VALERIO AND STOCKER: Death of basketball coach Jeff Potts, 38, shocks Heritage

By Scott Stocker, Rocky Mountain News (Contact), Gerry Valerio, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 7, 2009 at 6:40 p.m.

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What started as a friendly gathering to watch college bowl games on New Year's Day turned into a day those associated with the Heritage girls basketball program will never forget.

Jeff Potts, the head coach of the school's Level III (freshmen and sophomores) team, suffered an acute heart attack and died as he and several friends and family members were watching the football games.

"It was a total surprise," said Heritage varsity girls coach Ron McClurg, who had been friends with Potts since they were sixth graders in Grand Junction. "We were just watching TV when it happened. As coaches, we all have had CPR training and we did what we could and called 911. It's terrible; we could not revive or help him."

Potts, 38, who lived in Littleton, had been an assistant at Heritage for eight years. His funeral services were Tuesday.

"Jeff didn't teach at the school but has always wanted to be a part of athletics," McClure said. "He did everything by the book and worked so hard, and that was what was so impressive about him. He had great success with his freshmen-sophomore program for us. He knew all the kids, not just those directly under him, but in the whole program."

Potts, who also had been an assistant baseball coach at Kent Denver for two seasons, graduated from Grand Junction in 1988 and Colorado School of Mines in 1992 with a degree in civil engineering. He played football, basketball and baseball at Grand Junction. He pitched at Mines.

Potts had been an engineer for the past 16 years. For the past eight, he was the engineering development review manager for the Parker Public Works Department.

McClurg said donations can be made to the Jeff Potts Memorial Fund, c/o Dorina Nortz, First National Bank of Littleton, 101 W. County Line Road, Littleton, CO 80129. All proceeds will go to a scholarship fund to aid student-athletes at Heritage.

WRESTLING HALL OF FAME: The Colorado Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame will induct seven new members at its awards dinner April 25 at the Air Force Academy.

Being presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards will be Tom Cortez, Jon Penfold, the late Barney Sanders, Glenn Scheele and Chuck Walters. Dr. Royal Smith will be presented with the Outstanding American Award and Alonzo Whitt the State Medal of Courage.

Cortez's teams at Brighton compiled a 140-12 dual record, won four state titles, had 18 individual champions and 51 place winners. Penfold's squads at Wiggins won six state titles, 13 league championships, had 16 individual champions and 78 place winners.

Sanders was an official for 25 years, working 18 consecutive state tournaments and officiated in the Division II national tournaments, while Scheele, a coach and official for 31 years at Denver West, was a charter member of the Colorado Wrestling Officials Association, the Executive Secretary of the Colorado Coaches Association and treasurer of the National High School Coaches Federation.

Walters, from Durango, established Arvada Kids Wrestling, was the director, coach and official for the Colorado Cadets and Juniors in USA Wrestling for several years. Smith, an NCAA national runner-up while wrestling at the University of Colorado in 1954, also was a third-place finisher in the state tournament and an all-state football player at Denver South.

Whitt, who is deaf, became the wrestling coach at Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in 1970 where his teams won 11 Black Forest League titles, five runner-up finishes and five district titles.

ETC.: A ceremony to name the gym at Brighton High School in honor Bill Gambel will be held Feb. 6. Gambel taught and coached boys basketball at Brighton from 1943 to 1979. His teams won three state titles. Former players can contact Ken Kreutzer at kkreutzer@sd27j.org or 303-655-4258 by Jan. 17 to arrange for complimentary tickets to the game. . . . The Sportswomen of Colorado will offer as many as 125 scholarship for girls ages 9 through eighth grade to attend 2009 summer athletic camps. Registration and information can be obtained from Jack Meehan, swocscholarships@ gmail.com. . . . The Sports Authority High School Development Program, a six-week boys basketball program for freshmen through seniors, begins Monday at the Gold Crown Field House in Lakewood. Cost is $95. Information: GoldCrown Foundation.com.

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