Colorado State University Athletics
Memorable Moments: Rams Celebrate Hughes with Win in Denver
10/14/2021 3:00:00 PM | Football
Game with Lobos moved to accommodate banquet
Most fans of Colorado State football today are only familiar with the Rocky Mountain Showdown being played in Denver as a neutral-site game. In 1940, the Aggies played three games at the University of Denver's stadium, two of which were neutral-site games, the first against the Colorado School of Mines and the second against the University of New Mexico. Their third game was their annual contest against DU.
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While looking in the record books, it may not make sense why the Aggies gave up a home game against the Lobos to play in Denver on October 26. The reason coach Harry Hughes' team played at DU's much larger and nicer stadium rested on the need to be in Denver for a special banquet that night. The 1940 football season marked the 30th season in which the legendary Hughes had been the head football coach of the Colorado Aggies football team. Denver Alumni hosted a banquet at the Shirley-Savoy hotel the evening after the game to honor their legendary coach.
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Before the banquet could be held, the Aggies still needed to play their game against the Lobos, who had beaten them in 1938 and 1939, both of those games on Thanksgiving Day in Albuquerque. The rivalry with New Mexico was still in its infancy in 1940, with an overall record of 2-2 dating back to the first game the two schools played in 1935.
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The Aggies donned their all-orange uniforms for the matchup against the red-and-silver Lobos while a large crowd found their way into DU Stadium to honor Hughes. Known at the time as the "Dean of American Football Coaches," Hughes' men were showing signs of life again after horrible records in 1936, 1937, 1938 and 1939 when the Aggies sported a combined record of 8-23-1, the worst stretch in Hughes' career.
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Some of the Aggies players in 1940, eventually became legendary CSU football icons like Walter "Bus" Bergman, Lewis "Dude" Dent, Leon "Red" Eastlack, Chet Maeda, and the great John Mosley. The hero of the day against the Lobos wound up being sophomore back Sherwood "Woody" Fries, who scored the lone touchdown for the Aggies, kicked the extra point and blocked New Mexico's extra point to guide the Aggies to a 7-6 victory. Fries also provided excellent punting to drive the Lobos deep into their own territory all day long.
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After the game, the team, along with numerous alumni dating back to Hughes' first team of 1911, gathered to honor their legendary mentor at the banquet that brought them to Denver. Members of the media, Dr. Floyd Cross and Dr. Charles Lory all spoke at the banquet about the character, respect and record that Hughes had brought to Aggies football and the school in general. His 1911 team presented him with a portable radio and reminisced how Hughes guided them from a winless record to champions in five years.
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Although the 1940 Aggies went on to a disappointing 3-4-2 record, the 1941 team gave Hughes his last winning season with a 4-2-1 mark. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the school went into full war mode and Hughes decided in April of 1942, he would step down from coaching football to help train men for the war effort on the Colorado State campus. His amazing career over a 31-year span, plus four games coached in 1946, netted him a record of 126 wins, 41 losses and 18 ties; the most wins by a football coach in school history.
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While looking in the record books, it may not make sense why the Aggies gave up a home game against the Lobos to play in Denver on October 26. The reason coach Harry Hughes' team played at DU's much larger and nicer stadium rested on the need to be in Denver for a special banquet that night. The 1940 football season marked the 30th season in which the legendary Hughes had been the head football coach of the Colorado Aggies football team. Denver Alumni hosted a banquet at the Shirley-Savoy hotel the evening after the game to honor their legendary coach.
Â
Before the banquet could be held, the Aggies still needed to play their game against the Lobos, who had beaten them in 1938 and 1939, both of those games on Thanksgiving Day in Albuquerque. The rivalry with New Mexico was still in its infancy in 1940, with an overall record of 2-2 dating back to the first game the two schools played in 1935.
Â
The Aggies donned their all-orange uniforms for the matchup against the red-and-silver Lobos while a large crowd found their way into DU Stadium to honor Hughes. Known at the time as the "Dean of American Football Coaches," Hughes' men were showing signs of life again after horrible records in 1936, 1937, 1938 and 1939 when the Aggies sported a combined record of 8-23-1, the worst stretch in Hughes' career.
Â
Some of the Aggies players in 1940, eventually became legendary CSU football icons like Walter "Bus" Bergman, Lewis "Dude" Dent, Leon "Red" Eastlack, Chet Maeda, and the great John Mosley. The hero of the day against the Lobos wound up being sophomore back Sherwood "Woody" Fries, who scored the lone touchdown for the Aggies, kicked the extra point and blocked New Mexico's extra point to guide the Aggies to a 7-6 victory. Fries also provided excellent punting to drive the Lobos deep into their own territory all day long.
Â
After the game, the team, along with numerous alumni dating back to Hughes' first team of 1911, gathered to honor their legendary mentor at the banquet that brought them to Denver. Members of the media, Dr. Floyd Cross and Dr. Charles Lory all spoke at the banquet about the character, respect and record that Hughes had brought to Aggies football and the school in general. His 1911 team presented him with a portable radio and reminisced how Hughes guided them from a winless record to champions in five years.
Â
Although the 1940 Aggies went on to a disappointing 3-4-2 record, the 1941 team gave Hughes his last winning season with a 4-2-1 mark. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the school went into full war mode and Hughes decided in April of 1942, he would step down from coaching football to help train men for the war effort on the Colorado State campus. His amazing career over a 31-year span, plus four games coached in 1946, netted him a record of 126 wins, 41 losses and 18 ties; the most wins by a football coach in school history.
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