When it comes to volunteering, Jack Hook knows his way around.
His specialty is sports events, and he has been at it for 59 years. No matter if it’s football, basketball, baseball or anything else, he will be there. He’s multitalented. He can run a game clock, keep score or supervise the operation of a stadium or an arena.
“He’s the kind of person high school activities associations can’t live without,” said Bert Borgmann, assistant commissioner of the Colorado High School Activities Association. “That’s why we gave him our distinguished service award a couple of years ago. I can’t imagine there’s anyone who has seen more games in our state than Jack Hook. I’ve always called him Action Jackson.”
Hook’s time on the job as a volunteer goes back to the days of the national AAU basketball tournament. It was at one time the premier sports event of the year in Denver. Teams from all over the country came to Denver for a marathon week of basketball for the chance to be crowned the AAU champion.
“A couple of years ago, I figured out that I had probably seen more than 2,000 basketball games,” Hook said. “I’ve worked football, baseball, wrestling, cross country, tennis and track and field over the years. I just finished the state baseball tournament a week ago. I’ve kept busy.”
With all of his volunteer work, it’s a wonder he had time for anything else. But when he wasn’t running a game clock or scoring a baseball game, Hook found time to be a fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade teacher in the Denver Public Schools system and worked his way up to being a principal at four elementary schools.
Hook’s volunteer work became a prominent hobby.
“I tried for some time to organize a club for unsung heroes,” Hook said. “It didn’t come together. (But) there never was a shortage of people who wanted to help.”
There even was a waiting list of people wanting assignments. While it wouldn’t rival the waiting list for Broncos season tickets, Hook estimated there were always 30 to 35 potential volunteers.
“We still have plenty of people,” Hook said.
Hook gained his sense of values from his father, George Hook, who convinced him that service was a valuable trait and a responsibility. During World War II, Hook was a bombardier on a B-17 that flew missions in Europe.
While Borgmann is a present-day associate, Hook goes back to a different era. When he started, Willard Griem and Chet O’Hanlon were the sports program leaders for the Denver schools.
Hook sat next to Walt Humphrey and Pinky Flood at the scoring tables.
There are memories that bring a chuckle, although maybe not at the time. During a game at the Denver Coliseum, an electrical short caused a small fire under the scoring table. Hook timed the rest of the game with a stopwatch.
He remembers a young Rudy Carey, now the basketball coach at Denver East High School, running across the floor at a Denver Prep League basketball game, wanting a refreshment break. Hook had brought a group of young people, including Carey, to the game.
During his time, Hook worked in the Auditorium, the Auditorium Arena, the Denver Coliseum, the Coors Events Center, McNichols Sports Arena and the Pepsi Center. Of the venues, the Auditorium Arena was his favorite.
Hook has kept up with the times. He once had a couple of buttons to push to run the clock, and paddles with numbers that told of foul totals. Now, most everything is on the electronic scoreboard, with a lot of buttons to push.
With his association with Humphrey and Flood, Hook got his start with a couple of real characters in Denver’s past. But Borgmann has an amendment.
“Jack Hook is one of the characters,” Borgmann said.
Hook bio
Born: Dec. 11, 1924, in Denver
High school: Manual
College: University of Denver
Family: Wife Marjorie, son J.G., daughter Nancy
Hobby: Stamp collecting
Ambition: Ready to help
