The University of Denver's Division of Athletics & Recreation is saddened to announce that DU Athletics Hall of Fame (Class of 2002) football player Bill Matsch has passed away at the age of 93 in Denver. He is survived by his wife, Peggy Lewis Fleet (Marcy, Andrew and Ashleigh Fleet), his daughter Sandy Miller, his son, William John Matsch III (Kristina), grandchildren, Leslie Miller, Sarah Franklin (Jonathan), and Eric Matis, great-grandchildren, Cecelie and William Franklin, and his brother Judge Richard P. Matsch.

Bill Matsch's funeral is being held on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 10 a.m. The services will be at St. Mark's Orthodox Church (1405 S. Vine St., Denver, Colo. 80210) with a reception immediately following in the Gottesfeld Room at the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness on the University of Denver Campus.

"Bill Matsch was a true Pioneer," says DU Vice Chancellor for Athletics & Recreation and RC Operations Peg Bradley-Doppes. "His love for this university and his passion for us to compete at the Division I level, at the highest level possible, was instrumental in setting a foundation for where our programs are today. A true gentleman and a true scholar, he was a very proud alum and would always make a point of saying how his Denver education prepared him for life."

A two-year letterwinner in football in the late-1940s, Matsch had been associated with his alma mater for over six decades, providing leadership and support in countless initiatives. One of his most notable contributions was his work with the Pioneer Athletics Fund Advisory Board, which he founded as a means of providing support to DU's intercollegiate sport programs. Serving as the board's president for several years, he also served as chairman of the steering committees for three football reunions and was a member of the NCAA Athletics Certification Governance and Rules Compliance Subcommittee. Playing as a tight end, Matsch helped lead DU to a 26-20 win over the University of Colorado in front of the fourth-largest crowd (28,063) in school history on Thanksgiving Day, 1947. Matsch's '48 squad was victorious against Wyoming, 13-0, a year later.

Upon graduating from DU, Matsch enjoyed a highly-successful business career, serving as CEO of the Monaghan Company, which was one of the leading manufacturers to develop the respirator. The respirator allowed polio patients for the first time to live outside the iron lung and over time it became the standard in American hospitals. The Monaghan Company was later sold to Sandoz, a Swiss pharmaceutical company where Bill remained as a Senior Executive until his retirement in the mid-1980s. Click HERE to read Matsch's obituary from the Denver Post.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to the University of Denver Athletic Director's Discretionary Fund in Bill's honor. Donations can be made via check, payable to the University of Denver and sent to the DU Athletics Development Office at 2201 E. Asbury Ave. / Denver, CO / 80208.