DICK TAMBURO ...
February 6, 1930 ~ February 24, 2020 ...
American Football player (Michigan State), Football coach, Athletic Director at ASU, Texas Tech and University of Missouri. ...
Chapter 2013 “Frank Kush Lifetime Coaching Achievement Award”
Coach Paul F. Widmer - 2003 Chapter "Frank Kush Lifetime Coaching Achievement Award"
1937 - 2017
Paul F. Widmer, Jr. "Coach" was born in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania in 1937 to Anne and Paul Senior. He passed on October 9th, 2017. He has 3 younger brothers, James, Robert (Wife: Beth), Lawrence (Wife: Kay.). He has 3 sons: Steven, Troy, and Mark (Mother: Ellen {Deceased}). He has 2 stepchildren, Michael (Wife: Magali), and Tanya (Husband: Chris). He has 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews, and a surviving wife, Nancy. He had a scholarship to play football at ASU and was on the Sundevils 1st unbeaten nationally ranked team in 1957. He played under Dan Devine and Frank Kush. He coached for 8 years at Camelback and Tempe High. He was the head football Coach at M.C.C won 86 of the 108 games and two National Championships. Paul was selected N.J.C.A.A Coach of the Year on 5 occasions. He was inducted into 3 Sports Halls of Fame: Allegheny-Kisky in western Pennsylvania in 1981, Mesa City Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, and M.C.C Sports Hall of Fame. He was the Golf Coach for 15 years and took the team to the Nationals. He was extremely motivational, inspirational and an incredible role model for many youths. Education was where he belonged. He had a positive attitude and a fighting spirit, as well as being admired by all. We will all miss him dearly.
Published in The Arizona Republic on Oct. 22, 2017
1937 - 2017
Paul F. Widmer, Jr. "Coach" was born in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania in 1937 to Anne and Paul Senior. He passed on October 9th, 2017. He has 3 younger brothers, James, Robert (Wife: Beth), Lawrence (Wife: Kay.). He has 3 sons: Steven, Troy, and Mark (Mother: Ellen {Deceased}). He has 2 stepchildren, Michael (Wife: Magali), and Tanya (Husband: Chris). He has 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews, and a surviving wife, Nancy. He had a scholarship to play football at ASU and was on the Sundevils 1st unbeaten nationally ranked team in 1957. He played under Dan Devine and Frank Kush. He coached for 8 years at Camelback and Tempe High. He was the head football Coach at M.C.C won 86 of the 108 games and two National Championships. Paul was selected N.J.C.A.A Coach of the Year on 5 occasions. He was inducted into 3 Sports Halls of Fame: Allegheny-Kisky in western Pennsylvania in 1981, Mesa City Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, and M.C.C Sports Hall of Fame. He was the Golf Coach for 15 years and took the team to the Nationals. He was extremely motivational, inspirational and an incredible role model for many youths. Education was where he belonged. He had a positive attitude and a fighting spirit, as well as being admired by all. We will all miss him dearly.
Published in The Arizona Republic on Oct. 22, 2017
R.I.P. ~ Our Chairman of the Board ~ Coach Frank Kush (2017)
Former Arizona State head coach Frank Kush, a 1995 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, passed away June 22 in Phoenix. Also incredibly active with the NFF Valley of the Sun Chapter in Arizona, he claimed an NFF Chapter Leadership Award in 1992. Kush was 88.
An All-America defensive lineman for national champion Michigan State in 1952, Kush is a member of the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame. After two years in the Army, where he rose to the rank of first lieutenant, Kush came to ASU as an assistant coach under Hall of Famer Dan Devine in 1955. He was promoted to coach when Devine left for Missouri, leading the Sun Devils football team from 1958-79 and winning a school-record 176 games. Kush was also part of the leadership that helped Arizona State gain university status in 1958. He had a winning record in 19 of his 22 seasons, including undefeated teams in 1970 and 1975. The 1970 team beat North Carolina in the Peach Bowl, finished 11-0 and was ranked No. 6 nationally by the Associated Press. The 1975 team beat Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl, finished 12-0, and was ranked No. 2 by both the AP and United Press International. Kush was named Coach of the Year in 1975 by the American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Foundation. Kush’s teams won 16 Territorial Cup games against Arizona (including nine in a row from 1965-73), won nine conference championships and were 6-1 in bowl games. ASU moved from the Western Athletic Conference to the Pac-12 Conference during the Kush era.
