UNIVERSITY OF DENVER ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 1997

University Of Denver Athletics Hall Of Fame Class Of 1997

Inducted October 24, 1997

1997

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 1997

HERITAGE ERA INDUCTEES
Name	Years	Sport(s)
Joe Coffee	1925-28	Boxing
MODERN ERA INDUCTEES
Name	Years	Sport(s)
Bryon Beck	1965-67	Men's Basketball
Roy Byers	1928-31, 1944	Football, Basketball, Baseball
Ron Grahame	1970-73	Hockey, Lacrosse
Frank Haraway		Clarion Sports Editor, Statistician, Manager
George Konik	1959-61	Hockey
Bob Martin		University of Denver Hockey Broadcaster
Thom Murphy	1954-72	Swimming Coach
Jack Rose	1962-1997	Baseball Coach
Floyd Theard	1980-85	Basketball
WOMEN'S INDUCTEES
Name	Years	Sport
Joy Burns		Intercollegiate Athletics Director
Tracey Sheehan	1989-95	Baketball Coach

HERITAGE ERA INDUCTEES

Joe Coffee
Boxing (1925-28)
Joe Coffee was an outstanding supporter of the University of Denver in the mid 1920's. He worked tirelessly as a recruiter and boxing coach while serving as the manager of the football and other teams as a student. He also opened a restaurant, Joe "Awful" Coffee's Ringside Lounge, which frequently fed DU athletic teams. Coffee's achievements as an athlete and coach did not go unnoticed, becoming the 41st member to be inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1976. Prior to his Colorado Sports Hall of Fame induction, Coffee was already a Hall of Famer, being inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association of Fame in 1974. As a professional fighter he compiled a 95-105 record, but is most remembered for his remarkable contributions outside of the ring. He became one of the Colorado athletic activities biggest supporters - as a boxing referee, promoter and financial supporter of struggling teams. Coffee also contributed to the first edition of the Denver Nuggets in 1948-49. For his efforts through the years, the Colorado Senate once passed a resolution acknowledging Coffee's numerous contributions to the state.

MODERN ERA INDUCTEES

Bryon Beck
Men's Basketball (1965-67)
Byron Beck was an all-area Independent Selection for the 1965-66 basketball season, scoring 419 points (16.8 per game) and grabbing a team-high 295 rebounds. In addition, he led the team in shooting percentage (.557) that season. In 1966-67 he led the Pioneers in shooting percentage again (.551) and scored 334 points (13.9 per game), which was second on the team. He also finished second on the team with 219 rebounds that season. Beck is perhaps more recognized for his contribution to basketball as a professional. The first player ever signed by the ABA's Denver Rockets, he played 10 years for the Denver Rockets/Nuggets and is one of just two Nuggets all-time to have his number (No. 40) retired by the organization. He played 747 games for the Rockets/Nuggets and scored 8,603 points (11.5 per game) and hauled in 5,261 rebounds. When he retired, just he and Louie Dampier (then with San Antonio) were the only original ABA players remaining.

Roy Byers

Football, Basketball, Baseball, Tennis (1928-31, 1944) Roy Byers came to the University of Denver with as much talent as any student-athlete in DU's history, and he used every bit of it. He earned 12 letters (four in football, three in basketball, three in baseball, and two in tennis) during his time as an undergraduate at DU, and was a first-team All-American in baseball in 1931. A two-time All-Skyline conference selection in football, basketball and baseball, he led DU to the state AAU basketball title in 1929 (the same team that qualified for the National Tournament in Kansas City). DU reached the quarterfinals before being eliminated that season and Byers led the charge. Following his graduation, he went on to become a successful coach on the high school level. Byers became the first head basketball coach ever to win three consecutive state titles. Byers is also a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 1987. He is an honorary member of both the Colorado Basketball Officials and the Colorado Football Officials Associations and is a member of the Denver Prep League Sports Hall of Fame.

