This is the 12th and final article highlighting the CSU Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 Inductees and today's final article features the 1982 NAIA Playoff football team that was coached by Class of 2023 Hall of Famer Mike Friedman.
Before the sport was dropped following the 1984 season, CSU Pueblo Athletics Hall of Famer Mike Friedman produced championship-quality football teams highlighted by the 1982 squad that competed in the post-season for the first time in school history.
Led by quarterback John Wristen, John Trahan, and Herman Heard on offense and the DeRose brothers on defense, the then-University of Southern Colorado eleven posted a 9-2 record and advanced to the NAIA playoffs, where the then-Indians were eliminated by eventual national champions Central State of Oklahoma.
"We were tough and physical with enough playmakers on both sides of the ball," said Wristen, who led both the NAIA NCAA Division II in passing efficiency rating points (182.6 by completing 81 of 125 passes for 13 touchdowns and one interception in eight games). He the final three games of the season due to a knee injury
With a balanced offense averaging 195 yards rushing and 205 yards passing a game, USC landed five players on the all-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference team. The Indians were 7-1 in league play and finished second to then-Mesa State after losing 14-13 to Mavericks in the third game of the 1982 season.
Mesa entered its home game at Lincoln Park in Grand Junction as the 12th-ranked team in the NAIA polls, and USC was No. 14. USC outgained the Mavericks 313-241, Wristen completed 14 passes for 209 yards, and Trahan caught 11 for 203 yards. The difference was three missed field goals from 30-plus yards and a missed extra point.
Wristen, Trahan, and lineman Jeff England were all-league on offense, with lineman Craig Ward and linebacker Mark DeRose defensively on the RMAC first team. Second-team picks were offensive lineman Louis Florez, running back Herman Heard, defensive lineman Rick Perez, and defensive back Jeff Ball.
Trahan, the RMAC's top receiver in 1982 with 41 catches for 917 yards and 10 scores, was a second-team NAIA All-American. Heard and Jeff Patterson combined for 1,492 rushing yards and 19 scores. Wristen led the RMAC in both passing and total offense.
Wristen, who later led the school's football program when it was rebooted in 2008, said, "Craig Ward was the player everyone respected for how hard he played. Mark DeRose could connect to anyone, Dan DeRose was just a flat-out winner, and Roy Thomas had a big heart that everyone loved to be around.