Kush moved on to professional football, coaching Hamilton in the Canadian Football League in 1981, then the NFL’s Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts from 1982-84 and the USFL’s Arizona Outlaws in 1985. After the USFL folded, Kush became director of the Arizona Boys Ranch, starting on a path that brought him back to ASU. The field at Sun Devil Stadium was named in his honor in 1996 during what turned into one of the more- famous games in school history, a 19-0 victory over two-time defending national champion Nebraska. He devoted much of his post-coaching days to supporting the community as the longtime president of the NFF Valley of the Sun Chapter in Arizona. A 1992 NFF Chapter Leadership Award recipient, Kush had been serving the chapter as Honorary Chairman at the time of his passing.
Awards given out annually by the Valley of the Sun Chapter include the Frank Kush Award (top senior offensive lineman), the Frank Kush “Lifetime Achievement” Coaching Award and the Fiesta Bowl Scholar Frances Kush Award (named in honor of his late wife).In December 2019 the Chapter modified the FRANK KUSH AWARD as honor presented to the TOP high school senior player in the State of Arizona. Bijan Robinson, Senior RB of Tucson Salpointe Catholic was named the Chapter's Premier and First Frank Kush Award Winner. The TOP SENIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN honor has been re-named the RANDALL McDANIEL AWARD in honor of the former Sun Devil Great who's gridiron prowess has gone on to land him both College Football Hall of Fame and Professional Football Hal of Fame accolades. In 2000 Kush was hired as a special assistant to the ASU athletic director. He remained a part of the athletic department in a Sun Devil Club development role for the rest of his life. A large bronze statue of Kush kneeling on a football was unveiled in 1997 at the south entrance to Sun Devil Stadium, a facility that opened in Kush’s first season as coach in 1958 and grew to seat more than 70,000. Kush was inducted into the State of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.
One of 15 children, Kush grew up in the coal-mining town of Windber, Pa. His wife, Frances, died at age 80 in 2010. The Kush family included three sons: Dan, David and Damian. Dan Kush was a kicker at ASU from 1973-76.
An All-America defensive lineman for national champion Michigan State in 1952, Kush is a member of the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame. After two years in the Army, where he rose to the rank of first lieutenant, Kush came to ASU as an assistant coach under Hall of Famer Dan Devine in 1955. He was promoted to coach when Devine left for Missouri, leading the Sun Devils football team from 1958-79 and winning a school-record 176 games. Kush was also part of the leadership that helped Arizona State gain university status in 1958. He had a winning record in 19 of his 22 seasons, including undefeated teams in 1970 and 1975. The 1970 team beat North Carolina in the Peach Bowl, finished 11-0 and was ranked No. 6 nationally by the Associated Press. The 1975 team beat Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl, finished 12-0, and was ranked No. 2 by both the AP and United Press International. Kush was named Coach of the Year in 1975 by the American Football Coaches Association and the Walter Camp Foundation. Kush’s teams won 16 Territorial Cup games against Arizona (including nine in a row from 1965-73), won nine conference championships and were 6-1 in bowl games. ASU moved from the Western Athletic Conference to the Pac-12 Conference during the Kush era.
Kush moved on to professional football, coaching Hamilton in the Canadian Football League in 1981, then the NFL’s Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts from 1982-84 and the USFL’s Arizona Outlaws in 1985. After the USFL folded, Kush became director of the Arizona Boys Ranch, starting on a path that brought him back to ASU. The field at Sun Devil Stadium was named in his honor in 1996 during what turned into one of the more- famous games in school history, a 19-0 victory over two-time defending national champion Nebraska. He devoted much of his post-coaching days to supporting the community as the longtime president of the NFF Valley of the Sun Chapter in Arizona. A 1992 NFF Chapter Leadership Award recipient, Kush had been serving the chapter as Honorary Chairman at the time of his passing.
Awards given out annually by the Valley of the Sun Chapter include the Frank Kush Award (top senior offensive lineman), the Frank Kush “Lifetime Achievement” Coaching Award and the Fiesta Bowl Scholar Frances Kush Award (named in honor of his late wife).In December 2019 the Chapter modified the FRANK KUSH AWARD as honor presented to the TOP high school senior player in the State of Arizona. Bijan Robinson, Senior RB of Tucson Salpointe Catholic was named the Chapter's Premier and First Frank Kush Award Winner. The TOP SENIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN honor has been re-named the RANDALL McDANIEL AWARD in honor of the former Sun Devil Great who's gridiron prowess has gone on to land him both College Football Hall of Fame and Professional Football Hal of Fame accolades. In 2000 Kush was hired as a special assistant to the ASU athletic director. He remained a part of the athletic department in a Sun Devil Club development role for the rest of his life. A large bronze statue of Kush kneeling on a football was unveiled in 1997 at the south entrance to Sun Devil Stadium, a facility that opened in Kush’s first season as coach in 1958 and grew to seat more than 70,000. Kush was inducted into the State of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.
