PUEBLO, Colo. – Chuck Haering, a 2015 inductee into the Colorado State Pueblo University Athletics Hall of Fame, passed away on Saturday, July 15 at the age of 86.
 
A cross country, track and field and football coach at then Southern Colorado State College and the University of Southern Colorado from 1971 through 1993, Haering also served as an instructor in the physical education department until 1985,
 
An assistant football and track and field coach for his first 10 athletic seasons at SCSC and USC, Haering took over head coaching duties of the men's track and field program in 1981 and the cross country program in 1983 for CSU Pueblo Athletics Hall of Famer James "Spank" Blasing.
 
He also served as the school's women's cross country coach from 1986-1992 and women's track and field from 1987-1993.
 
During his tenure as head track & field coach, the men's team crowned 20 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champions, 17 All-Americans and one national champion.  The 1982-1983 men's team won the RMAC Championship and the 1987-88 team finished 25th at the NAIA National Championships.
 
As the men's head cross country coach, CSU Pueblo made four NAIA National Championship appearances and finished in the top 20 in all four occasions with the 1987 team placing 13th.
 
A standout high school quarterback, Haering graduated in 1955 from Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, Pa.  He played for the legendary Jerry Carle at Colorado College where he was an all-conference quarterback for four seasons (1956-1959).
 
Haering started his coaching career at Colorado Springs St. Mary's High School (1961-65) and spent two years at Colorado Springs Palmer (1965-1967) and Denver Holy Family (1967-1969). 
 
After serving as a graduate assistant at Colorado Western (now Western Colorado University) in Gunnison, Colo., where he earned his master's degree in 1970, Haering coached two seasons at Durango High. His high school coaching record was 43-17.
 
After retiring from USC, Haering was an assistant coach to the Pittsburgh Gladiators and the Cincinnati Rockers in Arena Football.
 
He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou Haering, daughter Mary Beth Baer (Tim), son Chris (Melissa), and son Mark (Georgiann). He also has six grandchildren: Michael and Matthew Baer, Madison and Mark Haering, and Francesca and Athina Haering.

A Rosary beginning at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Mass of Christian burial beginning at 10 a.m. will be held on Saturday, July 22 at The Shrine of St. Therese Catholic Church, 300 Goodnight Ave., Pueblo, Colo. Internment will be at Roselawn Cemetery in Blende, Colo. 
 
Haering's son, Chris, was a standout football player at West Virginia University before getting into coaching, including spending seven years (2015-22) as a tight ends coach at the University of Wisconsin. He also coached linebackers and special teams at Pittsburgh from 2012-14 and began his coaching career as a high school coach from 1995-11 at Mt. Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Pa.

Meanwhile, Haering's other son, Mark, was an standout high school football coach at his alma mater Pueblo South High School from 1998-09. After coaching at Pueblo South, he was a graduate assistant football coach at Wisconsin during the 2010 and 2011 seasons and then spent nine years (2012-20) as an assistant coach on John Wristen's coaching staff at CSU Pueblo, including spending six years as the Pack's wide receivers coach.