While the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Historian, David Plati, has created a list of more than 2,000 memorable moments in Colorado’s history, Tim Simmons, the Colorado State University Athletics Historian, has worked with the legendary University of Colorado Sports Information Director to recognize 86 notable moments and 99 state high school championships in Steel City sports lore where individuals and/or events were recognized outside the city and county of Pueblo.

With Plati forming a committee with over 800 years of involvement in Centennial State sports, the selection group has created a list of 150 memorable moments and is counting down at a rate of five per week, then daily for the top 10 by the end of July.

The 150 significant moments in Colorado’s sports history have been created in connection with the state’s sesquicentennial (150th) birthday on August 1, the date Colorado was admitted to the Union as the 38th state in 1876. The Denver Gazette has partnered with the CSHOF to publicize Colorado’s top 150 sports moments. Plati and Denver Broncos icon Jim Saccomano will unveil the list weekly on the CSHOF podcast at coloradosports.org/podcast/.

Here is an initial list of 86 memorable moments and 99 state high school championships for individuals and events associated with the city and county of Pueblo.

• June 20, 1885. John Jackson “Bud” Fowler became the first black professional athlete in the state; he broke the color barrier playing for a Massachusetts team in 1878 and joined the Pueblo Pastimes for the season.  A pitcher and second baseman, he was known for never wearing a glove.  Pueblo beat Denver in its season opener, 10-8, but Fowler did not play.  (An all-black team, the Pueblo Blues, was formed in 1884, but it challenged teams to games.)
• November 24, 1892. One of the state’s oldest high school football rivalries was born on this Thanksgiving Day, when Pueblo Central defeated Pueblo Centennial, 4-0 (touchdowns were worth four points at the time; the conversion was missed).  Cited previously as one of the greatest moments in Pueblo sports history, the touchdown was scored by Marvin, whose first name is unknown.  They have played 125 times overall, the most of any high school rivalry in the state, and along the way, the game became known as the Bell game,” the 75th of which was played last September.  Central leads the series 63-53, with 9 ties.
• July 4, 1912. Pueblo boxer “Fireman Jim Flynn” (real name Andrew Chiariglione) fought Jack Johnson for the heavyweight title in Las Vegas, N.M.; he lost when the fight was stopped by local police in the ninth round.  In 1917, Flynn became the only boxer ever to knock out Jack Dempsey (two years before he went on to win the title).
• December 8, 1928. The Associated Press named its 1928 All-America football team, and Earl “Dutch” Clark became the first Colorado collegian to earn first-team honors (as well as the first-ever from the Rocky Mountain Conference and the first native-born from the state as well).  Nicknamed the “Flying Dutchman,” the junior Colorado College star who prepped at Pueblo Central (and who was born in Fowler, Colo.) led the nation in rushing with 1,379 yards on 135 carries (10.2 per carry) and scored 103 points.
• November 16, 1929. In his final home game, Colorado College All-American Earl “Dutch” Clark scored five touchdowns and 34 points overall in the Tigers’ 54-21 win over Western State.
• December 31, 1929. Frank “Swede” Prince, a senior captain from Pueblo of the 1929 Colorado A&M football team, was in a New Year’s Eve fight and broke a rib when he fell on the back of a chair.  He developed pneumonia and passed away nine days later (on January 9).  (On January 30, Coach Harry Hughes summoned his friend, Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, to address his players about the loss of a friend and team captain. Hughes had a photo of Prince in his office for many years, and it is now in the CSU Alumni Center.).
• March 21, 1931. The state high school basketball championship game in Denver took place between two schools 10 miles apart but 125 miles from the city, as Pueblo’s Central and Centennial dueled for the crown.  In the end, Central won the battle 29-28.
• March 31, 1933. As the Great Depression was in full force, the Western League dropped both Denver and Pueblo to save on expenses for teams traveling 500 miles or more to Colorado.  Minor league baseball would not return to the state until 1941.
• June 7, 1934. Pueblo native Howard Creel was believed to be the first-ever left-hander to play in the U.S. Open (definitely was the only one that year); he missed the cut by four strokes after a 79-79-158 scorecard at Merion Golf Club outside of Philadelphia.
• September 26, 1936. Pueblo native Howard Creel won the inaugural National Left-Handers Tournament in St. Louis, becoming the medalist by nine strokes with a 1-under 70-71-141, then won five matches, including the 36-hole final 6 & 4 over hometown entry Fred Evans.

• July 7, 1940. The Greater Pueblo Sports Association referred to this as one of the “greatest moments in Pueblo sports history,” as Babe Ruth made his final visit to the city (he had played in an exhibition game there in 1938).  Earlier in the day in Colorado Springs, he hit a baseball over the top of the highest point of Seven Falls (estimated at over 266 feet straight up).  He then traveled 50 miles south to Pueblo to help kick off a semi-pro baseball tournament, where, despite nursing a severe cold, he put on a short batting exhibition, taking 24 at-bats and hitting around 20 over the fences at Runyon Field.
