On March 18, 1961, at the Sports Arena in Hutchinson, Kan., Pueblo Junior College captured the National Junior College Athletic Association’s basketball title as the Indians completed a four-game sweep by defeating Tyler of Texas 79-66 in the finals.  COMPLETE RECAP

Bob Warlick led the Indians with 86 points in four games as the 6-4 forward from Hickory, N. C., was named the tournament’s most valuable player.  He was the second Indian to capture the honor, as Eugene Poston was named the tournament’s top player in 1956 when PJC placed sixth.

PJC advanced to the national finals by defeating Snead Parsons (Boaz, Ala.) 80-64, Broome Tech (Binghamton, N.Y.) 69-64, and Eastern A&M (Wilburton, Okla.) 91-79 as Warlick scored 27, 13, and 20 points in the first three games before adding 26 points against Tyler.

Three other Indians averaged in double-figures in the 1961 NJCAA championships, with guards Norm Colglazier (Pueblo Centennial) and Gregg Smith (Canon City) adding 51 and 47 points, respectively.

Six-foot-eight center Sam Smith (a University of New Mexico transfer) scored 45 points and was later named a first-team NJCAA All-American as he averaged a double-double for the season.

Waymond Dean (Denver Manual) and reserves Ron DeLeon (Pueblo Central) and Lenny Roybal (Santa Fe, N. M.) contributed 39, 26, and 25 points, respectively.

Other players dressing for the nationals were Chuck Williams (Denver Manual), Tony Hegler (Pueblo Central), and Jack Milam (Pueblo Central).  Due to the roster limits for the national tournament, Jerry Hummitzsch (Sheboygan, Wis.) and Isaac Pope (Tennessee) did not dress for the games.

Hummitzsch signed an MLB contract with the Milwaukee Braves.  In May, Simmons coached the PJC baseball team to the NJCAA finals in Grand Junction, where DeLeon, Hegler, Milam, and Roybal were on the roster.  In the JC baseball finale, PJC upset top-seeded Northeastern Oklahoma in the first round.

Here is a recap of the four games in Hutchinson as the Indians finished the second with a 31-2 record and advanced to the national finals by winning the Empire Conference.  Harry Simmons was named the national coach of the year, with Bill Kennedy as his assistant.

Pueblo Junior College’s 1961 NJCAA Tournament Recaps

• March 14 – The Indians broke open a tight game in the last six minutes to post an 80-62 win over the Snead Parsons.   Leading 56-53 with 6:15 left in the game, Pueblo went on a 12-5 run to gain a 68-58 advantage with three minutes remaining as Bob Warlick scored eight of his 27 points during the rally.  Also scoring in double figures for the Indians were Sam Smith (14), Lenny Roybal (12), Norm Colglazier (11), and Waymond Dean (10).
• March 15 – The Indians snapped Broome Tech’s 28-game winning streak with a 69-64 victory as guards Gregg Smith and Norm Colglazier scored 19 and 17 points, respectively.  Pueblo jumped off to an early lead and built a 14-point advantage with less than a minute remaining in the first half.  PJC had a 13-point lead in the second half before Broome Tech cut the margin to five (45-40) with 12:50 left in the game.  The Indians regained a 13-point lead with 8:41 left in the game and withstood a late rally by the New Yorkers.  Bob Warlick added 13 points, with Waymond Dean scoring eight and Sam Smith seven.
• March 17 – The Indians reached the finals by defeating Eastern A&M 91-79 as Willie Murrell and Wilkie Berry scored 45 and 22 points, respectively, in a losing effort.  After a Pueblo lead at 16-13 with 10 minutes gone, the score was tied five times and the lead changed hands twice before three baskets by Norm Colglazier and a Ron DeLeon jumper gave Pueblo a 39-33 lead at the half.  Two Murrell baskets cut the Indians’ margin to two (39-37) before scores by Lenny Roybal, Waymond Dean, Colglazier, and Bob Warlick gave the Indians a 55-45 margin with 14 minutes to go, with an 81-58 advantage with six minutes to play.  With Sam Smith scoring only two points, the Indians received a 15-point scoring effort by DeLeon off the bench.  Warlick led PJC with 20 points, followed by 17 points for Colglazier, 16 from Gregg Smith, and 14 from Dean.
• March 18 – As the Hutchinson News reported, the Indians “fired the truer shots, fought the better battle and routed the Apaches of Tyler 79-66 in the battle of basketball war parties in the final game of the greatest NJCAA tournament ever presented.”  Bob Warlick led the Pueblo with 26 points and was named the most valuable player for the tournament.  Sam Smith added 22 points.  Warlick hit seven field goals in seven minutes to help Pueblo increase a three-point margin to a 69-54 advantage with 4:18 left in the game.  After leading 41-33 at halftime, Pueblo saw its lead cut to five points before Warlick’s bombardment began.  And the Hutchinson News ended its article by writing that, “Big Bob hit from everywhere but the concession stand. His first three fielders were mixed with two-pointers by teammate Gregg Smith, but then he ripped the cords four times straight to stretch the Chieftains’ lead to 15 points with 4:18 left in the game.  The capacity crowd of 7,000 at the Arena witnessed the battle of tall timber, sharpshooters, and speedy guards. They cheered with glee at the fancy hooks of Sam Smith and looked in awe at the swishing shots of Warlick.”  PJC was competing in the national tournament for the sixth time, having previously participated in 1947, 1955, 1956, 1957, and 1960.

