Stan Albert’s self-confidence came in handy when his plans for a college basketball career at Colorado A&M appeared to be in jeopardy.
When Albert stepped on the Aggies’ basketball court for the first time as a freshman in 1954, his initial meeting with new coach Jim Williams didn’t go so well. Albert was one of five freshman scholarship players who were entering the program as recruits of coach Bill Strannigan, who guided the 22-7 Aggies to the 1954 NCAA Tournament. It was the first NCAA berth for the school now known as Colorado State. Strannigan left to coach Iowa State before Albert made the trip to Fort Collins from West High School in Denver.
“He asked me if I thought I was big enough to play college basketball,” Albert said of Williams, thinking back to the fall of 1954 and an afternoon in the old gymnasium on College Avenue.
Albert had been an all-city basketball player for two years at West and also played baseball and football. He probably had never encountered anything negative about his athletic ability.
“It humbled me a little, but I told (Williams) that I was sure I could play college basketball,” Albert said. “We had played some pickup games. I felt like I could make the team.”
Albert, a 6-foot guard, proved to Williams that first impressions aren’t always valid. As a college player, Albert was an all-Skyline Conference selection as a junior and senior. And he was the first Colorado A&M product to play in the East-West Shrine Game for all-stars. To top it off, he was inducted into his alma mater’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
In Albert’s three seasons — freshmen weren’t eligible to play on the varsity in his era — the Aggies had only one winning record. They finished 14-11 in 1957-58, his senior season, winning five consecutive games down the stretch. The streak included a 58-53 victory over the University of Denver. Boyd “Tiny” Grant, who later coached CSU to some of the school’s finest seasons in basketball, was one of Albert’s teammates with the Aggies.
Once their initial meeting was out of the way, Albert and Williams jumped on each other’s bandwagon.
“Jim Williams really was an intense coach,” Albert said. “Even when we weren’t practicing or playing games we talked basketball all the time. We’d go to lunch and talk about nothing but basketball. It got to the point where I had to hide from him to get away from it for a while. Years later, when I’d see him at the NCAA Tournament, he’d introduce me as the player he thought was too short to play.”
Albert was part of a pipeline that stretched from West High School to the Aggies’ campus. It included Hal Kinard, who played in Fort Collins from 1952-55, as well as Bob Caton (1968-71) and Gary Rhoades (1970-73).
Basketball was Albert’s favorite sport and he spent a lifetime sharing his skill and knowledge with young people. He aims his message at the underprivileged to help build character and interest in staying in school. Albert helped open and operate a Jewish Community Center in Denver in the fall of 1958. He moved to Seattle in 1964 and managed a center there before moving in 1971 to Rochester, N.Y., where he said he found a “large population of under- privileged kids.” He lives there today.
Along the way, Albert was a relief pitcher and earned a victory in a fast- pitch softball world tournament in Florida. He kept his hand in basketball as a referee for 30 years.
Albert follows the teachings of his upbringing, believing that hard work leads to success. He grew up on Denver’s near north side. When it came time for high school, he had his choice between Denver West and Denver North.
“A lot of my friends went to North,” Albert said. “I’m asked all the time if I’m sorry I went to West. I say, ‘Heck, no.’ “
Albert bio
Born: April 3, 1936, in Denver
High school: Denver West
College: Colorado A&M (now Colorado State)
Family: Wife Sue, and sons Barry, Bruce and Ron
Hobby: Woodworking
Mission: Providing support for inner-city young people