• May 21, 1941. Bob Bergin of the Class A Pueblo Rollers pitched the only no-hitter in Pueblo professional baseball history when he blanked Norfolk (Neb.), 3-0, in a seven-inning affair. He walked two and struck out five in the first game of a doubleheader, which was seven innings by agreement.
• September 15, 1941. The Western League was now a “Class D” league, but the Pueblo Rollers, 52-54 and in fourth place in the regular season, defeated Cheyenne in four games in the semifinals.  In the league championship series, they were leading the Norfolk (Neb.) Yankees, three games to two in the best-of-seven when the remaining two playoff games were canceled: players and umpires were promised the season would end by Sept. 15, and rain had postponed game six three straight days and more rain was expected; Pueblo was declared the champion.  The Western League ceased operations due to World War II but returned in 1947 and at Class A status.
• March 14, 1944. One of the nation’s most prolific left-handed golfers, Howard Creel of Pueblo, was badly burned in fire in Richmond, Va., where he was stationed as a lieutenant during World War II.
• November 4, 1944. Due to Naval travel regulations, the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce arranged for the universities of Colorado and New Mexico to play football in Pueblo, as the two campuses were essentially connected via U.S. Highway 85.  Four thousand at Pueblo Central High School witnessed the Buffaloes deal the Lobos a 39-0 loss.  CU quarterback Bob West scored two touchdowns inside the first six minutes of the game.  Pueblo would also host an Air Force game in both 1955 and 1956 until Falcon Stadium was completed.
• January 13, 1946 – In Harry Simmons’ first game coaching basketball at Pueblo Junior College (now CSU Pueblo), the Indians scored a 47-27 win over LaJunta Junior College. Gene Raymond and Leo Hill scored 15 and 10 points, respectively.  Simmons finished his 34-season run at PJC, Southern Colorado State College, and the University of Southern Colorado with 603 wins and 10 national tournament appearances with a national title in 1961.
• May 1, 1947. Baseball returned to Pueblo as the Western League was revived after a five-year hiatus, coming back with an “A” classification for the first time since 1932.  In Pueblo, stores were closed, and schools declared a half-holiday, but Des Moines spoiled the day with an 8-7 win over the Dodgers in 14 innings.  Edward Krage was 4-for-7 for Pueblo, which was managed by future Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodger manager for 23 seasons, Walter Alston.
• September 21, 1947. Sammy Calderone homered twice and drove in five runs to lead the Pueblo Dodgers to a 12-8 triumph over the Sioux City Soos and win the best-of-seven series, four games to one, and the class A Western League championship (the league did not operate from 1942 through 1946 due to World War II).  Pueblo finished third in the regular season standings with a 70-58 record but beat Des Moines in four games in the semifinals to advance to the championship series.  A Pueblo-record crowd of 3,742 witnessed the city’s first-ever class A professional baseball title.  (The Dodgers repeated in 1949, after losing a second-place tiebreaker game to Denver, they rallied to beat the Bears in four games and then toppled Des Moines in seven).
• November 25, 1948 – Jack Parsons scored all the Pueblo Junior College points via two rushes (3 and 12 yards), one reception (30 yards), two extra points, and a field goal (30) to lead the Indians to a 23-13 win at undefeated and nationally ranked Trinidad State College. PJC finished with a 7-2-1 record in Maurice “Red” Elders’ first season as football coach.
• August 1, 1949. The grand opening of the Pueblo Kennel Club (Aug. 1). Dog racing would cease in 2008 and eventually be officially outlawed in the state in 2014.
• September 24, 1949. Pueblo won its second Western League title in three years, defeating the Des Moines Bruins in seven games in the championship series.  The Dodgers won game seven on the road, 4-2, taking advantage of four Bruin errors combined with four Pueblo players collecting two or more hits.
• February 14, 1950. Dubbed Denver’s “Queen of the Fairways,” Babe Zaharias was named the Greatest Female Athlete of the first half of the 20th century by the Associated Press. She lived in the Denver area for much of the 1940s (and also spent considerable time at the Zaharias family farm in Pueblo) and was cited for prowess in both track & field and golf.  During her time living in Colorado, she won 17 straight golf tournaments – including the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the Ladies’ British Open Amateur (on June 24 at Cherry Hills Country Club, she won what was considered a major at the time, the Women’s Western Open for the fourth time)
• May 13, 1950. Pueblo Central’s Dan Luna became the first Latino to win the state’s high school boys’ singles tennis championship, as he swept five opponents in never losing a match in defeating Boulder’s previously undefeated Garth Jones, 6-3, 7-5.  In doing so, Luna, the state runner-up in ’49, led Central to the state title.

• September 15, 1950. Pueblo Centennial defeated Aurora 44-0 in a high school football game, the first event played at the brand-new Pueblo Public School Stadium.   The cost at the time was billed as just “two dollars from every man, woman, and child residing in the county of Pueblo.”  The original capacity was 8,000, and the final cost was around $190,000.  It was renamed Dutch Clark Stadium after his death in 1978 and dedicated on September 26, 1980.
