I received a text a few weeks back from Rob Chavez reminding me that Saturday, March 15, was the 50th anniversary of Glenwood’s first state basketball championship. The Demons defeated Holy Family that evening in 1975 at the downtown Auditorium Arena in Denver by a score of 96-86. Rob, an all-state guard for Glenwood in the mid-’70s, is the son of legendary coach Bob Chavez. Taking over the Glenwood program in 1960, it was the first title for Coach Chavez after 16 years at the helm, which included 11 appearances at the state schoolboy tournament.

The Demons had narrowly missed the elusive state championship the year before with a down-to-the-wire loss to the Brush Beetdiggers in the season finale. With a back court of Rob Chavez, Ron Nadon, and Don Nadon returning for the ’75 campaign, the motivation and talent to win it all was a driving force for the Demons.

Coach Chavez was not shy about telling anyone who would listen that his guard trio was the best in the state, bar none. Throw in a formidable front line of Doug Laven, Jerry Law, and Ed Frink to complete the recipe for a deep playoff run, and a win it all attitude and approach from the Demons was no surprise to Glenwood’s opponents that season. With a sparkling record of 23-2 and a trophy with a gold ball returning on the bus from Denver, the Demons were greeted with a police escort through town and back to the high school, sparking a town-wide celebration that lasted well into the spring of 1975.

The 1975 team paved the way for Coach Chavez to win two more state crowns in 1979 and 1984. There will be a reunion of the ’75 team this summer in Glenwood, and I will keep everyone updated once the time and place for the gathering has been set. I plan on attending and seeing many of the old players that I idolized as a young basketball hopeful here in Glenwood.

 More March Madness at CSU

 Another text came my way the first weekend of the NCAA basketball tournament. Unbeknownst to me, there was a 60-year hoops anniversary to take notice of in my own family.

The communication came from my nephew in the form of a photo of my brother Tom, who now lives in Buena Vista. He was proudly wearing his old Colorado State University letter jacket which still, at age 81, fit him surprisingly well.

Tom was the starting point guard for the Rams in the 1965 NCAA tournament. The first round game was a tough one as CSU was to face Elvin Hayes, Don Cheney, and the top-ranked Houston Cougars. Things did not go real well for the crew from Fort Collins that day, but I enjoyed seeing the picture of him and I remembered back on listening to many of those CSU games as a young boy on our old radio as the feed from Denver’s KOA station would fade in and out. Great memories. Seasons to remember for sure.

Rifle Recreation Running Series

The Rifle Recreation Department is offering a 10-race running series starting in April in which participants will be awarded points for where they finish in their respective age group. The following is a complete list of the races being offered, all 5 kilometer (3.1 miles) distances from April through November.

• Highland Trails 5k (Rifle) Saturday, April 12;
• Water Wells for Africa 5k (Silt), Sunday, May 4;
• Hogback Hustle 5k (New Castle), Saturday, May 10;
• Rifle Senior Center 5k ( Rifle), Saturday, June 14;
• Silt Historical Hobble 5k (Silt), Saturday, July 12;
• Cheatin’ Woodchuck Chase 5k (Rifle), Saturday, August 23;
• Fire in the Hole 5k (New Castle), Saturday, September 13;
• Strides for Giving 5k (Rifle), Saturday, September 20;
• Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation 5k (Silt), Saturday, October 18;
• Turkey Trot (Rifle), Thursday, Nov. 27.

For further race series information, contact Kyle Mills at 970-665-6577 or kmills@rifleco.org. See you on the roads and trails!

Glenwood Springs native Mike Vidakovich is a freelance sports writer, teacher and youth sports coach. His column appears monthly in the Post Independent and at PostIndependent.com.