Ron Grahame
Hockey, Lacrosse (1970-73)
A great deal can be said about a hockey team by just looking at their goaltender. So when opponents looked at the Pioneers in the early 1970s, talented must have been their first thought. Ron Grahame was a first-team All-American goaltender for the Pioneers in 1973. He left the net as one of the finest collegiate goaltenders in NCAA history, leading DU to a second-place finish in the 1973 NCAA Championships. He was later named the WCHA's Most Valuable Player and added a first-team All-WCHA selection to his resume. Grahame ranks first at DU for most games played by a goalie (120), ranks first with 82 career wins and set the standard for most career saves (3.565). He still holds several single-game and single-season goaltending records at DU. Following his days as a Pioneer, Grahame played professionally. He was recently voted the World Hockey Associations all-time best goalie.

Frank Haraway

Clarion Sports Editor, Statistician, Manager
Frank Haraway covered the University of Denver for many years. Haraway's first shot to report on Pioneer athletics came as a reporter and eventual sports editor of the campus newspaper, the Clarion. With an obvious nose for news, Haraway moved to the big leagues, landing a job at the Denver Post in 1942. As a youngster, he watched DU build its football stadium, and then later as a journalist, he wrote about the DU stadium as it was torn down in the early 1970s. His last story as a Denver Post writer was on the university that launched his career. That day, Haraway wrote about the sport dear to so many in Denver, DU hockey. When it was all said and done, Haraway had worked at the Denver Post for 44 years (1942-82). Maybe more than any of Denver's journalists, Haraway chronicled the transition of Denver from a perceived "cow-town" image to major-league status. For his many contributions to Denver journalism, he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. Still a sports enthusiast, Haraway currently works as an official scorer of the Colorado Rockies.

George Konik

Hockey (1959-61)
An outstanding player for the University of Denver's hockey team, George Konik helped lead the Pioneers to thier first back-to-back hockey championships in 1960 and 1961. In his sophomore campaign, he broke virtually every single-season scoring record for a DU defenseman. Konik's legendary status went far beyond the DU campus, evidenced by his recent recognition as one of the greats in the history of college hockey championship action. Konik was named to the all-time NCAA Championship team as one of the 50 greatest players in NCAA Hockey Championship history. In 1961, he was selected to the NCAA's all-tournament team for his efforts in the championships versus Minnesota and St. Lawrence. He was a first-team All-American and a first-team All-WCHA selection as well in 1961. Always one to give back to the sports he loves so dearly, Konik most recently served as chair of the Hobey Baker Award Committee in 1996 and is a past committee member for college hockey's player-of-the-year award.

Bob Martin

University of Denver Hockey Broadcaster
Bob Martin was the longtime play-by-play voice of the University of Denver hockey games and was an enthusiastic fan of DU athletics, college hockey and the WCHA. It was Martin who sat behind the mic, calling all of the action for each of DU's five NCAA Championship games. Not only did he share his outstanding talents in the booth for the Pioneers, he also served as a past president of the Pioneer Club. He received the WCHA Distinguished Service Award for outstanding service to DU and the league as a whole. Martin is a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 1991. He was considered to be Colorado's No. 1 sportscaster for 23 years as a member of the KOA-Radio broadcast team, an honor bestowed on him by members of the NSSA. In addition to his duties at DU, Martin was the longtime voice of the Denver Broncos. Martin will forever be a part of the Denver Broncos organization as an inducted member of the Ring of Fame. Martin's talents transcended sports, also serving as the radio voice of the Denver Nuggets.

Thom Murphy

Swimming Coach (1954-72)
Thom Murphy brought excellence to the University of Denver swimming team, as evidenced by the amount of wins he was able to record during his 18-year reign. Murphy to this day remains DU's all-time winningest coach (by percentage) with a 127-44-1 mark (.738 winning percentage). During his 18-year coaching tenure, he led DU to a remarkable six undefeated seasons and an astounding 12 conference championships. Though he had many, one of Murphy's most memorable accomplishments occurred between the 1953 and 1958 seasons. That's when the DU legend led the Pioneers to 43 consecutive wins, a win streak that remains as a school benchmark today. In addition to his duties at DU, Murphy helped establish the Rocky Mountain Junior AAU swimming team. He also originated the Hilltopper swimming team, a swimming program that gave young boys and girls their first taste of competitive athletics. The Hilltoppers went on to win 21 junior championship meets under his tutelage.

