PUEBLO, Colo. (Feb. 26, 2024) - Bobby Graham, a 2023 Colorado State Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, passed away early Monday morning in Pueblo at the age of 79.

When inducted last October 6 into the Colorado State Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame, Graham's grandson Gavin Graham was at the podium speaking about a man "he has respected grandfather.

You see, Gavin is now serving as the President of the Associated Student Government at CSU Pueblo and joined other family members and friends at the 14th annual event at the Occhiato Student Center when his grandfather was honored for his accomplishments seven decades ago at then-Southern Colorado State College.

"Obviously, I did not see my grandfather play at SCSC," said Gavin Graham, who is majoring in business at CSU Pueblo and will graduate this spring. "I have heard a lot about his accomplishments from my father (Bobby Jr.), but not from my grandfather.  It is about family for him, not about himself."

As for being humble, Bobby Graham often stated, "It's embarrassing when people come up to me, even nowadays. I just did what I loved to do. It makes me feel proud, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I had God-given talent. I took advantage of the opportunity."

Playing for CSU Pueblo Hall of Fame Coach Harry Simmons, Graham's career totals for his 77 games (56-21 record and two post-season appearances) was 1,536 points (19.9 per game) and 411 rebounds (5.3) while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 78.1 percent from the foul line.

He was a three-time district performer and earned honorable mention All-American honors during his senior season. During his final season, he scored a career-high 43 points against New Mexico Highlands, where he made 20 of 29 shots from the field.

Graham was a three-sport standout at Pueblo South before attending the University of Colorado briefly in the fall of 1962 on a basketball scholarship. He returned home to Pueblo and was ineligible to play at Pueblo Junior College before the school became SCSC the next year.

Returning to action for the then-Indians for the 1963-1964 season, Graham was one of three players on the SCSC roster that averaged over 20 points per game as the school's first four-year team posted an 18-6 record and defeated the two teams (University of Northern Colorado and University of Albuquerque) two each that represented the national tournaments (NCAA and NAIA).

During the inaugural season when SCSC averaged 94.4 points a game with eight games of 100 or more points per contest, Graham averaged 20.9 points and 6.2 rebounds a game as a 6-1 forward while shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 80.4 percent from the foul line.

CSUP Hall of Famer Sam Batey led the first SCSC squad with a 21.1 point and 18.5 rebounding averages while the 6-3 forward shot 50.3 percent from the field. Six-foot guard Sam Moore was third in scoring with a 20.2 average and shot 51.1 percent from the field. 

Guard Ron DeLeon (14.9 points) and center Mike Lynch (7.7) were the other two starters on the inaugural SCSC team with guards Al Nichols (7.3) and Joe Ross (4.1) the top reserves. Batey, Lynch, Moore and Ross were holdovers from the final Pueblo Junior College squad that just missed qualifying for the national tournament after losing in the regional semi-finals.

DeLeon was returning to the roster after playing on Pueblo's 1961 junior college championship team. Nichols was a transfer from Otero Junior College and is credited for starting the Michigan pipeline from Muskegon that featured Moore, John Smith, Larry Hammock, Steve Kidd and Cal Tatum.

"The first thing that I think of when playing with Bobby is he was the ultimate teammate," said Lynch, who is retired now and living in Colorado Springs after a successful teaching and coaching career at Air Academy High. "He made me and everyone on the team better players and better people because of his talents on and off the court. I cannot imagine playing on a team without him!"

Playing a tougher schedule during the 1964-1965 season with four of its first six games against NCAA Division I teams in the Big Sky Conference (Idaho State, Montana, Montana State and Weber State), SCSC posted a 21-7 record and advanced to the NAIA nationals in Kansas City after winning the District No. 7 title.

Graham (16.9), Batey (15.7) and Moore (21.2) continued to lead the Indians in scoring as SCSC averaged 87.8 points a game with a 66-59 setback to Louisiana Lafayette in the national tournament.

During his final season in 1965-1966, Graham led SCSC in scoring with a 22.4 average and shot 51.5 percent from the field as the Indians averaged 96.6 points a game (10 games scoring or 100 points) and finished with a 17-8 record after dropping a 91-87NAIA district playoff game to Western New Mexico in Albuquerque.

"For me, Bobby Graham is the greatest multi-sport athlete ever to play high school sports in Pueblo," said Jim Simmons, who was the starting football quarterback and basketball forward at Pueblo South when Graham was a sophomore during the school's first season of competition (1959-1960).

"Bobby was a halfback on the first South team, but he was good enough to start for the Colts as quarterback instead of me," Simmons added.  "I played with his brother Nick at Pueblo Central before he went on to a standout career at CU in football and baseball. But Bobby was the best all-around athlete."

Simmons played on the final two Pueblo JC teams and said that if six-foot Graham "had been eligible to play during the 1962-1963 season when we were ranked nationally, we could have bettered our 24-7 record.  He was an unbelievable hooper."

After graduating from SCSC, Graham coached and taught in Pueblo and California before retiring in 1987 when he entered the lumber business in Alamosa, Colo. At the time of his death, Bobby Graham resided in Pueblo with his wife of nearly 60 years Joy. He was inducted in 1990 into both the Pueblo South High and Greater Pueblo Sports Hall of Fames.

At a dinner last fall at LaTroncia's Restaurant in Pueblo before his induction into the CSU Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame, Graham said, "The one thing that people forget about me was about my rebounding. Everyone talks about my scoring, but I loved rebounding."

And Jim Simmons added, "Bobby had a wide behind and could hurt you when he was boxing you out.  He was a competitor that fought you on both ends of the court. He was always humble about his ability and let his actions define his play."

Born Bobby Max Graham on April 26, 1944, he married Joy Ann Gust on September 4, 1964. Bobby Graham is survived by his wife, a son (Robert), three daughters (Rhonda, Kristi and Jackie), eight grandsons,and  one great granddaughter. He is also survived by two brothers (Jack and Nick) and a sister (Betty). He was preceded in death by four brothers (Bill, Jack, Kenny and Dale). 

Funeral services will be March 9 at the Fellowship of the Rockies Church (3892 W Northern Ave, Pueblo, CO 81005). In lieu of flowers or other gifts, the family requests donation be made to the newly established Bob Graham Legacy Scholarship in the CSU Pueblo Foundation.