• October 21, 1950. Lewis Rhoades donated a bell to the victor of the Central-Centennial football game amongst the city’s high schools.  Since then, the rivalry has been played for the “Victory Bell,” with Central winning the first game, 40-27.  (The bell originally was on a CF&I train engine.)
• April 12, 1951. A nationwide panel of sportswriters announced the all-time All-America team, with Colorado College’s Earl “Dutch” Clark and CU’s Byron “Whizzer’ White earning honorable mention status.  In addition to starring at Colorado schools, both were natives of the state, Clark was born in Fowler and White in Fort Collins.
• November 3, 1951. The Honors Court of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, founded in 1947, selected in its inaugural class prior to the Rutgers-Fordham Hall of Fame game in New Brunswick, N.J.  Among the 32 inaugural players selected dating back to the late 1800’s was Colorado College All-American Earl “Dutch” Clark; the Court also selected 21 coaches.
• March 2, 1955 – Reserve Phil Haines’ tip-in with three seconds left in the game earned Pueblo Junior College a 74-72 comeback win at McCook (Neb.) Junior College to secure the Indians’ first trip to the national finals in Hutchinson, Kan. PJC trailed 72-67 with less than two minutes left in the game as Haines scored 14 of his points in the final half, including three field goals in the final two minutes. It was Pueblo’s first Empire Conference title since 1948, as the finals were a best-of-three series with McCook winning the first game 69-66 and the Indians the second 87-84.
• March 9, 1956 – Led by soon-to-be All-American Eugene Poston, Pueblo Junior College clinched its second-straight Empire Conference title with a 79-72 win at Trinidad. Poston, the conference’s top scorer with over 26 points a game, scored 30 points in the game before fouling out with 30 seconds left in the game.  The win also secured the Indians’ second-straight berth in the national junior college tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.
• January 21, 1956. Pueblo Centennial graduate and Pueblo Junior College sophomore center Eugene Poston became the first collegian in the state to score 50 points when he had that many in PJC’s 105-57 win over Lamar.
• March 24, 1956. Pueblo Junior College sophomore center Eugene Poston was named the most valuable player in the NJCAA tournament. Despite playing on the sixth-place team, he scored 119 points in four games (18, 39, 32, 30), averaging 29.5 points. He was a unanimous first-team All-Empire Conference pick and was a first-team All-American, and averaged 27.3 points per game.
• March 9, 1957 – Pueblo Junior College became the first Empire Conference school to win three straight basketball titles as the Indians posted a 79-67 win over visiting Trinidad. Soon-to-be JC All-American Ken Anderson scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead PJC to its third-straight appearance in the national tournament.  It was also the school’s fourth post-season berth since the 1945-1946 season under Coach Harry Simmons.  Since then, only three schools have won three consecutive Region IX titles or more: Casper College (1970-1972), Western Nebraska (1993-1995, 1997-1999), and Trinidad State (2022-2026).
• March 23, 1957 – With three starters fouled out with eight minutes left in the game, Pueblo Junior College rallied behind a 37-point performance by Dale Allen to score a 93-83 win over Moberly (Mo.) Junior College in the third-place game at the national tournament in Hutchinson. The previous season, Moberly defeated PJC 66-62 in the national semifinals.
• March 18, 1961. In Hutchinson, Kan., Pueblo Junior College won the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) basketball title, completing a four-game tourney sweep by defeating Tyler (Texas), 79-66. Bob Warlick, named the tournament’s MVP, led the Indians in the tournament, scoring 86 points; he had 26 in the title game.  The team was coached by the late Harry Simmons, a future inductee into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
• May 20, 1961 – Pueblo Junior College earned an at-large berth for the national baseball tournament by posting a 6-5 win over Trinidad State. In the national playoffs at Grand Junction, the Indians upset top-seeded Northeastern Oklahoma in the opener 9-7 (May 26) before losing to Wilmington 4-3 and Wright 10-7.
• September 14, 1963 – Southern Colorado State College staged its first intercollegiate athletic contest as a four-year school as the Indians dropped a 21-20 decision to visiting Emporia State at Pueblo Public School Stadium.
• November 22, 1963. Due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, all high school football playoff games were shifted, including Regis at Pueblo Catholic and Denver East at Pueblo Centennial.
• March 2, 1965 – Sam Moore’s two free throws with two seconds left on the clock propelled Southern Colorado State College to its first-ever national post-season tournament as a four-year school as the Indians scored a 79-78 win over St. Joseph’s College of Albuquerque. Bob Graham led the Indians with 31 points, Moore added 22, and Sam Batey added 10 in his final home game at SCSC.
