Celebration of Champions activities Jan. 23
Release Date: January 14, 2015
PUEBLO - A Celebration of Champions will be held for the NCAA Division II National Football Champion Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves on January 23 in downtown Pueblo, featuring three distinct components -- a parade, a pep rally/ceremony, and a Fan Zone/block party. The events are a collaborative effort between the University, the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, and numerous community organizations and businesses. The CSU-Pueblo football team defeated Minnesota State University, Mankato, 13-0 in the championship game on Dec. 20 at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
Activities will kick off at 4 p.m. on Friday, January 23 with a parade in downtown Pueblo. The parade will begin from the Rawlings Library in the Mesa Junction and continue over the Union Avenue bridge to Memorial Hall. If inclement weather occurs, the staging will be moved to B Street. The parade will feature the Pueblo County Sheriff's Department at CSU-Pueblo, President Lesley Di Mare, marching band, cheer and dance squads, mascots, coaches, and players. As the parade passes, fans are encouraged to follow the parade lineup as they walk to Memorial Hall, where the pep rally/ceremony will occur.
Due to seating capacity in Memorial Hall, a limited number of tickets will be distributed for the pep rally ONLY. Pep Rally tickets (four per person) will be available beginning at noon on Friday at the Pueblo Convention Center box office downtown. University distribution of tickets for students only (one per student, must present identification) will begin on Monday in the CSU-Pueblo Bookstore in the Occhiato University Center.
The parade and pep rally will be televised LIVE on Comcast Cable Channel 19 thanks to the Center for New Media at Pueblo Community College. It will NOT air on DISH or Direct TV. Those who cannot obtain tickets will be able to view the pep rally at the Pueblo Convention Center or other area businesses, which are offering specials to anyone wearing CSU-Pueblo clothing. Pueblo citizens are encouraged to wear ThunderWolf clothing on Friday, January 23 to express their CSU-Pueblo and community pride.
The pep rally will include State of Colorado and Pueblo City-County proclamations, a variety of videos and congratulatory messages, as well as team and coach introductions and remarks by American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year John Wristen.
Following the rally, a block party/Fan Zone will be held in heated tents between Memorial Hall and the Historic Arkansas RiverWalk of Pueblo beginning at approximately 6 p.m. The Fan Zone will offer the music of CSU-Pueblo student-operated radio station Rev 89, giveaways as well as opportunities for photographs and autographs and the purchase of ThunderWolf gear from the CSU-Pueblo Bookstore. Copies of the Pueblo Chieftain Commemorative Edition from Monday, Jan. 12 will be available both at the rally and the Fan Zone.
The Pueblo YMCA also will be on hand with a selection of games for children and adults. Union Avenue restaurants and taverns will be open and additional food vendors will be available.
In addition to the January 23 events, the CSU-Pueblo Department of Athletics will honor the National Championship football team at half time of the ThunderWolves men's basketball game on Saturday, January 31 in Massari Arena. Tip-off for the men's game versus Western New Mexico is 7:30 p.m.
Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.
