

Walt Clay passed away in Charlotte, N.C., on May 3, 2013. He was 89.

A long-time high school coach in Pueblo (football and basketball), he also spent 28 years officiating high school sports in the state, retiring in 1980.

Clay lettered in football in 1942 as a 6-foot1, 225-pound back (wore number 45) after coming to CU from Longmont High School.

He gained fame as a senior, scoring the game-tying touchdown late in the state title game against Grand Junction. The game ended in a 6-6 tie and the schools were declared co-champions.

That ’42 squad was the last Colorado team that played a collegiate schedule prior to America escalating its involvement in World War II, with the Buffs posting a 7-2 record and tying for the Mountain States Conference title with a 5-1 league record.

Clay earned first-team All-Conference honors at fullback, and then joined the Marines in 1943. When he returned to CU after the war, he did not play collegiately again; he was drafted by the New York Giants in the 10th round of the 1946 Draft, as players returning from war were eligible to be selected and could then choose to play professionally or return to college ball.

He played with the Chicago Bears (1946-

“Newt” was born in Winterset, Iowa, and graduated from the University of Oklahoma; he was one of several Sooners who migrated to Boulder to join the CU athletic department. He served in the U.S. Army and was a Vietnam War veteran. He joined IBM after his athletic training days, working there until he retired.

He is survived by his wife, Donna, two brothers, a son (Jeff), three stepchildren (Troy, Evvy and Tracy), nieces and grandchildren.

University of Colorado basketball great Cliff Meely passed away on May 29, 2013, at Boulder Community Hospital due to complications from a blood infection. He was 65.

One of the pure prolific scorers and rebounders in the history of CU basketball during his four-year career (1968-1971), Meely remains either at or near the top in over a dozen statistical categories some four-plus decades later.

Meely was also a fixture at men’s and women’s basketball games at the Coors Events Center throughout the years, regardles of the teams’ performance.

He began his career at Colorado during the 1968-69 season after transferring from Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College in Sterling. He had helped lead Northeastern to the National JC Championships and was named to the JUCO All-America team.

Known for his quickness and agility, Meely could play any position on the floor. Under late coach Russell “Sox” Walseth, Meely led Colorado to the Big Eight title in 1968-69, as the Buffaloes were 21-7 with a 10-4 mark in league play. A three-time All-Big Eight team member, Meely earned first-team All-America honors as a senior and set 16 school and eight conference records during 61

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Leason Horton “Pete” McCloud Basketball

Chuck fairbanks

In 1995-96, Meely was named to the Associated Press’ all-time Big Eight first team. He joined the-late Wayman Tisdale (Oklahoma), Danny Manning (Kansas), Jo Jo White (Kansas State) and Rolando Blackman (Kansas State) on the team. In addition to the conference honor, Meely also earned the NCAA’s Silver Anniversary Award presented to six former collegiate athletes who have gained recognition or done great work in their postgraduate careers. In March, Meely was inducted into the Pac-12 Conference Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

basketball, Metzger instead chose to play in the National Amateur Athletic Union. His team played in the first World Basketball Tournament in Argentina, finishing second. He began his career with Craig Chevrolet Company in the training program and worked diligently to eventually become the dealer/ owner. He was proud to serve multiple generations of Arvada area families. He also served as a president of the Chevrolet Dealers’ Association.

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He is survived by their three daughters: Lynne Metzger Sullivan of Denver; Jani Metzger McCarty, (husband Bryan), of Evergreen; and Brooke Metzger Fry of Scottsdale, Ariz. He is also survived by six grandchildren and one great-grandson.

Chuck Fairbanks, who replaced Bill Mallory and preceded Bill McCartney as head football coach at the University of Colorado, passed away on April 2, 2013, in Scottsdale after a courageous battle against brain cancer. He was 79.

Meely is survived by three children, sons Tordell and Jamil and daughter Nemika, a sister, Patricia, and longtime girlfriend Jeanine Zumerchik.

Fairbanks was selected to replace Mallory in December 1978; the late Howard Cossell broke the story on Monday Night Football.

But he was still under contract to the New England Patriots, and a legal battle ensued. Once the court process played out, CU owed the Patriots over $200,000 and Fairbanks was finally able to take over the Buffaloes on April 4, 1979.

