PUEBLO, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - Oct. 9,
2013) - The Colorado State University-Pueblo Athletics
Hall of Fame will induct eight individuals and one outstanding team
as its Class of 2013, the CSU-Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame
Committee has announced.
The Class of 2013 will be inducted in the fifth annual Hall of
Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Occhiato
University Center Ballroom on the CSU-Pueblo campus.
The Class of 2013 includes six outstanding athletes, an
outstanding coach, a special contributor, and an outstanding team -
the 1985 NAIA national runner-up wrestling team, coached by Doug
Moses.
The 2013 induction class is remarkable as it includes four
athletes that played professionally. Headlining that quartet
are athletes that played for several years at the highest level of
their sport: former NBA and ABA player, Bob Warlick, and former NFL
player and Kansas City Chief, Herman Heard. Also being
inducted is former Pittsburgh Pirates draftee, Sam Christensen, and
former pitcher Jerry Hummitszch, who was the top pitcher in the
Milwaukee Braves' system before dying in a car accident. The
athletes in the class are rounded out by two of the top female
athletes in the history of the athletic program, former women's
soccer All-American Robin Hayes, and women's basketball standout,
Suzanne Gonzales.
Earning induction as a coach is women's athletics trailblazer,
Kay Aguilar. The special contributor inductee is longtime
Pueblo Chieftain sportswriter, Dave Socier.
The ceremony will take place at a Hall of Fame Luncheon on
Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Occhiato University Center Ballroom
on the CSU-Pueblo campus. The Luncheon will begin with a
social from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by the ceremony at 11
a.m.
The inductees will also be honored later that day at the
CSU-Pueblo "Hall of Fame" football game between the ThunderWolves
and Western State, which kicks off at 2 p.m.
Tickets to the ceremony luncheon are $15 each. Kids 12 and
under are $10 each. To reserve your spot, call the CSU-Pueblo
Ticket Office at (719) 549-2050.
Inductee Sketches
Bob Warlick (Basketball - 1960-61): The first
standout professional athlete to come from then-Pueblo Junior
College, Warlick was the top player on the team that won the
National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National
Championship in 1961 and a 34-2 record. He earned NJCAA
National Tournament MVP honors during that title run. He
would go on to Pepperdine University then play professionally in
the NBA, most notably with the San Francisco Warriors and the
Detroit Pistons, and in the ABA with the Los Angeles Stars.
Warlick is being inducted posthumously, as he passed away in
2005.
Herman Heard (Football - 1982-83): Was the
second alumnus to go on to a lengthy NFL career, being drafted by
the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 1984 Draft,
playing in Kansas City for six seasons ... At Southern Colorado,
was a two-time All-RMAC selection, earning first team honors in
1983 after rushing for over 1,000 yards and logging 583 receiving
yards, setting a school record in all-purpose yardage and leading
the RMAC in scoring with 14 touchdowns ... His 28 touchdowns over
just two seasons are still the third-most in school history.
Sam Christensen (Baseball - 2001-02): Arguably
the top baseball player in program history, Christensen is the only
two-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year in
conference history. He hit .452 during his junior season in
2001, leading the nation in doubles and earning All-American honors
as the Pack went 45-14. He followed it up with a .471 season
in 2002, leading the nation in hits. During his time with the
ThunderWolves, his teams won 88 games, the most over any two-year
span in school history. Following his collegiate career, he was
drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was named to the RMAC
All-Century Team in 2008.
Jerry Hummitszch (Baseball/Basketball -
1959-61): A two-sport athlete, Hummitszch played alongside
Warlick on the 1961 national championship basketball team.
But basketball was not the sport he was known for - a
standout pitcher at Pueblo Junior College, he was signed by the
Milwaukee Braves in 1961. He quickly rose through the Braves'
system, even hurling a no-hitter in 1963 while playing for the
Austin Senators, the Braves' AA affiliate. He was considered
the top pitcher in the organization when he tragically died in a
car accident in May 1964 at age 23.
Suzanne Gonzales (Women's Basketball -
1986-89): Is ranked first in steals (270) and first
in assists (501) ... Recorded nearly 200 assists in 1989 (7.0 APG)
to set school records ... Is the only individual in school history
(men or women) to record a quadruple-double, recording 13 points,
12 rebounds, 10 assists and 11 steals vs. Western State in 1989 ...
Led Indians to two straight RMAC Regular Season Championships (1988
& 1989).
Robin Hayes (Women's Soccer - 2004-07): Easily
the top offensive player in the history of the women's soccer
program, Hayes is the career leader in nearly every offensive
statistical category. A 2007 All-American and the only
All-American in the history of the program, Hayes scored 25 goals
in one season as the ThunderWolves won a school record 14 games and
advanced to the RMAC Championship game. She finished her
career with 50 goals, 109 total points, and was selected on the
RMAC All-Century Team in 2008.
Dave Socier (Special Contributor - Former sportswriter,
Pueblo Chieftain): The namesake of "Dave Socier
Press Row" at Massari Arena has been a fixture at CSU-Pueblo for
his 30-year career as a sports writer at The Pueblo
Chieftain. His colorful personality showed through as
powerfully as his snappy writing, and he showed that same demeanor
when covering athletics at the University throughout his career.
Now retired from The Pueblo Chieftain, he is one of
the most trusted historians of CSU-Pueblo Athletics and of Pueblo
sports.
Kay Aguilar (Outstanding Coach - 1967-86): An
athletic administrator and coach, Kay helped forge (along with
Charter Hall of Fame Inductee, Jessie Banks) the women's athletic
program at CSU-Pueblo. She coached women's field hockey
(1967-69), women's tennis (1966-78) and served as the USC Athletic
Director in 1986.
1985 National Runner-Up Wrestling Team (Outstanding
Team): The second team in school history to be national
runners-up, the 1985 wrestling team was made all the more
remarkable when you consider that the program was in just its third
season of competition. Led by two national champions (and the
first national champions in the history of the program),
126-pounder Bryan Hawkins and 177-pounder, Mike Guenther, the team
boasted five RMAC champions and five All-Americans. The
letterwinners from the team included Hawkins,
Guenther, Chopper Shrull, Mike Fitzgerald, Steve
Giadone, Art Aranda, Curt Topping, Todd Carey, Ramon
Esquilen, Eric Lujan, Rich Giadone, Troy Carey, Steve Ross, Joe
Browne, Matt Linnebur, Willie Krantz, and Ed Reinert. The
team was coached by current hall-of-famer, Doug Moses.