One of 15 children, Kush grew up in the coal-mining town of Windber, Pa. His wife, Frances, died at age 80 in 2010. The Kush family included three sons: Dan, David and Damian. Dan Kush was a kicker at ASU from 1973-76.
COACHING LEGENDS (2017)
Coach Jesse Parker - Chapter 2001 Frank Kush Lifetime Achievement Award Winner & 2007 Chapter Coach Earl Putman Award Winner. Parker passed away July 21, 2017. He was 77. With multiple State championships, he had 309 career coaching wins.
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Coach Vern Friedli - Chapter 2009 Coach Earl Putman Outstanding Coach Award. Friedli passed away July 21, 2017. He was 80 years of age, and had 331 career coaching wins.
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Coach Ben McIvor, 44, Assistant football coach at MCC, and a teacher and head track coach at Glendale high school, passed away unexpectedly on July 30, 2017.
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2013 NFF Chapter Scholar Athlete ~ Alexander Rosner
Alex was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona. He graduated from Brophy College Preparatory, where he played varsity football and nurtured a passion for mathematics, the sciences, and service to others. He went on to study Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2017.
He was a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder at the time of his death, October 2017.
Alex was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona. He graduated from Brophy College Preparatory, where he played varsity football and nurtured a passion for mathematics, the sciences, and service to others. He went on to study Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2017.
He was a graduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder at the time of his death, October 2017.
In MEMORY ... Moon Valley football player Carlos Sanchez
Arizona high school football player Carlos Sanchez, 16, died on Sunday after he collapsed during a game at Moon Valley High School on Friday, October 23, 2017.
Arizona high school football player Carlos Sanchez, 16, died on Sunday after he collapsed during a game at Moon Valley High School on Friday, October 23, 2017.
Coach Kenny Stites - Richard Obert, azcentral sports
Ex-Phoenix College football coach Ken Stites dies at 76, left lasting legacy Former Phoenix College and Phoenix Maryvale High School football coach Ken Stites died on Sunday, leaving so many players and coaches he worked with memories that will last forever. Stites, who suffered a stroke in January 2017, was 76.
Phoenix Brophy Prep football coach Scooter Molander called Stites "the best coach I've ever been around. " Molander played quarterback for Stites at Phoenix College in 1985 and '86 when the Bears were conference champions and won the Valley of the Sun Bowl each season. "He was so detailed, so great with the staff," Molander said. "He had an amazing ability to build you up when you were down. And when you thought you were really good, he knew how to critique."
Stites, who attended Mesa and South Mountain high schools in the 1950s, was all-state in football and won a state wrestling championship at South Mountain.
He played on Phoenix College's first undefeated football team in 1959 and was on Arizona State's wrestling team in 1961 and '62, before moving into coaching in '63 at Maryvale.
He took over the Maryvale program in '67 and led the Panthers to a 25-14-1 record in four years. Shanty Hogan hired Stites to be part of his Phoenix College staff in 1971.
Stites became head coach at PC in 1976 and, in 11 years, he went 80-26-4, winning six conference championships and playing in five bowl games. His '78 team went undefeated and tied New Mexico Military Institute in the Wool Bowl in Rosewell, N.M.
Stites helped Molander, a former Tempe Corona del Sol quarterback, get a scholarship to Colorado State. "He instilled a confidence that you knew you would win," Molander said. "It was not a question of if you're going to win, but how you're going to win."
Stites always surrounded himself with quality assistants, including former Paradise Valley head coach Bob Lambie and former Phoenix Central head coach Ray Laing. Laing, who had been helping Molander at Brophy, died in January 2016. "He got them to go to Phoenix College not for the money," Molander said. "It was a family."
Family was huge for Stites, who was married 55 years to his wife, Lana. Tracey Mahon, Stites' daughter, recalls a motto from his dad: "Chew 'em out once, then love 'em three times." "Being the daughter of Kenny Stites was nothing but a privilege," Mahon said. "He loved more than anything else."