• March 8, 1965 – Southern Colorado State College dropped a 66-59 decision to Southwestern Louisiana in the first round of the NAIA Championships in Kansas City. It was the first of three NAIA national tournament appearances with other qualifying efforts in 1986 and 1991

• October 18, 1965. A single-engine Cessna plane crashed east of Montrose, claiming the lives of three 22-year-old coaches from Western State College, Bob Busia, James Novak, and Garth Yorkton, as well as the pilot.  The coaches were on a scouting trip; the crash site wasn’t discovered by a park ranger until over a week later, after the plane was reported missing.  Busia was a standout football and baseball player at Pueblo South, Pueblo JC, and Southern Colorado State College.
• April 2, 1965 – Pueblo Central High School’s Earl “Dutch” Clark joined Jack Dempsey and Byron “Whizzer” White as the first three inductees into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in Denver.
• February 1, 1966. Then Southern Colorado State College (now CSU Pueblo) and ranked No. 2 in the nation, trailed New Mexico Highlands on the road, 112-102, with 2:47 left in the game; the Indians had already cut into an 85-60 deficit since the nine-minute mark. SCSC outscored Highlands 15-0 down the stretch to rally for an 117-112 win, with Sam Moore scoring 10 of those 15 points. Joe Ross led four SCSC players with 20 or more points with 24; Moore scored 21 to pace the 57-27 rally over the last nine minutes.
• June 10, 1967 – John Martinez became Southern Colorado State College (now CSU Pueblo) first national champion at a four-year event as he won the one mile run at the NCAA College Division Track Y Field Championships in Odgen, Utah with a time of 4:16.7. In securing a seventh-place finish at the championship, the Indians mile relay team of Clayton Gall, Gene Morenz, Martinez and Isaac Barnes also topped the podium with a school record of 3:15.0.  Harold Williams placed fifth in the 110-yard hurdles (:14.6).
• May 24, 1968 – Southern Colorado State College made its first appearance in the NCAA College Division baseball playoffs in Mankato, Minn., as the Indians split a pair of games by losing 4-2 to host Mankato State before defeating Northern Iowa 6-2. SCSC stayed alive in the double-elimination tournament with a 6-3 elimination win over Mankato, but the regional was halted due to weather. Undefeated Arkansas State advanced after wins over Northern Iowa and Mankato State and led SCSC 3-0 in the championship game when it was called.
• June 8, 1971. Pueblo Roncalli High and Southern Colorado State College pitcher Craig Lown was selected 23rd overall by the Chicago White Sox in the delayed phase of the Major League Baseball Draft, the first Coloradoan selected in the first round of either draft.
• January 12, 1972. Air Force defeated Southern Colorado State College (now CSU Pueblo) in a men’s basketball game at USAFA, 84-76.  The real story was that 10 players fouled out (seven on CSSC, including the entire starting five), with another five players being called for four fouls (four on AFA); a total of 76 in the game and a record for both teams (SCSC 39, AFA 37).  The Falcons made 32-of-56 free throws and the Indians 26-of-45, for a total of 101 free throws; the Indians finished the game with just three players on the floor.
• March 11, 1972. Southern Colorado State College became the first state school to advance to the Elite Eight in the college division of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament when it defeated Seattle Pacific, 86-83, in Pueblo.  The West Regional champion Indians lost in the quarterfinals in Evansville to Akron, 92-77.
• February 6, 1973 – Harry Simmons won his 600th career game as the Southern Colorado State College posted a 48-43 win over Air Force at Massari Arena before 4,600 fans. It was the Indians’ first win in six games with the Falcons.  All-American Cal Tatum led the Indians with 18 points, and backcourt mate Charles Cox added 10.
• November 27, 1973. Earl “Dutch” Clark headlined the inaugural class of inductees into the Greater Pueblo Sports Hall of Fame, including Bruno A. DeRose, Thomas E. Keach, Raymond “Red” LeMaster, Bill L. McClatchey, Tony Niccoli, Gary L. Knafelc, Edward O.  Orazem, Harry H. Simmons, Edwin J. Smith and Cal Tatum.
• March 15, 1975. The inaugural AIAW Small College Women’s Basketball Championships were held in Pueblo, with Phillips (Okla.) University won the title, defeating Talladega (Ala.) College, 60-49.
• December 3, 1979. Southern Colorado’s Carroll Lillie, a freshman walk-on from Mitchell High School in Colorado Springs, scored 51 points in an 82-80 overtime loss to St. Mary’s of the Plains in Pueblo, to date the most points in a single game by a college women’s basketball player in the state.  She had 24 points at halftime, broke the school record of 28 just minutes into the second half, and set the state mark late in regulation.
• February 18, 1980 – Harry Simmons won his 700th career game as the University of Southern Colorado posted a 74-52 win over Western Colorado at Massari Arena. Herman Phillips had 20 points and 18 wins for the Indians.
