This is the fifth of nine articles highlighting the CSU Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023 Inductees and today's fifth article features the Trahern Family Legacy at CSU Pueblo (1979-2012)
Since the start of the Colorado State University Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008, athletes, coaches, teams and contributors have been honored for their accomplishments. Now, 16 years later, the school will present its first "legacy" induction honoring the Trahern family.
The Traherns join six athletes, a coach and a team at the 2023 CSU Pueblo Athletes Hall of Fame Banquet to be held during Homecoming weekend with the induction ceremony on October 6 followed by recognition at the homecoming football game on October 7 against Adams State that will be played in the ThunderBowl.
Joining the Traherns as 2023 inductees are Bobby Graham (men's basketball, 1963-1966), Bailey Hughes (women's cross country, track & field, 2015-2017), Deborah Hunter (women's basketball, volleyball, 1985-1987), Ryan Jensen (football, 2009-012), Shelly Watts Pearcey (women's basketball, 1985-1988), and Derrick Williams (men's cross country, track & field, 2014-2018).
Mike Friedman (football, 1974-1983) will also be inducted along with the 2016-2017 women's basketball team that posted a 28-4 overall record and captured the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title and hosted the NCAA South Regional Tournament for the first and only time in school history will join the Hall of Fame in the Team category.
The Trahern Family Legacy spanned 13 seasons and over 400 games and matches. The featured Trahern was Sue Northrup Trahern, who gave birth to two son that competed at CSU Pueblo before she was inducted into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015 as a standout volleyball and basketball player.
Then there are brothers Jim and Bob that competed on the men's basketball team in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Trahern run ended in the 2000s when Jim and Sue's sons Jake and Ty competed for ThunderWolves where both players were recipients of the Harry "The Chief" Simmons Scholarship.
"I can't tell you how many automobiles our parents wore out traveling to our games," said Jim. "My dad traveled all over the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference during our time and then attended many of Jake and Ty's high school and college games into their time at CSU Pueblo as well, all before his health would no longer allow it."
The Trahern Legacy all started with Jim and Bob as the brothers were raised in Flagler where their father was the Town Marshal until 1977 before he became the Chief of Police in Limon. He held that position until he retired in 1998.
The elder Trahern played town team basketball for several years after high school and in his younger years he loved to rodeo. He enjoyed bulldogging where his biggest achievements in rodeo were when he placed at the National Western Stock Show in Denver and won the buckle at the Kit Carson County Fair in Burlington.
Jim and Sue where the first Trahern's on the Belmont Campus after completing successful junior college careers at Northeastern Junior College. Bob was still competing in high school football, basketball and track at Flagler when Jim and Sue first arrived in Pueblo. Born in Sterling Colorado, Sue grew up in Stoneham, CO, and attended Prairie High School in New Raymer.
While Sue was netting All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors in two seasons as a volleyball player for then-University of Southern Colorado for Jessie Banks, Jim was playing for Simmons when the coach finished his 34-season run at the school and captured his
700th career win in February 1980.
With Sue ending her USC career by playing basketball for Banks by averaging 9.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game as a senior, Jim played his final season for Simmons' replacement Don McIntosh, who joined "The Chief: and Banks in CSUP's Athletics Hall of Fame. As a senior, Jim average 8.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and earned Academic All-American honors.
"I chose USC after playing at Northeastern," said Jim. "Coach Simmons watched me play in the high school all-state game and recruited me to come to USC, but I had already committed to Northeastern. After finishing at NJC, my coaches contacted Coach Simmons and I came to Pueblo for a visit and fortunately Chief still wanted me to come to USC. I also was high school best friends with Bart Stevens who was the quarterback on the USC football team at that time encouraging me to come to Pueblo."
As for Sue, "I chose USC after playing at Northeastern Junior College because, being a multi-sport athlete, it seemed like a good fit for me. I was going to be able to continue to play both volleyball and basketball there. And, if I'm being honest, my future fiancé was heading there too! I have many great memories of my time at USC, mostly of the great coaches and fellow athletes that I got to know during my time there. It was a great place to finish out my playing career."
Bob played three seasons for McIntosh starting in 1982 and completed his final campaign in 1985 with Coach Dick Drangmeister. Bob played in more games (114) than any other CSU Pueblo player in history and ranks No. 2 all-time in career assists (425) behind Tony White (443).
"I picked USC because I had gone to most of my brother's games when he was playing and loved the atmosphere at Massari and the people associated with the program that I got to meet," said Bob. "It was an easy decision for me!"
The second set of Trahern brothers featured Jake and Ty playing together during the 2008-2009 season for Coach Pat Eberhart. During that season, the 6-9 Jake as a senior averaged 12.8 and 6.9 rebounds a game while shooting 65.5 percent from the field with a team-high 50 blocked shots.
Jake played in 101 games at CSU Pueblo and first in career field goal percent (380 for 626, 60.7%), s fourth all-time in blocked shots (110), 12th in rebounding (567) and 23rd in scoring (1,044).
"There were several reasons I picked USC," said Jake. "Aside from my family ties, we attended the summer tournament there during high school, so I got to see the campus, play in the gym, and stay in the dorm. My senior year we played the state tournament in Massari, and I thought it was such a cool atmosphere to play in. There were a few schools looking at me, but John Greene and Joe Folda were the ones that sold me on coming to USC, I was excited to play for them. They are not only awesome people, but good coaches as well. The players on the team when I showed up were awesome guys too, we had lots of good memories together!"
After playing in only 11 games as a freshman, the 6-3 Ty's statistics continued to improve as he averaged 13.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a senior for Coach Ralph Turner 2012. Following his five seasons with the Pack, including a redshirt season in 2008, Ty served as Turner's assistant for two campaigns.