August 15, 2016
Our hearts are saddened by the loss of Jo Lynn White, wife of our dear friend and longtime Chapter Advisory Board member, Danny White. Jo Lynn and Danny have four children and 12 grandchildren. Jo Lynn will be remembered as possibly the #1 Wife and Mother of the Century, just as Danny has been deemed Arizona's #1 Athlete of the 20th Century. Danny was the 1st ASU player to be inducted into the CHOF in 1997.
Our hearts are saddened by the loss of Jo Lynn White, wife of our dear friend and longtime Chapter Advisory Board member, Danny White. Jo Lynn and Danny have four children and 12 grandchildren. Jo Lynn will be remembered as possibly the #1 Wife and Mother of the Century, just as Danny has been deemed Arizona's #1 Athlete of the 20th Century. Danny was the 1st ASU player to be inducted into the CHOF in 1997.
Coach Thurman Simmons
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Thurman Simmons, long-time Board member and vice president of the Valley of the Sun Chapter, passed away July 24 at the age of 84. A dedicated high school coach and teacher in New Mexico and Arizona where his teams won 12 division championships, he was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame in 2001 and received the Chapter’s Frank Kush Lifetime Achievement Coaching Award in 1996.
He was born April 25, 1931, in Plainview, Texas, to Thurman and Martha Simmons. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 57 years, Carolyn.
Survivors include his four children, Thad Simmons (wife Teri), Ann Clark (husband Steve), Thom Simmons and Kay Zobrist (husband Scott); and seven grandchildren, Sara, Kristen, Kyle, Jonathan, Caitlin, Jake and Zachary.
Thurman graduated from Lovington High School in Lovington, N.M. He attended New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M., before enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1950 to serve his country during the Korean War. He served honorably and was a proud member of the Johnson Air Base Gunners football team, which won the Japan Inter-Service Football Championship in 1952. After four years he was honorably discharged and completed his degree at Highlands in 1955, where he was a football letterman.
Thurman and Carolyn married in 1955 and began their careers as educators in the tiny town of Weed, N.M. He was a dedicated coach and teacher. In addition to Weed, he coached football at Farmington, N.M., before moving to Arizona in 1959. His teams at Parker, Holbrook, Tolleson, Carl Hayden and Seton high schools won 12 division championships, and produced many inspired coaches, loyal teammates and upstanding young men, many of whom continued to make him a part of their lives and came to visit him in his last days.
He was named the Arizona Republic Coach of the Year in 1978, the Arizona Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1979 and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) District 8 Football Coach of the Year in 1980. He was inducted into the Arizona Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1984. He received the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Outstanding Coach Lifetime Award in 1996, and was named to the NHSACA Hall of Fame in 2001. As a well-known and well-respected teacher and coach, his Catholic faith, loyalty, strength of character and ability to forgive served as a living example to many.
He had a lifelong love of aviation and realized his dream of being a private pilot in 1982. He enjoyed flying family and friends in his Cessna to many destinations.
Thurman could have been defined solely by his career in football, but to those who were closest to him he was known as someone to depend on for sage advice and heartfelt compassion.
He was born April 25, 1931, in Plainview, Texas, to Thurman and Martha Simmons. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 57 years, Carolyn.
Survivors include his four children, Thad Simmons (wife Teri), Ann Clark (husband Steve), Thom Simmons and Kay Zobrist (husband Scott); and seven grandchildren, Sara, Kristen, Kyle, Jonathan, Caitlin, Jake and Zachary.
Thurman graduated from Lovington High School in Lovington, N.M. He attended New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M., before enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1950 to serve his country during the Korean War. He served honorably and was a proud member of the Johnson Air Base Gunners football team, which won the Japan Inter-Service Football Championship in 1952. After four years he was honorably discharged and completed his degree at Highlands in 1955, where he was a football letterman.
Thurman and Carolyn married in 1955 and began their careers as educators in the tiny town of Weed, N.M. He was a dedicated coach and teacher. In addition to Weed, he coached football at Farmington, N.M., before moving to Arizona in 1959. His teams at Parker, Holbrook, Tolleson, Carl Hayden and Seton high schools won 12 division championships, and produced many inspired coaches, loyal teammates and upstanding young men, many of whom continued to make him a part of their lives and came to visit him in his last days.
He was named the Arizona Republic Coach of the Year in 1978, the Arizona Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1979 and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) District 8 Football Coach of the Year in 1980. He was inducted into the Arizona Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1984. He received the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Outstanding Coach Lifetime Award in 1996, and was named to the NHSACA Hall of Fame in 2001. As a well-known and well-respected teacher and coach, his Catholic faith, loyalty, strength of character and ability to forgive served as a living example to many.