He graduated from CU with majors in business and education. Though he had an opportunity to play professional 62

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Meely still holds the CU scoring mark for most points in a single game (47) and owns five of the top eight scoring games in school history. His jersey number (20) is just one of two retired numbers in the CU annals.

Les Metzger passed away peacefully on June 18, 2013, surrounded by his beloved family, at the age of 87.

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H.B. “Bebe” Lee

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his career.

Additionally, Meely’s 24.3 points per game career scoring average is still a school record and his 427 points scored in league play set a Big Eight Conference record in 1971.

Bryan Stoltenberg

CU never attained the success that the late athletic director Eddie Crowder had hoped under Fairbanks, going 7-26 in three seasons. But Fairbanks was still

slated to coach at least a fourth year in Boulder, until he was hired away by the New Jersey Generals of the fledgling United States Football League on June 1, 1982.

Fairbanks made a name for himself at the University of Oklahoma, where he compiled a 52-15-1 record as the Sooners’ head coach from 1967-72.

The 16th head coach in Oklahoma history, Fairbanks won three Big Eight Conference titles (1967, 1968 and 1972). He had 24 players earn all-league honors, while nine received All-America accolades. Fairbanks also coached the 1969 Heisman Trophy winner, running back Steve Owens. He posted a 3-1-1 Bowl record with the Sooners playing in a pair of Sugar and Bluebonnet Bowls and one Orange Bowl.

Former Colorado head men’s basketball coach H.B. “Bebe” Lee, who guided the Buffaloes to the 1955 NCAA Final Four, passed away peacefully Sunday on April 1, 2013, at a hospice facility in Southport, N.C. He was 96.

Lee took over a Colorado program struggling to just get its feet wet in the Big Seven Conference and kick-started a highly competitive run for Buffaloes basketball that spanned the better part of two decades. He spent six seasons at Colorado (1950-56) with a record of 63-74, but 51-38 over his final four campaigns which included two NCAA appearances (1954 and ’55) and the team’s first two Big Seven Conference titles.

Lee stepped into an extremely difficult situation at Colorado, taking over a program

that was just 14-22 in its first three years of the Big Seven Conference.

His first three teams finished seventh twice and fourth once (in 1951-52), but he was beginning to set the stage for future success.

Lee led Colorado to a last-to-first place turnaround in 1953-54, guiding the Buffaloes to a share of their first ever Big Seven basketball title. Colorado was picked to participate in its fourth NCAA Tournament and first in nearly a decade. The Buffaloes dropped both of their West Regional games in Stillwater, Okla.

In 1954-55, Colorado had its most successful season to date, finishing 19-6 and winning the Big Seven title outright at 11-1. The Buffaloes defeated Tulsa and Bradley in the West Regional in Manhattan, Kan., to advance to the 1955 Final Four in Kansas City. CU fell to eventual champion San Francisco in the semifinals and defeated Big Ten Conference champion Iowa in the consolation to finish No. 3 in the nation.

Shortly before the end of the 1955-56 season, Lee announced he would resign to take the athletic director position at Big Seven rival Kansas State. He finished out the season with the Buffaloes, leading them to an 11-10 record, 7-5 in the Big Seven, including a win over Phog Allen’s Kansas Jayhawks in his final game as head coach.

He is survived by two daughters, Vicki of Southport, N.C., and Barbara of Wilmington, N.C., two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was

preceded in death by his wife Jean and one son, Gary, who passed away in 1987.

Former University of Colorado basketball great Leason Horton “Pete” McCloud died on June 17, 2013, at the Newton Medical Center. He was 94.

Born Dec. 29, 1918, to Sidney and Elizabeth McCloud in Neosho, Mo., McCloud was the sixth of eight boys. Known for his silky-smooth shot, a great passer and rebounder, McCloud is one of CU men’s basketball’s eight all-Americans (1942). He played from 1939-42 under head coach Forrest “Frosty” Cox. The leading scorer for the 1941-42 Big Seven Champion Buffaloes team, McCloud was Coach Cox’s “go to guy.”

McCloud’s play caught the attention of national media and he joined fellow Buff Bob Doll on the Look, Pic and Time magazines’ All-America squads, and was a unanimous All-Big Seven selection.

Both men also grew up in Newton, Kan.