• March 3, 1980. It wasn’t a joyous end to a 40-year coaching career, but Southern Colorado battled Regis to the end – three times, before falling 80-72 in three overtimes in a first-round NAIA District VII playoff game, the last for coach Harry Simmons.  “The Chief,” as he was known, compiled a 603-326 record in 35 seasons at the Pueblo school (which started out as Pueblo Junior College).  It was also the final games for Tony White, who scored 23 points and finished as the school’s all-time assists leader (to this day) with 443 in 80 games, and Herman “The Helicopter” Phillips, who, in 102 games, averaged a double-double for his career (14.1 points, 10.3 rebounds) – one of 13 players in state history to do so.
• February 22, 1982 – Retired University of Southern Colorado basketball coach and athletic director Harry Simmons was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame along with Bob Anderson, Gerald Phipps and C. L. “Poss” Parsons.

• December 4, 1982 – In the school’s collegiate post-season game, the University of Southern Colorado dropped a 61-20 decision to Central Oklahoma before 7,442 fans at Dutch Clark Stadium. Backup quarterback Dan McMinimee passed for two touchdowns for the Indians as regular starter John Wristen was sidelined after eight games with a knee injury.  Central Oklahoma won the NAIA title two weeks later at home in a 14-11 decision over Colorado Mesa, which defeated USC 14-13 earlier in the season at Grand Junction.
• March 9, 1985 – Led by national champions Bryan Hawkins (126) and Mike Guenther (177), the University of Southern Colorado wrestling team placed second at the NAIA national championships in Jamestown, N. D.
• February 11, 1989. Southern Colorado senior guard Suzanne Gonzales had the rare quadruple-double in a 67-54 win over Western State in Pueblo.  She had 13 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 11 steals; the NCAA doesn’t recognize it, however, since it didn’t consider steals an official statistic until the 1992-93 season.
• October 10, 1989. Earl “Dutch” Clark headlined the inaugural class of inductees into the Colorado High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.  Other inductees from Pueblo in the prep hall are Sollie Raso (1992), John Rivas (1994), Bob Chavez (2002), Dan Cholas (2007), Sam Pagano (2013), Kent Smith (2017), Bart Stevens (2018), Pete Falletta (2019).  CSUP’s Friends of Football were honored by the CHSAA with a Colorado Tradition Award.
• November 18, 1989. The Pueblo Crusaders won the semi-pro football championship with a 21-14 win over the Colorado Springs Spirit at Dutch Clark Stadium.  The league, known as the Minor League Football System (MLFS), was short-lived (1989-90), but it was a big deal in Pueblo, which beat the undefeated regular-season champion, Charlotte (12-0), 20-12 in the semifinals.  The Crusaders, third in the Western Division, finished 9-4.
• March 8, 1992. Dax Charles became the University of Southern Colorado’s first NCAA Division II wrestling champion as he posted a 6-4 win over Nebraska Kearney’s Ali Amiri-Eliasi in the 150 title match at Greeley, Colo.
• February 7, 1994 – Longtime Pueblo high school coach and teacher Walt Clay was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame along with Alex English, Chuck Darling, Donald Ray DesCombes and Frank Haraway.
• May 8, 1994 – In its first season back on the diamond since the program was halted in 1985, the University of Southern Colorado captured the Mile High Intercollegiate Baseball League’s post-season tournament by defeating Colorado Mesa 12-3 at the Auraria Field in Denver. With the win, Stan Sanchez’s team advances to the school’s second NCAA Division II Championships and first since 1968.  In the NCAAs, USC lost games to Delta State (7-6, May 19) and Central Oklahoma (19-7, May 20).  The team posted a 38-19 record in 1994.
• June 27, 1994. The first win on the LPGA Tour by a Colorado native, as Missie McGeorge won the Ping Cellular One Championship in Portland, Ore., by three strokes.  The Pueblo-born McGeorge, who attended high school in Texas and played collegiately at SMU, had a 9-under par scorecard of 72-69-66—207 to defeat Betsy King by three strokes.
• July 5, 1995. Earl “Dutch” Clark, Kaye Garms and Pat Panek were the state of Colorado’s sixth, seventh and eighth inductees into the National High School Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Portland, Ore. (the 14th induction class overall).  Clark earned 16 letters in four sports from 1923-26 at Pueblo Central High School (setting numerous records before going on to star at Colorado College); Panek coached football for 53 years (1925-77) at five different high schools in Nebraska and Colorado, but spent of his time at Denver East (where he won 16 league and two state titles and at one time, 44 straight games) and Machebeuf high schools; and Garms was considered a pioneer in women’s sports officiating in the state, and officiated several state championships in basketball and track.