He had a lifelong love of aviation and realized his dream of being a private pilot in 1982. He enjoyed flying family and friends in his Cessna to many destinations.
Thurman could have been defined solely by his career in football, but to those who were closest to him he was known as someone to depend on for sage advice and heartfelt compassion.
In Memory of Longtime Chapter Board Member and Great Friend of "The Game"
... Coach Pete Pisciotta - 2014
... Coach Pete Pisciotta - 2014
With Deep Sadness - Notre Dame Prep Coach Scott Bemis passes... January 27, 2012
Our condolences to the Bemis families and the entire Notre Dame Prep community. May his soul rest in perfect peace. We are greatly saddened by the passing away of Coach Bemis. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bemis families always. The school's only coach since its inception in 2002, Bemis took a leave of absence from coaching and teaching in mid-September after an MRI revealed the tumor. But his condition worsened. Bemis started the Notre Dame football program and led the Saints to consecutive state championships in 2007 and 2008. Scott was 57-32 in eight seasons. He is survived by his wife and four children. Scott Bemis was awarded the Valley of the Sun Chapter 2011 "Earl Putman Dedicated Coach Award". Coach Bemis passed January 27, 2012 at the young age of 45.
Coach Earl Putman
February 19, 2006
COACH EARL PUTMAN ~ PAST CHAPTER BOARD MEMBER ~ COACH'S AWARD NAMESAKE
Born Earl Robert Putman in Cincinnati, Ohio, he coached for 30 years and was head football coach at Moon Valley High School for 25 years. Coach Putman was a championship winning athlete, a championship winning coach, and gentle giant of a man in stature, character, and accomplishments. Coach Putman's believed 'people are basically good' and his goal as a coach was 'to make young men better.' Winning was a bonus, but character building, helping young men find themselves through football, was his reason for coaching.
Selected as one of the Top 25 Football Coaches of the 21st Century by the Arizona Republic in December 1999, he was called 'a revered coach.' He had 167 wins at Moon Valley and his 1982 Rockets 14-0 season culminated in the AAA Arizona State Championship. He was named High School Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1986 and Skyline Division Coach of the Year in 1974, 1975, and 1988. He was head coach for the All-Star Game in 1981 and was honored by having the1985-86 All Star game dedicated to him. Moon Valley won the Skyline League Championships in 1981, 1982, and 1986, was AAA Arizona State Runner-up in 1986, and won the Fiesta Region Championship in 1989. He was inducted into the Arizona High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1985 and the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997. He received the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Outstanding Coaches Award in 1987 and the Arizona Coaches Association Distinguished Service Award in 1993. Other awards included the Arizona Republic All-Arizona Special Merit/Retiree Award 1989-90 and the Arizona Republic's Outstanding Coach, Men's Sports, for 1983. Coach Putman was President of the Arizona Coaches Association in 1970-73 and remained active in that organization, the National Football Foundation, and the Arizona Coaches Hall of Fame for the remainder of his life.
A 1950 graduate of Hughes High School, Cincinnati Ohio, he was a star tackle on the football team, co-captain of the track team, and state champion in the shot put and discus, setting new state records in both events. Coach Putman was recruited by both Woody Hayes and the legendary Bear Bryant but elected to come to Arizona State on a track scholarship. He set the 1951 Border Conference Record in shot put and discus. He played football at Arizona State in the fall of 1951 and a Los Angeles Examiner article described him as 'light footed as a gazelle on the grid.' Coach Putman graduated from Arizona State in 1957 with a BS degree and in 1964 from Northern Arizona University with a Masters degree.
He was drafted in 1952 and served in the Army during the Korean War. In 1953, he was the All-Service champion in shot put and discus. And with Coach Putman and other future NFL players, the Fort Ord Warriors football team won the All-Service championship the same year. Honorably discharged from the Army in 1954 he was a 5th round draft choice for the New York Giants. Teammates there included Frank Gifford, Kyle Rote, Tom Landry (player coach), and Vince Lombardi (position coach). Following a year in the Canadian League with the Hamilton Tiger Cats, he joined the Chicago Cardinals in 1957. The Earl Putman football trading card lists him as a center for the Chicago Cardinals and 'the biggest man in pro ball.' His 6 foot, 6 inch frame at 308 pounds, size 16 EEEE shoes, size 52 jersey, 44 pants, and size 8 headgear (created by splitting 2 normal helmets and splicing them together) made him the biggest man in the NFL in 1957. Coach Ray Richards, Chicago Cardinals, said of his new center, 'amazing mobility...actually quick.'
