The Colorado High School Coaches Association is proud to announce its Hall of Fame class for the year 2018.  This is the 55th class to be inducted.  

The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast 3155 S. Vaughn Way, Aurora, CO 80014.  A reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. with the dinner and induction starting at 6:30 p.m.  Tickets for the event may be purchased at the CHSCA web site at www.colohsca.org.

Below is a brief biography of the 5 inductees.

 

Albert (Al) Blanc — Boy’s Basketball — Swink High School

Al Blanc, a 1966 graduate of Glenwood Springs High School and 1975 graduate of Western State College, has coached high school basketball in Colorado for over 45 years at eleven different high schools.  His 1996 Swink Lions team won the 2A state championship.  His teams have qualified for the state tournament 23 times and finished as league champions eleven times, and nine other times were the league’s second place finisher.  He successfully coached teams that played in the states smallest classification up to the largest.  Those that know him well are impressed with the interest he demonstrates in the athlete as a person, more so than the athlete as a player.  Blanc has received an almost uncountable number of coaching awards throughout his career.  He served as the Boy’s Basketball President for the CSHCA from 2003-2005.  He was honored with the group’s most prestigious coaching award for a boy’s basketball coach when he received the Tom Sutak award in 2002.   He also coached football as well girl’s basketball and volleyball at different stops during his career.  Al and his wife Becky were married in 1972.  They have one son Brian (Nicole) Blanc and granddaughters Avery and Ainsley. 

 

Bob Caton — Boy’s Basketball — George Washington & Aurora Central High Schools

The Denver West graduate has both played and coached in the Colorado High School Coaches Association All State Basketball Games.  Player Bob Caton played in the game in 1967 in Pueblo and Coach Bob Caton coached in the games in 1985 and 2011.  Caton’s coaching tour included stops at Manual, Denver West, George Washington, Aurora Central, Highlands Ranch, and Mullen.  He has amassed over 500 wins as a head boy’s basketball coach. While coaching at George Washington and Aurora Central his teams each finished in the state runner up position once.  Six times he led teams to the final four and 14 times they made the trip to the great eight.  He received his degree from Colorado State University where he played basketball and in 1971 was awarded the most inspirational athlete award, and the most valuable player award while being the team captain.  Caton and his wife Linda have four children (Ali, Robby, Jamie, and Kristi) and are eight times proud grandparents (Skylar, Caton, Jaden, Charlie, Finley, Jack, Luke, and Ellie)   

 

Maggie Kilmer — Girl’s Basketball / Volleyball — Prairie High School

The 1970 graduate of Sterling High School did not venture far from home to become a Hall of Fame Coach, and leave her stamp on Colorado High School Sports.  Kilmer graduated from Adams State College in 1974 and traveled back to northeastern Colorado to begin teaching and coaching at Prairie High School.  She made her mark in Colorado High School Volleyball when the team won the Championship in 1975.  This was the first ever state championship in girl’s sports in Colorado.  1975 was the inaugural year for CHSAA sponsored sports for girls.  The team repeated in 1976.  Kilmer coached volleyball for 18 seasons and posted a 192-80 record.  She had two stints as the girl’s basketball coach while at Prairie and the teams put together a 201-89 record under her guidance.   The Lady Mustangs were state champions in 2001.  The pioneer coach was at the helm in the inaugural state championship game in girl’s basketball in 1976.  Two times Kilmer was named coach of the year in volleyball and three times in basketball.  Maggie and her late husband Kerry are the proud parents of Matt and Kim both whom she coached.  She looks forward to following and encouraging her grandchildren (Owen and Eli Kilmer and Lawrence and Joanna Torluemke) as they start their sporting careers.

 

Anthony (Tony) Schenbeck — Baseball — Mullen / Overland High School

Tony Schenbeck made his way from Nebraska to Colorado to complete degrees at the University of Northern Colorado.  He received a BA in 1966 and an MA in 1976.  Coach Schenbeck began teaching and coaching at Mead Junior High and then made his way onto the Colorado High School scene at Mullen High School where his baseball team finished at the state runner up in 1972 and then nailed the Championship in 1978.  After ten years of coaching baseball at Mullen he headed to Overland High School as the baseball coach and athletic director.  For 20 years Schenbeck filled the role and his Overland team won the state championship in 1990 after a trip to the semifinals in 1989.  He returned to Mullen once again and put in nine more years coaching baseball leading the Mustangs to the semifinals in 2002.  In his combined 40 years as a head baseball coach he posted a record of 398-269.  The 40-year member of the CHSCA has coached in the High School All Star Game six times.  Three times the game was played at the Denver Bears Mile High Stadium.  Tony’s family includes his wife Patricia of eleven years along with two sons (Mike and T.J.), one daughter (Debbie), and three stepsons (Jim, Steve and Mike).  Schenbeck and his wife are both retired and enjoy traveling.  

 

Al Snyder — Girl’s Basketball – Simla High School 

Al Snyder graduated from Florence High School on 1977 and received degrees from Adams State College in 1982 (BA) and 1986 (MA).  In addition to a successful career as a Special Education Teacher and Athletic Director for Simla Schools he has been the girl’s basketball coach at the high school.  In 1987 the Snyder coached team made their first appearance in the state tournament and they have been a regular entrant ever since.  His teams won the Gold Ball for the State Championship in 1996 and 2010 and were runners-up in 1997 and 1998.  Eighteen times they have finished as either the District or Regional Champions. Snyder’s basketball teams have recorded more than 500 victories and are still adding to the number.  A career member of the CHSCA he has coached in the All State Games multiple times and served as the girl’s basketball president for two years. He was the 2006 winner of the Ceal Berry Award presented annually to one girl’s basketball coach from the state.  He coached several other sports over the course of his career.  He was an assistant in volleyball and boy’s basketball for four years, and had six- year stint as the head baseball coach.  Al’s wife of the 34 years, Sue is also a CHSCA Hall of Fame Coach.   Their children Bryan and RaeLynn were standout athletes at Simla High School.  Bryan and Sarah have four children Kooper, Londynn, Annistyn and Emersynn.  RaeLynn is married to Randy Anderson.

 
Press release provided by CHSAA and the Colorado High School Coaches Association.