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In 1976 (when the Olympics were easy to watch on one over-the-air channel), Tanya Haave got inspired by a sport featuring women for the first time: basketball. Watching Team USA that year would lead her around the world.     At Evergreen High School, Tanya was a standout in both basketball and volleyball. In 1980 she was so dominate, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame created a female selection to t...

Growing up in Hawaii, his dream was to play football at Notre Dame like his dad. That dream was crushed when the Irish sent him a rejection letter. Brian Cabral then turned to a school where he would spend decades of his life. He was a stellar linebacker and team captain for the University of Colorado. Nearly 50 years after he played, Brian’s name is still on the top 20 list of the Buffs all-time...

His small Ohio town didn’t offer football until the 9th grade. Because of that, Randy Gradishar fancied himself more as a basketball player because he’d spent far more time on the court than the gridiron. Thankfully college coaches didn’t feel the same way. Randy was courted by a number of colleges, which caught him off guard because he had never planned on attending college. His parents couldn’t...

His heritage in Colorado dates back five generations. So, it made sense when Mike Newell graduated from Littleton High School that he wanted to stay in Colorado despite football scholarships from many other schools. He quickly became Colorado State’s starting center and along with being part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack for two straight seasons and a Holiday Bowl win over Missour...

From a very young age, Colorado native Ben Garland knew he wanted to attend the Air Force Academy. He researched what the Academy wanted in a cadet and joined countless clubs to show his dedication to service and community. He also played some impressive football at Central High School in Grand Junction. Ben lettered all four years and was first team All-State his senior season. He had full ride o...

One grew up in Colorado, the other in Illinois. Two redheaded offensive lineman. Both received $2500 scholarships to play Division II football. Ryan Jensen headed south to CSU-Pueblo and Garrett Gilkey played for Chadron State. Their schools were in the RMAC and they quickly learned about one another. The competition grew between the two, especially as Ryan and Garrett began getting noticed by nat...

Being a college football coach is all Mike Sanford has ever known. After all, his father, Mike Sanford Sr., was a college coach before Mike was even born. Not only did Mike grow up moving from city to city with his father’s career, when he went to Boise State, he was the backup quarterback where he got used to a headset and clipboard. He didn’t mind either one, in fact he loved it. As soon as Mike...

His high school is known for having one of the best programs in the nation and producing more NCAA and NFL players than any other high school. Needless to say, there were no “off” days for Jimmy Spencer at Glades Central in Florida, which was fine because Jimmy knew he wanted to play in the NFL since he was 7. He had his choices of colleges and was being looked at as simply an athlete. He played q...

He’s the only person who played high school, college and professional baseball in the state of Colorado. After graduating from Northglenn High School, a suburb north of Denver, Mark Knudson went straight up I-25 to Colorado State University where he majored in journalism and pitched for a baseball program that was dissolved a decade after Mark left for the pros. Mark was drafted by the Astros in 1...

He moved from Ghana to the United States when he was 7. Ebenezer Ekuban didn’t know anything about football and had no aspirations of playing the game because he was focused on academics. When his father told him he needed to do something outside of school, Ebenezer decided to try football his junior year of high school. He became a quick learner on both sides of the ball, playing tight end and de...

Cole Pemberton took a leap of faith when he transferred from Kansas City to Highlands Ranch to live with his dad during his high school years. That leap provided a new relationship with his father and a stellar football career as an offensive lineman at Mountain Vista High School. Cole opted to play college football at Colorado State University for Sonny Lubick and prided himself on protecting his...

When Rockies’ ownership opened their wallets in 2000 and struck mega deals with two big name pitchers, fans rejoiced. Unfortunately, Coors Field is an unforgiving ballpark for pitchers, no matter how much money they get paid. Denny Neagle yearned to be the savior Rockies fans so desperately wanted. He’d worked his way up through the baseball ranks, starting with college ball at the University of M...

The NFL Draft and Beyond: Bradlee Van Pelt thought he’d be drafted on the first day, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. BVP oozed confidence after his tie at Colorado State University and was convinced the NFL was ready for his unconventional style of playing quarterback. He waited all the way until the 7th round and the Denver Broncos took him with their second pick in that round. His NFL experienc...