• May 19, 1996 – Twenty-four years after the basketball team became the first Colorado school to advance to the final eight schools in the NCAA Division II playoffs, the baseball squad at the University of Southern Colorado duplicated the effort by winning three straight games at Riverside, Calif., to win the West Regional and advance to the College Division World Series. The ThunderWolves posted wins over Chico State (12-7, 7-6) and No. 2-ranked UC Riverside (6-3) to earn a spot in the finals, where CSU Pueblo lost to eventual champion Kennesaw State in the first game 9-3 on May 25 before defeating Shippensburg 10-2 on May 27 and losing to Adelphi 5-4 on May 29 in 10 innings
• September 19, 1998. Pueblo Central quarterback Darren Williams had a state record (to this day) 73 passing attempts in a 41-14 home loss to Mullen.  In breaking the old record of 65, he completed 27 for 410 yards and two touchdowns.
• March 13, 1999. With Chris Currier (149) and Trent Monlux (174) winning titles, the University of Southern Colorado placed fourth in the NCAA Division II men’s wrestling championships at Omaha with 70.5 points to trail Pittsburgh-Johnstown (110), Omaha (105.5), and Central Oklahoma (72.5)
• February 6, 2007. Colorado State Pueblo guard Brett Cloepfil set the school record of 41 consecutive free throws made, making 3-of-3 at Adams State; the streak had started late in the prior season. The streak ended when he missed his first try in the ThunderWolves’ next game against Western State.
• July 3, 2007. Southern Colorado, as it was known at the time, dropped intercollegiate football after the 1984 season due to a campus reorganization.  When resurrected ahead of the 2008 season, it called on one of its own, former quarterback John Wristen, to lead the program.  The former assistant coach at CU and Northwestern revived the program and then some, guiding what was now known as CSU Pueblo to a 133-37 record (.782 winning percentage), eight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles and the 2014 NCAA Division II championship (with seven other playoff appearances).
• September 6, 2008. After being dormant since 1984, the Southern Colorado football program (renamed CSU Pueblo) won its first game, a 24-13 victory over Panhandle State.  A crowd of 9.897 packed USC’s ThunderBowl to witness history; alumnus John Wristen was the team’s head coach, and he resurrected the program, which just six years later won the NCAA Division II title.
• April 11, 2009. The CSU Pueblo baseball team set the RMAC record for most home runs in a game with 11 in a 32-23 win over Colorado Christian.  Also setting the record for the most total bases (70), it was the first game of a doubleheader.
• November 26, 2011 – In its fourth season after restarting the football program, CSU Pueblo played its first NCAA Division II playoff game as the ThunderWolves dropped a 24-21 home decision to Minnesota Duluth before 9117 fans. Entering the playoffs with an 11-0 record after winning the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title, the appearance was the first of nine for the Pack under Coach John Wristen.
• May 24-27, 2012. The first NCAA Outdoor Track Championships were held in Colorado when CSU Pueblo hosted the Division II four-day event at its Thunder Bowl. Adams State won the men’s title (77 points) and finished third with 59 points in the women’s standings behind Lincoln, Mo. (90).  The second-highest in elevation to host an outdoor meet (4,682 feet) behind Albuquerque in 1963 (5,312’), CSU Pueblo would also host in 2013, 2024 and 2025.
• December 20, 2014. Just six years after coach John Wristen and devout donors resurrected the program, the CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves won the school’s first football championship, claiming the NCAA Division II title with a 13-0 win over No. 1 Minnesota State.  The T-Wolves (14-1) held the Mavericks to just 265 yards, nearly 200 under their season average.  Chris Bonner threw for 191 yards and a touchdown, and Cameron McDondle ran for 113 yards to lead the offensive attack.  CSU Pueblo reached the title game with three home wins in the playoffs, defeating Angelo State (52-14), Ohio Dominican (31-28), and West Georgia (10-7).
• January 13, 2015. CSU-Pueblo coach John Wristen was named the AFCA’s National Coach of the Year for Division II, as he led the ThunderWolves to their first national championship and a 14-1 record in 2014.
• March 6, 2015. The Colorado Mesa women had won 52 straight home games, one shy of the state record (53 by Colorado), but lost in the RMAC semifinals to CSU Pueblo, 61-51, snapping the streak as the 10th-longest of all time.
• April 18, 2018 – Sam Pagano, a Pueblo Central High and Pueblo Junior College graduate and athlete, was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in Denver.
• December 1, 2018 – Marcelo Laguera captured Colorado State Pueblo’s first cross-country title at the NCAA Division II Championships as he posted a time of 31:46.4 to win the men’s 10-kilometer race by 7.2 seconds over Zach Panning of Grand Valley State in Pittsburgh, Pa.
• November 19, 2022 – John Wristen’s 14-season football coaching career at CSU Pueblo came to an end as the ThunderWolves dropped a 45-24 NCAA Division II playoff decision at Colorado Mines. Wristen, who helped guide the school to the 1982 NAIA playoffs, posted a 133-37 record at CSU Pueblo.  His teams won or shared eight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles with a 102-19 record.  The Pack qualified for eight NCAA playoffs under Wristen and were ranked among the nation’s top 25 teams eight times.
