THE HOWLER - Volume V, Issue No. 52

July 26, 2026 / Volume V, Issue No. 52

When you click on graphic and/or photograph, you will be directed to a web site to learn more.

Pride of the Pack Thursday - READ MORE
Vigil, Honeycutt & Jordan at RMAC Kickoff - READ MORE
Football picked RMAC favorites - READ MORE
Volleyball spikes AVCA academic recognition - READ MORE
Batey golf tournament features 2026-2027 recipient - READ MORE
A Legacy of Basketball, Brotherhood, & Scholarships - READ MORE
Kropf joins Women’s Soccer staff - READ MORE
Lacrosse players named to IWLCA academic rolls - READ MORE
Baseball scores ABCA academic excellence award - READ MORE
RMAC introduces HOF alumni association - READ MORE
Memorable moments - READ MORE
Pack Football Newsletter - PDF

RMAC Football Kickoff on July 22

FLASHBACK 80 YEARS AGO - After a three-season break due to World War II, football returned to Pueblo Junior College as the Indians finished with a 5-4 record, highlighted by a four-game winning streak at the end of the season. End Bob Butler, guard Dick Trevithick, and tackle Dick DeNeice were first-team all-Colorado JC for the 1946 season. Halfback Elliott Plese was a second-team pick, with tackle Ed Henley, guard John Penza, center Hugh Wilson, and backs Bob Pobst, Tony Genova, and Bill Heath as honorable mention selections. Other players on the team were Bill Berry, Ed Bludworth, Bud Brady, Louis Butler, Ted Davis, Robert DeGeer, Dale Drummond, Jack Duane, Phil Elson, Bob Evans, John Fruscella, Gerald Gerkin, Jim Harr, George Hess, Ron Ivan, Jack Koke, Don Korber, Jack Mason, Bob Massar, Gene Mattarocci, Ted Mutz, Bill Nimmo, Ed Otten, Fred Palm, John Pannunzio, Casey Pino, Don Roper, Andrew Sabo, Don Schmidli and Bill Stollenwerck.

Last Friday's fourth Batey Legacy & Developing Champions Golf Tournament at Denver's City Park featured a scholarship recipient from a high school two miles from the clubhouse and a reunion of friends who started 65 years ago at Pueblo Junior College. With more than 100 people attending the luncheon after the completion of the golfing, Quis Davis from Denver East was named the third recipient of the Sam Batey Sr. Memorial Scholarship at CSU Pueblo for the 2026-2027 men's basketball season. Batey Sr. played at Denver East in the late 1950s, where he was an all-city performer. Davis also achieved All-Denver Prep honors with the Angels earlier in this decade. Several minutes before the announcement, Batey's wife, Barbara, was reunited with Mike Frink, who played with Sam Sr. at PJC and is the godfather to Sam Jr. In the winter of 1962, the two were basketball royalty at the school. READ MORE

Pictured above (left to right) are Zach Ruebesam, Sam Batey Jr., Quis Davis, Barbara Batey, Dana Batey Hurd and Paul Plinske.

Mike Frink (center), who played two seasons at PJC with Sam Batey Sr. reunited with Barbara Batey and Sam Batey Jr.

The CSU Pueblo men's basketball "fall" alumni gathering is set for September 11 and 12. The second edition of "Hoops Homecoming", under the direction of Coach Zach Ruebesam, will feature a Friday evening gathering to introduce the 2026-2027 Pack, followed by a Saturday morning Alumni meet-and-greet at Massari Arena. The weekend ends with CSU Pueblo's RMAC football opener against Colorado Mines at the ThunderBowl at 2 p.m., with tickets provided. Stay tuned for additional details. The 2026-2027 season also marks two anniversaries for the past Pueblo Junior College and Southern Colorado State College men's basketball teams.

At the end of the 1956-1957 season, PJC placed third in the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.
The 1966-1967 squad qualified for the school's first NCAA Division II post-season tournament.

2026-2027 SCHEDULES - MEN'S / WOMEN'S. 2026-2027 / ROSTERS - MEN'S / WOMEN'S.

The 1956-1957 Indians (left to right) - Jim McCamish, Dale Allen, Jack Alexander, Dick Baker, Ron McCarty, Ken Anderson, Al Roots, Gene Coughlan, Jim Ulm, Jim King, Vince Ignatowicz and Richard Hime.

Tim Simmons, the Colorado State University Athletics Historian, has developed a preliminary draft of memorable moments from Pueblo Junior College, Southern Colorado State College, University of Southern Colorado, and CSU Pueblo. The document is a "work in progress". Please contact Simmons with any memorable moments missing from the preliminary draft. READ MORE / PDF DRAFT

Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Memorable Sporting Moments

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 128 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. READ MORE

Click here for Alumni Newsletter

The VIP Pods on top of the Leomiti Warrior Center at the ThunderBowl are available for the 2026 football season as the Pack defends its RMAC title with a six-game home schedule. READ MORE

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With more than 32,000 followers, Jim Simmons (PJC'63, SCSC'68) created the Facebook page above to share photographs, recollections, videos & other memories about Pueblo, Colorado. The target timeframe should primarily cover 1940 to 1980 and be within Pueblo County. The Facebook page is not for advertising, political, religious, obituary, or sales and solicitation purposes. Expletives will not be tolerated. The objective of the Facebook page is to keep the subject matter of our "threads" ever on the lighter side.