Colorado Sports Hall of Fame historian David Plati has located 2,000 moments in Centennial State sports history. Here are memorable collegiate football dates from October 13-20.
October 13, 1948 – Lakewood High School retired Jerry Dyer’s No. 37 after a knee injury sent him to the hospital.
October 13, 1956 – The live falcon mascot made its first appearance at a “home” football game (then at the University of Denver’s stadium). “Captain Helene” did not belong to the USAFA, but its debut helped celebrate Air Force’s 48-13 win over Western State.
October 14, 1967 – Colorado College running back Dave Lanoha ties the football record (on all levels, high school, college or pro) with a 99-yard touchdown run in a 13-12 win over Texas Lutheran. Lanoha rushed 23 times for 175 yards and caught the game-winning TD on a 31-yard reception.
October 14, 1995 – Adams State retired quarterback Bobby Saiz’s No. 9, considered the school’s greatest.
October 14, 2016-. Longmont Christian’s Luke Puchino completed 28-of-36 passes for 706 yards and nine touchdowns in a wild 83-75 loss to Briggsdale in an 8-man football game. It remains the most passing yards in a state high school game (all classes).
October 14, 2022 – Estes Park wide receiver Josh Gonzalez set a state high school record (all classes) with 371 yards receiving in the Bobcats’ 66-30 win over Denver Manual. He caught 12 passes, four for touchdowns, averaging 30.9 yards per catch.
October 15, 1898 – Colorado Mines played the first out-of-state college football game, traveling to Laramie where the Orediggers beat Wyoming, 29-0. Wyoming returned the game just 20 days later, losing 50-0 in Golden on November 5, becoming the first out-of-state team to play a college football game in Colorado.
October 17, 1981 – It was Homecoming in Boulder, but Oklahoma State led 10-3 with just 1:28 remaining. The Buffaloes took over on their own 8-yard line with no timeouts, but redshirt freshman quarterback Steve Vogel engineered a 10-play, 92-yard drive in 1:22, and completed passes for a touchdown and a two-point conversion to rally CU to an 11-10 win. Five different players touched the ball on the drive, which covered 96 yards after a penalty on the first play.
October 17, 1999 – Montbello’s Leonard Jones set the new state record for rushing yards in a game, with 40 carries for 584 yards and seven touchdowns in a 52-7 win over George Washington.
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.
October 18, 1986 – The Colorado State Rams retired Thurman “Fum” McGraw’s No. 48 in a halftime ceremony of the school’s 31-7 win over Hawai’i. He lettered in football (1946-1949) and received a freshman deferment because he was with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1945. He also lettered in wrestling and track.
October 19, 1996 – The Air Force had a pedestrian-type 6-5 season, but one of the program’s biggest highlights came in South Bend, when the Falcons upended No. 8 Notre Dame, 20-17, in overtime. Quarterback Beau Morgan ran for a season-high 183 yards and a touchdown, and Tobin Ruff’s 19-yard TD run with 7:15 remaining forced overtime. After the Falcon defense forced and recovered an Irish fumble to start OT, Dallas Thompson then scored the game-winner with a 27-yard field goal for AFA in the first overtime game for both schools in their respective histories.
October 19, 2003 – Former University of Colorado quarterback and Colorado Rockies farm system pitcher John Hessler is injured in a severe car crash on Interstate 76, northeast of Denver. His car was clipped from behind, and he suffered a severe head injury
October 20, 1956 – The national single-game rushing record is set by Western State’s Bill Rhodes in the Mountaineers’ 60-6 win over Adams State. He rushed 17 times for 327 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 19.3 yards per carry; he also caught a pass for a fifth score and kicked three extra points. Fred Wendt of Texas Mines set the old record of 326 in 1948.
October 20, 1956 – The first Colorado State football game is televised (the third on broadcast television in state history), a 46-7 road loss at Utah State. NBC broadcast it regionally, and KOA-TV (Channel 4 in Denver) carried it.