After retirement Coach Putman continued his service to young people as a mainstay in the free physicals for teen athletes program that screens young men and women who participate in school sports (Team Osteopathic Physicals for Students). Many young lives have been saved by this program which is provided free by the Steingard Group and others and with the assistance of more than 300 volunteers. The Valley of the Sun Chapter Champions Luncheon and Top Position Player Awards are were conceived and proposed by Coach Putman, as a long time and active Member and Officer of our Board.
COACH EARL PUTMAN ~ PAST CHAPTER BOARD MEMBER ~ COACH'S AWARD NAMESAKE
Born Earl Robert Putman in Cincinnati, Ohio, he coached for 30 years and was head football coach at Moon Valley High School for 25 years. Coach Putman was a championship winning athlete, a championship winning coach, and gentle giant of a man in stature, character, and accomplishments. Coach Putman's believed 'people are basically good' and his goal as a coach was 'to make young men better.' Winning was a bonus, but character building, helping young men find themselves through football, was his reason for coaching.
Selected as one of the Top 25 Football Coaches of the 21st Century by the Arizona Republic in December 1999, he was called 'a revered coach.' He had 167 wins at Moon Valley and his 1982 Rockets 14-0 season culminated in the AAA Arizona State Championship. He was named High School Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1986 and Skyline Division Coach of the Year in 1974, 1975, and 1988. He was head coach for the All-Star Game in 1981 and was honored by having the1985-86 All Star game dedicated to him. Moon Valley won the Skyline League Championships in 1981, 1982, and 1986, was AAA Arizona State Runner-up in 1986, and won the Fiesta Region Championship in 1989. He was inducted into the Arizona High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1985 and the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997. He received the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Outstanding Coaches Award in 1987 and the Arizona Coaches Association Distinguished Service Award in 1993. Other awards included the Arizona Republic All-Arizona Special Merit/Retiree Award 1989-90 and the Arizona Republic's Outstanding Coach, Men's Sports, for 1983. Coach Putman was President of the Arizona Coaches Association in 1970-73 and remained active in that organization, the National Football Foundation, and the Arizona Coaches Hall of Fame for the remainder of his life.
A 1950 graduate of Hughes High School, Cincinnati Ohio, he was a star tackle on the football team, co-captain of the track team, and state champion in the shot put and discus, setting new state records in both events. Coach Putman was recruited by both Woody Hayes and the legendary Bear Bryant but elected to come to Arizona State on a track scholarship. He set the 1951 Border Conference Record in shot put and discus. He played football at Arizona State in the fall of 1951 and a Los Angeles Examiner article described him as 'light footed as a gazelle on the grid.' Coach Putman graduated from Arizona State in 1957 with a BS degree and in 1964 from Northern Arizona University with a Masters degree.
He was drafted in 1952 and served in the Army during the Korean War. In 1953, he was the All-Service champion in shot put and discus. And with Coach Putman and other future NFL players, the Fort Ord Warriors football team won the All-Service championship the same year. Honorably discharged from the Army in 1954 he was a 5th round draft choice for the New York Giants. Teammates there included Frank Gifford, Kyle Rote, Tom Landry (player coach), and Vince Lombardi (position coach). Following a year in the Canadian League with the Hamilton Tiger Cats, he joined the Chicago Cardinals in 1957. The Earl Putman football trading card lists him as a center for the Chicago Cardinals and 'the biggest man in pro ball.' His 6 foot, 6 inch frame at 308 pounds, size 16 EEEE shoes, size 52 jersey, 44 pants, and size 8 headgear (created by splitting 2 normal helmets and splicing them together) made him the biggest man in the NFL in 1957. Coach Ray Richards, Chicago Cardinals, said of his new center, 'amazing mobility...actually quick.'
After retirement Coach Putman continued his service to young people as a mainstay in the free physicals for teen athletes program that screens young men and women who participate in school sports (Team Osteopathic Physicals for Students). Many young lives have been saved by this program which is provided free by the Steingard Group and others and with the assistance of more than 300 volunteers. The Valley of the Sun Chapter Champions Luncheon and Top Position Player Awards are were conceived and proposed by Coach Putman, as a long time and active Member and Officer of our Board.