COLORADO COACH- SPRING 2019 A Look at our Hall of Fame by John Burke, Executive Director In late March of this year the Colorado High School Coaches Association welcomed its 56th class into the state’s only Hall of Fame for high school coaches. Congratulations are certainly in order for Jim Altergott, Edward Atencio, Larry Deffenbaugh, Dave Forster, Virginia Lorbeer, and Jack Lubbers. The evening was an outstanding success and very meaningful for all involved. Many thanks go out to Bob Marken, chair of the CHSCA Hall of Fame Committee chair and his committee of Ray Barron, Chris Brown, Dick Geddes, Bob Graf, Dick Katte, Vern Kimball, Greg King, Thad Lear, and Tom Southall. The CHSCA’s first class was installed in 1964 and included B.O. Moles of Denver North, Al Montgomery of Longmont, Jim Baggot of Greeley, Ed Smith of Pueblo Centennial, and Glenn Wilson of Fowler. This inaugural class of five deserving coaches helped start what has become a critical piece of what the CHSCA actually does for the coaches of Colorado. Things have changed since 1964, as evidenced by these facts from that year: • The Dow Jones average was 847 • The average cost of a house in the U.S was $13,500 • The average yearly income was $16,000 • Gasoline cost 30 cents per gallon • Postage stamps cost 5 cents • A movie ticket cost $1.25 • Martin Luther King won the Nobel Peace Prize • The first Ford Mustang was manufactured • Buffalo wings were introduced at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY For the first 25 years of our Hall of Fame the inductees were all men, not a single woman honored. Finally in 1989, our twenty-sixth, we inducted Louise Volkstorf from Cheyenne Mountain, our first female honoree. In the next ten years, up through the 1999 class, a total of 7 female coaches were inducted. While the opportunities for women coaches were lacking back then, a total of seven in 36 years is a bit sad. The CHSCA has made some strides in this area. Starting with the class of 2001, we have inducted nine female coaches in this 19 year period. This makes a total of 16 female coaches out of a total of 274 inductees and while this most recent 19 year period is a better ratio, we still have a ways to go. If you, as a member of the Colorado High School Coaches Association, have knowledge of any worthy candidate, male or female, please take the time to nominate him or her. The nomination form can be found on our website. Those coaches who are current Hall of Fame members have achieved in their field at the highest level with consideration given for integrity, loyalty, sportsmanship, character, and length of service. Each of these coaches is written in the history of our organization and the athletics in this state were influenced in a positive manner by their efforts. Women Coaches in the CHSCA Hall of Fame: 1989 - Louise Volkstorf 1991-Alice Barron 1992 - Mary Gore, Ruby Miller 1994 - Helen McCall 1998 - Sandra Cole 1999 - Judy Barnett 2001 - Shirley Snyder 2011 - Pam Fagerlund 2013 - Sue Snyder 2014 - Bonnie Wallin-Kuntz 2015 - Judy Beardsley, Patty Childress 2017 - TR Ellis 2018 - Maggie Kilmer 2019 - Virginia ‘Ginny’ Lorbeer