"I picked CSU Pueblo because I wanted to be able to play with Jake," said Ty, who was a second-team All-RMAC performer as a senior and the recipient of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Integrity Award. "I already had known a lot of the players before committing there. I loved the campus and plans for the facilities as they were renovating Massari Arena during my senior year of high school. Coach (pat) Eberhart and Coach Miller also gave me an opportunity as a walk- on. I didn't have very many looks coming out of high school, when they gave me an opportunity, and I wanted to continue the Trahern tradition."
When recapping the five Trahern's basketball statistics, the family combined to play in 378 games with 2,865 points, 1,493 rebounds, 680 assists, 266 steals and 149 block shots while shooting 51.1 percent from the field 67.1 percent from the free throw line.
Following their USC and CSU Pueblo careers, the Trahern's made a name for themselves in high school athletics in Colorado. Jim and Bob are retired after successful prep careers as coaches and administrators in Kit Carson and Cañon City, respectively.
Jim spent 35 years in education starting in Walsenburg at John Mall High for two years followed by 33 years at Kit Carson. In addition to coaching basketball, Jim also mentored the football and track teams. He was elected to the Colorado High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015, named the Colorado High School Coaches Association Basketball Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2008, and the recipient of the CHSCA Tom Sutak Award in 2004.
Currently ranks third in CHSAA records for victories at one school and ranks eighth in overall victories, Jim's basketball coaching record was 487-216 at Kit Carson and 494-243 overall. Kit Carson appeared in the state tournament 11 times and won two state titles in 2004 and 2007. Jim's hoopsters Kit Carson also earned 13 regional championships, eight district crowns and 15 conference titles.
Both Jim's sons played on the state championship teams with Jake a 2004 starter. Ty was on the 2004 squad and was a member of Kit Carson's state runners-up in 2006 before playing on the 2007 state championship team.
In football, Jim was the head boss for 30 years for the Wildcats and posted a 191-83. His teams made 24 appearances in the state playoffs. The Wildcats made 11 state semifinal appearances and finished with two state runners-up. Kit Carson won 12 conference championships.
Sue also coached volleyball at Walsenburg for one year before moving to Kit Carson where she led the school to a 1995 state runner-up in volleyball. She also coached middle school volleyball for 31 years.
Bob taught and coached in Cañon City for 25 years and spent his last 11 years as the high school athletic director where he received the distinguished service award from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and the Kurby Lyle Service Award from the Colorado Athletic Directors Association.
Bob and his wife Sheri, who he met at USC, have been married since 1986 and had two sons - Austin and Cooper. Austin, the oldest, lives in Denver while Cooper resides in Cañon City with Bob and Sheri granddaughter (Charley) and grandson (Will).
Married (Jade) with a 19-month old daughter, Jake is the athletic director at Burlington as he finished his 10-year coaching career where he posted a 112-99 record and appeared in the state tournament in 2015. His record includes three league championships (2012, 2015 ad 2016), two district tournament titles (2015 and 2017) and the 2015 regional crown.
With his wife expecting their second child in June, Ty is coaching at Pueblo West where his three-plus season record is 48-33 highlighted by a 2020 final four appearance before the COVID-19 pandemic. Megan Tapia Trahern was an All-RMAC volleyball player at Adams State. Ty posted a two-year girl's mark of 25-20 at Burlington High before guiding Fort Morgan to two Class 4A state tournament appearances and a 28-22 record. During the 2014-2015 season at Burlington, Jake's boys and Ty's girls won district titles.
As for memorable moments in Pueblo, Bob said, "there are so many memorable moments at USC for me. I have great memories of the people there from coaches, teammates, professors, and fans! The game that jumps out to me was the Southern Utah game at home in I believe in the 82-83 season. It was the last or second to last game of the regular season. Southern Utah had beaten us earlier at their place and this was a huge game. Massari was packed that night and the football team showed up in full force and full dress! That was the loudest I had ever heard Massari! Needless to say that was a big win that night."
For Jim's memorable moments, he said, "playing in Coach Harry Simmons's 700th career victory was great. We also defeated DU my senior year, who I think was nationally ranked at the time, before the largest crowd I had seen at Massari Arena during my career. I got to play with some really great players - Tony White, Herman Phillips. Randy Johnson, Brad Ranson, and Tom Rains among many more, and developed close friendships with lots of teammates. We had some great times on the court as well as off. The late great Dave Socier who traveled with us and wrote for the Chieftain played a lot of cards with us and became a good friend during that time. Watching our son Jake score his 1000th career point against Western New Mexico in Pueblo with my Dad, Jake's Grandfather, at the game. Watching our youngest son Ty hit a buzzer beater in overtime against Adams State his senior year and the student section empty onto the court. I took Ty's senior year off from coaching and Sue and I traveled to every home and away game throughout the RMAC that year. Those are among many of my fondest memories of USC and CSU Pueblo basketball."
Jake said his memories start "with some great teammates and making lots of close friends during that time. Some games I will never forget were beating Kearney on the road as well as upsetting Mesa (March 2009 and 2010) on the road to reach the RMAC final 4. Going to play Marquette (November 2008) was an unforgettable experience. The night that we opened Massari back up after the remodel was so much fun, there were tons of people there, and we beat New Mexico Highlands (February 2008). And the night I scored my 1,000th point against Western New Mexico on the dunk, it meant so much to me that I had my whole family there, especially my Dad since he had coached me my whole life up until college. And finally, playing with Ty on the same court at the same time was special."
As for Ty's most memorable moment, it was when Coach Ralph Turner invited his father to sit on the bench as an honorary coach.
"It was my senior year when we played Adams State at home. We won in double overtime by one (99-98), I scored a career high 34 and the game winner that aired on ESPN."
