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| Colorado Aggies.Com |
| Dedicated to the Preservation of Athletic History at Colorado State University |
| In Memoriam: Ollie Woods 1923-2011 |
On Sunday, October 9, 2011 word was received that a true legend in CSU
athletics, and all Colorado sports, had passed away.
Oliver (Ollie) Woods was from Montrose, Colorado and a standout athlete
at Montrose High School when he graduated from there in 1942. A
three-year letterman in football at Montrose, Ollie served as the team
captain and was selected for the all-Western Slope team his senior year.
Woods received an all-conference selection in basketball while at Montrose
High School as well.
Following his high school career, Woods moved on to Mesa Junior College
(now Colorado Mesa University) to play football for the Mavericks in the
fall of 1942 where he earned a letter. However, WWII interrupted his
college career and Ollie joined the Navy serving in the South Pacific. While
in the Navy, Ollie kept up his athletic skills by joining a boxing team and
was a finalist for the Golden Gloves Tournament. The University of
Nevada-Reno even offered him a boxing scholarship.
Woods served with the Navy from 1943 to 1946 and following the War
landed in Fort Collins at Colorado A&M. At the age of 22, the 5' 11" 165lb
Woods joined the Aggies squad in September of 1946 as a halfback. He
played alongside men like Fum McGraw, Perry Blach, Tuffy Mullison and
Bob Hainlen during a season that saw two head coaches.
Woods continued to play football at Colorado A&M in 1947 and he also ran
track and wrestled for Coach Hans Wagner. It was in the calendar year of
1948 when Ollie had his greatest athletic success winning his weight class
in Wrestling, championships in track and being named to the all-conference
team in football for the Skyline Conference.
Ollie is also remembered as one of the famed members of the Raisin Bowl
team that played in the January 1, 1949 game. He is seen in photos during
that game wearing his #12 jersey that many fans recognize.
One of Ollie's best and longest friends, Lee Walters, a younger member of
the Raisin Bowl team remembered the first time he saw his friend of 65
years. "When I first arrived at Colorado A&M, Ollie was the first person I
met and we roomed together at Mrs. Cameron's house on Howe Street. It
didn't take me long to realize what a talented athlete and gentleman he was."
Ollie Woods lettered in football, track and wrestling during his three years
at Colorado A&M and graduated in 1949. Following graduation, Woods
coached high school athletics in Craig, Wheat Ridge, Fort Collins and Fort
Morgan before settling at Trinidad State Junior College. In his one season
as coach of the Trojans, Woods' team won the league championship.
Woods also earned his Master's Degree from the University of Denver in
1953.
In 1958, Ollie's former teammate, Don "Tuffy" Mullison, hired Woods to
be the backfield coach at Colorado State University. Mullison had become
head football coach in 1956 and Woods' other former teammate, Fum
McGraw, had been the assistant coach of football and head coach of
wrestling at the same time. When McGraw left his alma mater in 1958 for a
coaching position in the NFL, Mullison brought Woods in to take Fum's
place.
In the fall of 1958, Ollie Woods was back in Fort Collins as the assistant
coach for the backfield and in the spring of 1959 he took over as the head
coach of wrestling. In 1961, Ollie Woods and his wrestling team won the
Skyline Conference championship in wrestling. His team also finished 11th
in the nation at the NCAA championships.
By the fall of 1961, however, the football fortunes of CSU had fallen to the
lowest level since 1910.Tuffy Mullison, along with his coaching staff, was
fired at the end of the season. Since Mullison had more years as a coach
and instructor, he took over the coaching reigns of wrestling after the 1962
wrestling season.
Ollie Woods left Colorado State University and arrived at Western State
College in Gunnison, Colorado to begin a 26-year career with the
Mountaineers in 1963. He served as the head coach of football, golf, track
and wrestling on different occasions during an amazing career with
Western State along with being a professor of physical education.
In 1966, Woods took over for another CSU alumnus, Kay Dalton, as the
head coach of football and won the '66 Rocky Mountain Athletic
Conference Championship. His most memorable game being against New
Mexico Highlands when the Cowboys were ranked first in the nation in the
NAIA polls and beat them 14-13.
Woods' greatest passion was on the golf course where he spent 20 years as
the Mountaineers' head coach. While coach of golf, Woods won six RMAC
championships between 1976 and 1990. He was inducted into the
Mountaineers Hall of Fame in 1998 and recently was inducted into the
Colorado State University Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
In 2009, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference named Ollie Woods the
Men's Golf Coach of the Century.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 15 at 11 a.m. at the Zion
Lutheran Church, 2600 South Wadsworth Boulevard in Denver. In lieu of
flowers, the family is requesting that memorials be made for the
establishment of a scholarship in his name at the Western State College
Foundation.
UPDATE:
The family has also set up a CSU Golf Scholarship in Ollie's name.
Please make checks payable to "CSU Foundation" and note
Ollie Woods on the check.
Send to:
CSU Department of Athletics
101 McGraw Athletic Center
Fort Collins, CO 80523
Special thanks to Lee Walters and Western State College for their
contributions to this story.
Read more about Ollie on the Western State website. Click Here
athletics, and all Colorado sports, had passed away.
Oliver (Ollie) Woods was from Montrose, Colorado and a standout athlete
at Montrose High School when he graduated from there in 1942. A
three-year letterman in football at Montrose, Ollie served as the team
captain and was selected for the all-Western Slope team his senior year.
