Wristen to appear at Colorado Springs Sports Corp Kickoff Luncheon June 27

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (GoThunderWolves.com - June 12, 2012) - CSU-Pueblo head football coach John Wristen led the ThunderWolves to an 11-0 regular season record and a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship last season - the first outright conference title in CSU-Pueblo history - as well as a regular-season-ending ranking of #1 in the nation prior to the NCAA Division II Playoffs.  The ThuderWolves lost to defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth in the post-season opener in Pueblo, 24-21.

In the aftermath of that amazing season, Wristen was named the Division II National Coach of the Year by American Football Monthly magazine, a leading publication for football coaches.

Wristen has led a program that had been resurrected after discontinuing football in 1984.  After being named the head coach in May 2007, he was tasked to build a football program from the ground up and play its first game in September 2008.  That first season, the ThunderWolves went 4-6 and steadily improved every season thereafter - to 7-4 in 2009, 9-2 in 2010 and 11-1 in 2011. 

Wristen joins the lineup of Colorado coaches who be in Colorado Springs on June 27 for the Colorado Springs Sports Corp's annual College Football Kickoff Luncheon at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort at 12:00 Noon.

Over 350 seats have been reserved, but you have time to make your plans to be part of the state's best preview event for the upcoming season.

Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun will talk about the upcoming season, his incoming freshmen, his quarterback situation with the departure of Tim Jefferson, who will be carrying the football, and the tough MWC schedule. Is another bowl trip and more in the offing for the Falcons?

CU Assistant Head Coach and Quarterbacks coach Rip Scherer will discuss the promising QB prospects for the CU Buffs, highly-touted Texas transfer Connor Wood, prized freshman Shane Dillon, Kansas transfer Jordan Webb, and others who want the job. Scherer will also highlight the 28-man CU recruiting class ranked among the top 30 nationally.

New CSU head coach Jim McElwain will talk about his 21-man inaugural recruiting class that features some massive linemen, a search for a new quarterback, and Texas A&M transfer Mister Jones, a blue-chip running back. Plus, the buzz about a possible new on-campus stadium in Fort Collins.

Listen to Northern Colorado head coach Earnest Collins, Jr., about his promising 27-man recruiting class that includes Grand Junction QB Sean Rubalcaba, the Denver Post's Golden Helmet Award winner as the state's top player last year, and Central Florida transfer Leilon Willingham, a star at Mullen in his prep days.

Tables: $250.00 (Sports Corp Members or school booster clubs) $350.00 for others; Tickets: $25.00/$35.00 for same)

Contact Lincoln Floyd at the Sports Corp for your reservations: (719) 634-7333, ext. 1000, or by e-mail at:  lincoln@thesportscorp.org