Bob Blasi and Marc Johnson are proof that coaching longevity means something.
For Blasi, the longtime football coach at Northern Colorado in Greeley, and Johnson, who is in his 38th season as baseball coach at Cherry Creek High School, success and longevity are taking them into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. They enter tonight, along with former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, former Avalanche great Joe Sakic, high school and collegiate wrestling champion Dean Lahr and longtime radio broadcaster Larry Zimmer.
The induction banquet is at 7 p.m. at the City Center Marriott Hotel.
“My friends told me my greatest accomplishment in my 19 years was that I served under six different college presidents,” Blasi said of his tenure in Greeley from 1966-84. His teams won six championships in the 15 years that UNC competed in three different conferences.
In Blasi’s 19 seasons, the Greeley college had three different names, including Colorado State College of Education, Colorado State College and now Northern Colorado.
During his tenure at Cherry Creek, Johnson produced several players who were selected in the first round of the major-league amateur draft. Pitcher John Burke was the first first-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies in 1992. Johnson is seeking his 10th state championship.
“It’s humbling and a great honor for a high school coach to be inducted along with such a great list of inductees,” Johnson said.