On November 9, 2011, McCloud was named a University of Colorado Living Legend at the Court Sport Preview Celebration on the court of the George Boedecker Jr. Gym that included CU President Bruce Benson, Chancellor Phil DiStefano, former Athletic Director Mike Bohn, a number of regents, and special honorees Martin Trotsky and Bob Kirchner, a pair of early 1940s CU hoops standouts. CU also honored the 1938-1942 Colorado basketball teams.

McCloud received a plaque with his name

on it with a large “C” in the center, stating that he was a “living legend” in Colorado Basketball.

He is survived by daughter, Joan McCloud of Kansasville, Wis.; son, Michael (Cecilia) McCloud of Aplington, Iowa; grandsons, Timothy (Renee) McCloud and Peter (April) McCloud of Polk City, Iowa; granddaughters, Hannah (Lee) Pothoven, Ames, Iowa, and Jennifer (Noah) Johnson of Chandler, Ariz.; 12 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild; sisterin-law, Esther (Bill) McCloud; nieces and nephews, Arnie (Joyce) McCloud, Terry (Darla) McCloud, Jan McCloud, Nancy (Rich) Parsons, all of Newton; and many great-nieces and nephews.

The University of Colorado football program lost one of its own on Jan. 4, 2013, when Bryan Stoltenberg passed away at his home in Sugarland, Texas. He was 40.

Stoltenberg earned consensus first-team All-American honors at center as a senior in 1995 and was a two-time, first-team All-Big Eight performer (1994, 1995). As a senior, he was one of 10 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award. He was a sixthround draft choice by the San Diego Chargers in the 1996 National Football League draft and went on to play in 50 career NFL games with the Chargers (1996), New York Giants (1997) and Carolina Panthers (1998-2000).

Stoltenberg is survived by his wife, Laura, and three sons, Austin, 16; Jacob, 15; and Andrew, 12.

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THOUGHTS, OBSERVATIONS, NEWS, NOTES AND MUSINGS FROM…

BUFFALO BILL …A BUFF TO THE CORE hungry and organized. Most college football experts aren’t expecting much from CU this season, but I think that all changes when MacIntyre’s team takes the field. Excited? You bet I am.

Much like CU’s football team, the Buffs haven’t had a great deal of success on the volleyball court of late. Partially, this is an anticipated result of joining the country’s best volleyball conference. And partially, it’s due to the fact that Liz Kritza has been in a rebuilding phase. But I’m here to tell you that the results are going to turn around.

Yes, the Pac-12 is a tough conference. But so are Kritza’s recruits of late. Hopefully, you’ve read the features inside (if not, go back), but rest assured Nicole Edelman is the type of player who can turn around a program. Throw in the fact that this super-soph will be surrounded by talent, and my forecast calls for a great fall.

Just about the time the folks who put this fine publication together began to send files to press, the news came down that Rick George would be CU’s next athletic director. Rest assured, you’ll be getting to know George a lot more over the next year, and The Stampede will be helping in that process. But if you want my first impression, here it is: YES INDEEDY! I firmly believe that George was an excellent choice. He’s got a strong background in virtually every different aspect of his new job. He’s got a great sports resume that includes the PGA Tour and Major League Baseball (George was the COO of the Texas Rangers prior to his hiring at CU). He was the CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, so he obviously knows both business and non-profit. And best of all, he’s got a history with the Buffs, as a valued member of Bill McCartney’s staff as the team’s director of football operations from 1987-91. Change is always a bit scary, but this hire makes the future look bright.

Anyone ready for some football? I know I am. Look, I realize the Buffs came off of a very tough season, but I’m extremely excited to see what Mike MacIntyre is 64

going to do with this talented bunch of kids. MacIntyre’s track record of turning a program around is encouraging, but more than that, I just like what he’s done in such a short amount of time in Boulder. I have no doubt that the culture of the program is on the rise, as MacIntyre has his players believing in themselves once again. Plus, the staff he’s assembled works non-stop. These guys are both

Before we part, I want to suggest this: Football teams win at least one – perhaps two – games each year simply because of a home field advantage.

I’m telling you, a loud, raucous crowd can be the difference between a catch and a drop, a fumble and a recovery or – you guessed it – a win and a loss. Come out and watch this team play (especially against those Rammies); I promise, it makes a difference.

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