Jack Rose

Baseball Coach (1962-97)
For 26 years Jack Rose stood as the Pioneer's skipper, leaving the University as the school's all-time winningest coach, compiling 785 wins during his stories career. Rose called it quits after the 1996-97 season, ending his career ranked fifth on the NCAA's Division II list of winningest coaches in history. During his tenure he guided the Pioneers to the NCAA Division I playoffs five times and the NAIA playoffs eight times. Thirty-one of his former student-athletes signed professional contracts, almost half of the 67 professional athletes in the history of DU athletics. In 1970, he was named the NCAA I District VII Coach of the Year and was the Colorado Intercollegiate Baseball Association Coach of the Year in 1989. Rose has been a member of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Advisory Committee for more than a decade, and was the director of the Olympic tryouts in 1983. Rose's accomplishments are as vast as his many years in a Pioneer uniform, also adding DU's Outstanding Faculty Award to his list of accomplishments.

Floyd Theard

Basketball Coach (1980-85)
During his five seasons as the head men's basketball coach, Floyd Theard led the Pioneers with a style and grace that showed in his team's play on the floor. In his tenure, Theard was the most successful coach in the program's history, compiling an outstanding 107-38 record. Theard also led the Pioneers to some great individual seasons as the head coach. His 1983-84 team finished the season with a 28-4 record. That year, the Pioneers made an appearance in the NAIA national tournament, and Theard was named NAIA District 7 Coach of the Year and Area II Coach of the Year. Theard never suffered a losing season at DU, winning 20 or more games in four of his five seasons at the helm. Consistency was a Floyd Theard trademark, and at no time was that more evident than during the 1981-1984 seasons. In perhaps his most impressive milestone, Theard led the Pioneers to an NCAA record 79-game home winning streak.

WOMEN'S INDUCTEES

Joy Burns

Intercollegiate Athletic Director
Joy Burns is a long time supporter of the University of Denver intercollegiate athletics program. She is a Pioneer in the truest sense of the word, taking a significant role in the founding of Pioneer Sportswomen, a booster organization for DU women's athletics that was formed in 1976. Burns was later named president of Pioneer Sportswomen in 1978. Since becoming involved in DU athletics in 1976, Burns has been a champion of intercollegiate athletics, chairing a campaign to raise $50,000 to create the first weight room and training center in the DU Fieldhouse for use by both male and female student-athletes. Burns was also a major proponent for the building of the Daniel L. Ritchie Wellness and Sports Center, making significant contributions to the project. The Joy Burns Arena was the first phase of the Ritchie Center to open for public use. Burns was the honorary chair of the AIAW Division II National Women's Gymnastics Championship, hosted by DU in 1982. Her unwavering support was a true inspiration to the women's gymnastics team, helping the University of Denver to the first of two national championships in women's gymnastics. Burns' love for gymnastics continues to this very day, developing a trust for the gymnastics program and annually sponsoring the most successful home gymnastics competition, the Burnsley (Hotel) Invitational.

Tracey Sheehan

Basketball Coach (1989-1995)
Tracy Sheehan took the University of Denver women's basketball program to a new level during her six years as the Pioneer leader. Sheehan left the women's basketball program as the winningest coach in DU women's basketball history, compiling 113 wins. During her six seasons directing the Pioneers, she led the team to an amazing four Colorado Athletic Conference championships, finishing as the runner-up the other two seasons. In the 1994-95 season, Sheehan led the Pioneers to a berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament and was twice named CAC Coach of the Year. She earned her first award after the 1992-93 season and her second after the 1993-94 campaign. Sheehan's teams posted four 20-win seasons in her six years, and she never suffered a losing season while at DU. In addition to her on-court success, Sheehan also served as a NCAA District VII Regional Ranking committee member. Sheehan is still a member of the coaching fraternity, currently serving as the head women's basketball coach at Montana State University-Bozeman.