Former player will lead return of CSU-Pueblo football team

John Wristen has once again proven that you can always return home.

On Sept. 6, Wristen will lead his alma mater when Colorado State University at Pueblo fields its first football team since 1984. The contest against Oklahoma Panhandle State will mark the grand opening of Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.

A former all-conference quarterback, Wristen guided the school to its only NAIA national playoff appearance his senior season. The following year, the team went 1-9 and the program was dismantled due to budget cuts.

In an effort to revive the program, university alumnus Dan DeRose launched "Friends of Football." The organization has raised $11.4 million, which has helped pay for a new stadium and will restore the wrestling and women's track and field teams.

Wristen last summer agreed to take over as the program's coach. Along with his assistants, Wristen scoured the Internet for recruits.

He estimates "126 names on the board," and of those, "quite a few" are from Colorado Springs. The unofficial roster lists 40 names; half are transfer students. It lists three players from the Springs.

Quarterback Bobby Washington (Sand Creek) is expected to redshirt his sophomore season after leaving Adams State. Freshman receiver Joseph Grimaldo (Mesa Ridge) and sophomore linebacker Tony Fiorillo (Pine Creek), who last season played at Monmouth, are also on the roster.

"We want to make Colorado Springs our recruiting home," said Wristen, who coached the past 17 years in the Division I ranks, with stops at Colorado, Northwestern and UCLA. "We don't want to let the best players get away. We feel really lucky to have the closeness to be able to get that done, and being able to help develop the pipeline of I-25."

Wristen faces a challenge in dealing with limited number of scholarships. Such is the case for Division II schools, which forces him to play "cap-ologist."

Wristen must divide 26 full scholarships throughout 70-75 players. Some, he says, will receive half; others get a portion.

"That's part of the challenge right now, is trying to recruit starters, recruit depth, recruit all the special teams, get that all done in one year," Wristen said Wednesday from the Sports Corp. Football Kickoff Luncheon. "No one else is doing what we're doing in a year."

"Our work is cut out for us."

The ThunderWolves open Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play on Sept. 13 at Fort Lewis.