Woods received an all-conference selection in basketball while at Montrose
High School as well.
Following his high school career, Woods moved on to Mesa Junior College
(now Colorado Mesa University) to play football for the Mavericks in the
fall of 1942 where he earned a letter. However, WWII interrupted his
college career and Ollie joined the Navy serving in the South Pacific. While
in the Navy, Ollie kept up his athletic skills by joining a boxing team and
was a finalist for the Golden Gloves Tournament. The University of
Nevada-Reno even offered him a boxing scholarship.
Woods served with the Navy from 1943 to 1946 and following the War
landed in Fort Collins at Colorado A&M. At the age of 22, the 5' 11" 165lb
Woods joined the Aggies squad in September of 1946 as a halfback. He
played alongside men like Fum McGraw, Perry Blach, Tuffy Mullison and
Bob Hainlen during a season that saw two head coaches.
Woods continued to play football at Colorado A&M in 1947 and he also ran
track and wrestled for Coach Hans Wagner. It was in the calendar year of
1948 when Ollie had his greatest athletic success winning his weight class
in Wrestling, championships in track and being named to the all-conference
team in football for the Skyline Conference.
Ollie is also remembered as one of the famed members of the Raisin Bowl
team that played in the January 1, 1949 game. He is seen in photos during
that game wearing his #12 jersey that many fans recognize.
One of Ollie's best and longest friends, Lee Walters, a younger member of
the Raisin Bowl team remembered the first time he saw his friend of 65
years. "When I first arrived at Colorado A&M, Ollie was the first person I
met and we roomed together at Mrs. Cameron's house on Howe Street. It
didn't take me long to realize what a talented athlete and gentleman he was."
Ollie Woods lettered in football, track and wrestling during his three years
at Colorado A&M and graduated in 1949. Following graduation, Woods
coached high school athletics in Craig, Wheat Ridge, Fort Collins and Fort
Morgan before settling at Trinidad State Junior College. In his one season
as coach of the Trojans, Woods' team won the league championship.
Woods also earned his Master's Degree from the University of Denver in
1953.
In 1958, Ollie's former teammate, Don "Tuffy" Mullison, hired Woods to
be the backfield coach at Colorado State University. Mullison had become
head football coach in 1956 and Woods' other former teammate, Fum
McGraw, had been the assistant coach of football and head coach of
wrestling at the same time. When McGraw left his alma mater in 1958 for a
coaching position in the NFL, Mullison brought Woods in to take Fum's
place.
In the fall of 1958, Ollie Woods was back in Fort Collins as the assistant
coach for the backfield and in the spring of 1959 he took over as the head
coach of wrestling. In 1961, Ollie Woods and his wrestling team won the
Skyline Conference championship in wrestling. His team also finished 11th
in the nation at the NCAA championships.
By the fall of 1961, however, the football fortunes of CSU had fallen to the
lowest level since 1910.Tuffy Mullison, along with his coaching staff, was
fired at the end of the season. Since Mullison had more years as a coach
and instructor, he took over the coaching reigns of wrestling after the 1962
wrestling season.
Ollie Woods left Colorado State University and arrived at Western State
College in Gunnison, Colorado to begin a 26-year career with the
Mountaineers in 1963. He served as the head coach of football, golf, track
and wrestling on different occasions during an amazing career with
Western State along with being a professor of physical education.
In 1966, Woods took over for another CSU alumnus, Kay Dalton, as the
head coach of football and won the '66 Rocky Mountain Athletic
Conference Championship. His most memorable game being against New
Mexico Highlands when the Cowboys were ranked first in the nation in the
NAIA polls and beat them 14-13.
Woods' greatest passion was on the golf course where he spent 20 years as
the Mountaineers' head coach. While coach of golf, Woods won six RMAC
championships between 1976 and 1990. He was inducted into the
Mountaineers Hall of Fame in 1998 and recently was inducted into the
Colorado State University Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
In 2009, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference named Ollie Woods the
Men's Golf Coach of the Century.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 15 at 11 a.m. at the Zion
Lutheran Church, 2600 South Wadsworth Boulevard in Denver. In lieu of
flowers, the family is requesting that memorials be made for the
establishment of a scholarship in his name at the Western State College
Foundation.
UPDATE:
The family has also set up a CSU Golf Scholarship in Ollie's name.
Please make checks payable to "CSU Foundation" and note
Ollie Woods on the check.
Send to:
CSU Department of Athletics
101 McGraw Athletic Center
Fort Collins, CO 80523
Special thanks to Lee Walters and Western State College for their
contributions to this story.
Read more about Ollie on the Western State website. Click Here
| Oliver Woods - CSU Hall of Fame Class of 2008 |
| Oliver "Ollie" Woods wore #12 with the Colorado A&M Aggies during the three seasons he lettered in football. (1946, 1947 and 1948) |
| Ollie Woods not only won the 155lb Class championship in 1948, as the head coach of wrestling at CSU his team won the 1961 conference championship and placed 11th in the nation. |
| Ollie Woods (#12) standing with #48 Fum McGraw and #30 Lyle Stucker played on the famed Raisin Bowl team. Woods was a halfback for the Aggies. |
| Jack Christiansen (#19) and Ollie Woods chase down an Occidental player in the 1949 Raisin Bowl. |
| Hirn Collection |
| Occidental College |
| Occidental College |
| Silver Spruce |
| Assistant Coach Ollie Woods with players from the 1958 Colorado State University football team. |
| CSU |