Looking back across more than five decades of marriage – 52 years and counting – my wife, Lynn, and I have been blessed beyond measure to cross paths with extraordinary young people. Our journey in collegiate athletics began in earnest in 1974, when I stepped onto the Fort Collins campus as the sports information director at Colorado State University.
Those early years on the Ram campus remain vivid, filled with the names and faces of dedicated students who poured their energy into our office: Ron Richards, John Schultz, Mike Stratton, Dee Menzies, and Tom Bruny (and I apologize for missing a few others who made that time special for Lynn and me). They were more than students working a part-time college job (not paid, just press box passes and a lunch now and then); they were the heartbeat of our operation, learning the ropes and shaping our department’s culture.
And then, in the fall of 1974, there was Gary Ozzello…