The Early Years: When he arrived at Colorado State University, the skateboard wielding transfer quarterback from Michigan State was all the talk and a bit of a mystery. Fans called him “Sunshine” and no one could quite figure out Bradlee Van Pelt. Including Bradlee. What Bradlee did know is he wanted to play quarterback and he stuck to his plan despite nearly everyone trying to push him to another...

Life was rough growing up for Reuben Droughns, but no one would ever guess that based off the permanent smile he wears on his face. No one would know he stayed in hotels at times, was homeless other times and dealt with custody issues. Reuben could have used his young life as an excuse, instead he just stayed positive and forged on towards a career in the NFL that lasted three times longer than mo...

His story sounds improbable: middle class kid from Northern Colorado becomes a high caliber two sport athlete at the highest levels. After his athletic career, he starts a non-profit which gets acquired by AARP and a start up software company that sells a decade later for 9 figures. Now he’s husband to a Brazilian actress and father of two kids. This is your life Jeremy Bloom. Jeremy’s story sound...

As the youngest of 7, Brandon Lloyd had a lot to live up to with successful older siblings and knew from a very young age he wanted to make a name for himself. The recognition started in high school as a stellar football and track athlete. Sure, he was a little on the smaller size, but he made up for size with explosive speed. That got the colleges calling. He chose the University of Illinois most...

He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL draft after graduating from Colorado State University, one of the few schools who offered him a scholarship out of high school. Weston Richburg didn’t play every season of football at Bushland High School due to being injured, yet he still caught the eye of the CSU’s coaches and being an “Ag guy” in Texas, he fit right in. Weston credits the CSU coac...

His first go around at the University of Colorado was a success: Senior Captain, Big 12 Championship, Honor Roll and drafted in the NFL to name a few. In Sean Tufts second stint at CU, not only did he compete his MBA and was class President, he became the first former football player to also be a Ralphie Handler. Sean is a Colorado native who attended Cherry Creek High School and had his choice of...

Some guys have the “storybook” path to the NFL: highly recruited out of college, invited to the NFL Combine and drafted. Not Todd Davis, he had to prove himself over and over again. Not only did he make it to the NFL, he stayed for several years and was a Captain for the Broncos Super Bowl 50 team. Todd played high school football at a small school in California. His dad sent out tapes to everyone...

Many NFL fans remember him as the quarterback that almost got the Bears into Super Bowl 45. Caleb Hanie was the 3rd string quarterback for Chicago when he was thrust into the NFC Championship Game against the Packers after halftime. Down 14-0, Caleb rallied the Bears back into the game, but with a chance to tie it in the final minute, he threw an interception and the Bears lost 21-14. Of course, C...

Growing up in Casper Wyoming, Mike Lansing played every sport. He could have played football in college but opted to go the baseball route and chose Wichita State. Turned out to be a good move as the Shockers won their first ever College World Series with Mike as their shortstop. In 1990, while his college teammates were getting drafted by MLB teams, Mike got drafted by the Maimi Miracle, an indep...

In 1977, he proudly wore an “Orange Crush” T-shirt and dreamt of being a Denver Bronco someday. The dream came true for K.C. Jones and even included a Super Bowl Championship, but it didn’t last nearly as long as he had hoped. K.C. was born in Colorado and moved to Texas when he was 8. Everything is bigger in Texas, including K.C. who excelled on the offensive line. He had countless scholarship of...

After a stellar career at Notre Dame, he was projected to be a high first round NFL draft pick in 2007. Brady Quinn and his family were invited to New York and his handsome face became a staple for camera “cutaways” during the draft broadcast. The cutaways increased as Brady dropped farther and farther into the first round and eventually NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell asked Brady if he and his fam...

He’s been a friendly, entertaining and sometimes controversial voice in the Denver market for decades. He was the one constant who worked with several co-hosts. He immersed himself into the Denver sports scene when he was off the air to be more educated and informative when the red light went on. Then suddenly, he was fired. Darren McKee’s absence from afternoons on The Fan has created some “holes...