1960-1961 Pueblo Junior College Season Statistics

Placement, School                             Record                                                 Results

1. Pueblo (Colo.) 4-0 Snead 80-62, Broome 69-64, Eastern 91-79, Tyler 79-66
2. Tyler (Texas) 3-1 Hutchinson 81-75, Young Harris 89-87, Flint 88-83, Pueblo 66-79
3. Eastern (Okla.) 3-1 Weber 72-66, Parsons 69-65, Pueblo 79-91, Flint 79-75
4. Parsons (Kan.) 3-1 Brevard 83-71, Eastern 65-69, Broome Tech 75-73, Moberly 91-57
5. Hutchinson (Kan.) 3-1 Tyler 75-81, Joliet 88-67, Burlington 67-56, Weber 90-73
6. Flint (Mich.) 2-2 Burlington 86-66, Moberly 67-64, Tyler 88-83, Eastern 79-75
7. Moberly (Mo.) 2-2 Bethany Lutheran 90-67, Flint 64-67, Young Harris 66-63 Parsons 57-91
8. Weber (Utah) 2-2 Eastern 66-72, Brevard 83-61, San Angelo 109-102, Hutchinson 73-90
9. Broome Tech (N. Y.) 1-2 San Angelo 73-62, Pueblo 64-69, Parsons 73-75
10. Young Harris (Ga.) 1-2 Joliet 96-78, Tyler 87-89, Moberly 63-66
11. San Angelo (Tex.) 1-2 Broome Tech 62-73, Snead 66-64, Weber 102-109
12. Burlington (Iowa) 1-2 Flint 66-86, Bethany Lutheran 74-73, Hutchinson 56-67
13. Snead (Ala.) 0-2 Pueblo 62-80, San Angelo 64-66
14. Brevard (N. C.) 0-2 Parsons 71-83, Weber 61-83
15. Joliet (Ill.) 0-2 Young Harris 78-96, Hutchinson 67-88
16. Bethany Lutheran (Minn.) 0-2 Moberly 73-90, Burlington 73-74

POST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

• Harry “The Chief” Simmons was retired from the University of Southern Colorado at the end of the 1979-1980 school year. A member of eight Hall of Fames, he passed away on March 28, 1990.
• Bill “Snow” Kennedy was a volunteer coach while working on the railroad. He passed away on August 21, 2010.  He was a standout player at PJC in the 1940s and coached various youth and city league teams in Pueblo. He helped raise the Graham family and helped recruit local players to PJC.
• Norm Colglazier played at North Texas before returning to Pueblo, where he taught and coached before retiring.
• Waymond Dean is known as the first graduate of Pueblo South High School in December 1959. He was a pastor living in Minnesota when he passed away on October 29, 2002.
• Ron DeLeon is retired and living in Colorado Springs, where he coached at St. Mary’s High School before entering the business world. He attended Utah State after his junior college career, but finished collegiately at Southern Colorado State College, where he played on the school’s first two four-year squads.
• Tony Hegler played baseball at Colorado State after his PJC days and retired to Pueblo after working in the Casino business in Las Vegas. He passed away on November 23, 2024.
• Jerry Hummitzsch signed a contract with the Milwaukee Braves in the spring at the national championships. He died in an auto accident in Austin, Texas, while pitching in the minor leagues on May 22, 1964.
• Lenny Roybal retired in Espinola, N.M. He attended San Jose State after junior college, then returned to Santa Fe to play and later coach at the College of Santa Fe. He is a member of the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame after a legendary coaching career in the state.
• Jack Milam completed his career at PJC/SCSC and worked in education in the Phoenix area.
• Isaac Pope played one more season at PJC before finishing his career at Gonzaga. He is a retired doctor living in Spokane.
• Gregg Smith played for two seasons at Colorado College after PJC. He taught in California, where he worked in the Magnolia and Fullerton Elementary School Districts. He passed away on October 8, 2022
• Sam Smith played on a Wichita State NIT team after PJC and later signed a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos. The date of his passing is not known, as he was living in the Denver area.
• Bob Warlick played at Pepperdine after PJC, where he led the school to the NCAAs. He played five seasons in the NBA/ABA combined.  He passed away on September 6, 2005.
• Chuck Williams played one more season at PJC before ending his collegiate career at Northern Colorado. He worked in education in the Denver area and passed away on March 26, 2018.
• Other individuals who appeared in games during the early portion of the season were Larry Baker, Jim Earles, Fred Johnson, Bob Smith, Bob Stone, and Gerald Wager. Also with the team were John Hoglund, Jay Jeffreys, Willy Meiss, Jim Ochoa, and Roy Taylor.
• The managers were Pete Gray, Caesar Gutierrez, and Howard Snyder.