• December 2, 2022 – To start a remarkable run of three-straight “final four” appearances in the NCAA Division II men’s soccer championships, CSU Pueblo dropped a 2-0 decision to Franklin Pierce at Seattle in the Pack’s first of two consecutive appearances in the national championship match. On December 9, 2023, CSU Pueblo was defeated 4-0 by Franklin Pierce in the title game in Matthews, N. C.  The “final four” run ended on December 12 in Matthews with the ThunderWolves losing 3-2 to Charleston in the semifinals.  During the three-season run, Oliver Twelvetrees Pack posted a 54-13-8 record.
• October 1 & 3, 2024. Beau Brieske (CSU Pueblo ‘19) saved game one for the Detroit Tigers in their 3-1 win over the Houston Astros (and earned five outs in game two of the two-game sweep).
• March 4, 2025. In her final collegiate game, Alisha Davis Little scored eight points with five rebounds in CSU Pueblo’s 82-56 loss at Black Hills State.  She finished as the state’s all-time rebounder with 1,382 and in blocked shots (424), as well as the second-highest single-season scoring average per game (24.9); she finished second in career scoring (2,621 points).
• March 20, 2025. Alisha Davis Little became just the fourth RMAC women’s basketball player (the third from Colorado), the first from CSU Pueblo, to be named a first-team Division II All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.  The 6-1 forward led the league in scoring (24.9 points per game), rebounds (11.4), and steals (2.9).
• November 1, 2025. In a meeting of the top 10 teams in-season, No. 7-ranked CSU Pueblo fell behind 21-0 at No. 6 Western Colorado midway through the second quarter but would rally for a 24-21 win.  Kiahn Martinez’s two-short touchdown runs sandwiched an 88-yard TD pass from Roman Fuller to Marcellus Honeycutt, Jr., enabling the ThunderWolves to tie the game with 1:22 left in the third quarter.  Jackson Smith then won it with a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
• November 8, 2025. 6 CSU Pueblo had a dramatic comeback for the second time in a week, this time rallying from being down 31-13 in the third quarter to upend Colorado Mines in overtime, 41-34.  Roman Fuller and Marcellus Honeycutt, Jr., connected on a 32-yard TD pass with 56 seconds left in regulation, with Jackson Smith’s PAT kick tying the game.  Fuller hit Reggie Retzlaff with a 12-yard pass for a score to open overtime, with Peyton Shaw cinching the win with an interception to end Mines’ attempt to tie.

Here is a list of state high school championship teams (UNC = unclassified).

Year, High School, Sport, Class, Runner-up, Results

• 1926, Pueblo Central, Boys Basketball, UNC, Greeley Central, 17-11
• 1927, Pueblo Central, Boys Tennis, Unclassified
• 1928, Pueblo Central, Football, UNC, Fort Collins, 40-0
• 1930, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Tennis, Unclassified
• 1931, Pueblo Central, Boys Basketball, UNC, Centennial, 29-28
• 1938, Pueblo Central, Football, A, Loveland, 7-6
• 1940, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Basketball, A, Fort Collins, 36-32
• 1944, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Track and Field, A
• 1944, Pueblo Central, Football, A, Fort Collins, 12-7
• 1945, Pueblo Central, Boys Tennis, Unclassified
• 1946, Pleasant View, Boys Basketball, B, Fleming, 39-38
• 1946, Pueblo Centennial, Football, AA, Boulder, 13-7
• 1947, Pueblo Central, Football, AA, Denver South, 7-6
• 1948, Pueblo Central, Boys Tennis, Unclassified
• 1950, Pueblo Central, Baseball, A-AA, Denver East, 4-2
• 1950, Pueblo Central, Boys Tennis, Unclassified
• 1951, Pleasant View, Baseball, B, Alameda, 8-2
• 1951, Pueblo Central, Boys Tennis, Unclassified
• 1952, Pleasant View, Baseball, B, Edgewater, 7-2
• 1956, Pueblo Central, Baseball, AA, Greeley Central, 7-6
• 1956, Rye, Boys Basketball, C, Sierra Grande, 39-27
• 1956, Pueblo Central, Boys Golf, Unclassified
• 1960, Rye, Baseball, C, Peetz, 10-9
• 1961, Pueblo Central, Football, AAA, Lakewood, 34-0
• 1965, Pueblo Central, Football, AAA, Poudre, 14-0
• 1966, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Cross Country, Division II
• 1968, Pueblo South, Boys Golf, Unclassified
• 1969, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Cross Country, Division I
• 1970, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Cross Country, Division I
• 1971, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Cross Country, Division I
• 1972, Pueblo Central, Baseball, AAA, Mullen, 11-4
• 1972, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Cross Country, Division I
• 1973, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Cross Country, Division I
• 1975, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Golf, Unclassified
• 1976, Pueblo Centennial, Boys Cross Country, Division I
• 1977, Pueblo Central, Boys Swimming and Diving, Unclassified
• 1978, Pueblo South, Boys Golf, Unclassified
• 1978, Pueblo Central, Boys Swimming and Diving, Unclassified
• 1978, Pueblo East, Girls Cross Country, Division I
• 1978, Pueblo Central, Gymnastics, AAA 170.45
• 1979, Pueblo South, Girls Basketball, AAA, Canon City, 68-53
• 1979, Pueblo South, Girls Tennis, Unclassified
• 1981, Pueblo County, Girls Basketball, 3A, Niwot, 59-44
• 1982, Rye, Boys Basketball, A-I, Limon, 65-40
• 1984, Pueblo South, Baseball, AAA, Cherry Creek, 9-8
• 1987, Pueblo Centennial, Football, 3A, Longmont, 34-14
• 1991, Rye, Boys Basketball, 2A, Caliche, 74-71
• 1992, Pueblo South, Boys Track and Field, 5A
• 1992, Pueblo Centennial, Football, 5A, Sierra, 33-12
• 1992, Pueblo South, Girls Basketball, 5A, Centaurus, 72-42
• 1993, Rye, Boys Basketball, 2A, Mancos, 64-48
• 1993, Pueblo Central, Boys Golf, Unclassified
• 1993, Pueblo South, Boys Track and Field, 5A
• 1993, Pueblo Central, Boys Wrestling, 5A
• 1993, Rye, Football, 2A, Cedaredge, 26-8
• 1993, Pueblo South, Girls Basketball, 5A, Grand Junction, 47-37
• 1993, Pueblo South, Softball, 5A, Columbine, 5-4
• 1994, Pueblo South, Girls Basketball, 5A, Centaurus, 54-45
• 1995, Pueblo South, Boys Basketball, 4A, Rampart, 62-41
• 1995, Pueblo County, Softball, 4A, Golden, 6-4 (8)
• 1997, Pueblo South, Baseball, 4A, Thomas Jefferson, 4-2
• 1997, Pueblo South, Boys Wrestling, 4A
• 2000, Pueblo South, Softball, 4A, Berthoud, 2-0
• 2001, Pueblo South, Baseball, 4A, Brighton, 4-2
• 2001, Pueblo South, Boys Basketball, 4A, Sierra, 52-46
• 2001, Pueblo Centennial, Spirit, Co-Ed Cheer, 4A, Centaurus, 89
• 2001, Pueblo South, Spirit, 4A, Liberty, 92.8
• 2004, Pueblo South, Boys Wrestling, 4A
• 2004, Pueblo West, Softball, 4A, Broomfield, 2-0
• 2005, Pueblo South, Boys Wrestling, 4A
• 2005, Pueblo West, Softball, 4A, Mullen, 6-1
• 2006, Pueblo Central, Gymnastics, 4A 175.775
• 2007, Pueblo West, Football, 4A, Monarch, 21-14
• 2011, Rye, Baseball, 2A, Byers, 12-10
• 2011, Pueblo South, Girls Golf, 4A
• 2012, Pueblo South, Boys Golf, 4A
• 2012, Pueblo East, Softball, 4A, Niwot, 46114
• 2013, Pueblo South, Girls Basketball, 4A, D’Evelyn, 66-42
• 2014, Pueblo East, Boys Basketball, 4A, Denver South, 58-51
• 2014, Pueblo East, Football, 3A, Rifle, 30-14
• 2015, Rye, Baseball, 2A, Resurrection Christian, 12-10
• 2015, Pueblo East, Football, 3A, Roosevelt, 57-31
• 2016, Pueblo West, Boys Basketball, 4A, Valor Christian, 70-51
• 2016, Pueblo County, Boys Wrestling, 4A, Greeley Central, 203.5-129
• 2016, Pueblo East, Football, 3A, Discovery Canyon, 35-6
• 2017, Pueblo County, Boys Wrestling, 4A, Greeley Central, 225-123.5
• 2017, Pueblo South, Football, 4A, Pine Creek, 25-14
• 2019, Pueblo West, Baseball, 4A, Silver Creek, 8-6
• 2019, Pueblo East, Boys Wrestling, 4A, Pueblo County, 200-181.5
• 2020, Pueblo East, Unified Bowling, UNC, Pueblo Central, 431-389
• 2021, Pueblo South, Unified Bowling, Unclassified, Windsor, 415-355
• 2022, Pueblo East, Boys Wrestling, 4A, Cheyenne Mountain, 135.5-124.5
• 2022, Pueblo Central, Unified Bowling, UNC, Pueblo South, 594-579
• 2023, Pueblo East, Boys Wrestling, 4A, Windsor, 154-145
• 2024, Pueblo West, Esports, Mario Kart, UNC, Rocky Mountain, 2-0
• 2025, Pueblo East, Boys Wrestling, 4A, Roosevelt, 192.5
• 2025, Pueblo Central, Girls Wrestling, 4A, Skyview, 194
• 2026, Pueblo East, Boys Wrestling, 4A, Roosevelt, 158.5
• 2026, Pueblo Central, Girls Wrestling, 4A, Severance, 115.5