A day of baseball to honor Englewood legend Harry Wise

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Following a doubleheader at the stadium named for him, Englewood High School baseball legend Harry Wise will be honored with a celebration of life ceremony. e games on May 6 are meant to honor and remember Wise’s legacy as a teacher and multi-sport coach who was an inspiration to multiple generations of players. Wise passed away at age 95 in December, but word of his death has only recently come to light publicly.

By the accounts of colleagues who also call themselves friends, Wise had a spectacular life lled with countless accolades, Hall of Fame ceremonies, and lots of winning on the diamond. He was also a military veteran who served during World War II, and a standout ball player in college who turned pro. But according to Je Jones, who played for, coached with, and employed Wise, the celebration will be simple, just as Wise would have wanted it.

e Englewood High School varsity baseball team will host backto-back games at 10 a.m. and noon, followed by a tribute to him at 3800 S. Logan St. Jones is one of the organizers of the event.

“Harry loved the community,” said Jones, who coached with Wise for three years following his college baseball career in the 80s. Jones also spent nearly 30 years at the Englewood Recreation Center with the city.

“He actually prepared elds for us,” Jones added. “He prepared and lined elds for us for many, many years. Anybody that grew up in Englewood would have seen him on the elds. He’s always down there taking care of it during the day, mowing the in eld on his own. e attention to detail and his work ethic, it was second-to-none.”

Younger players and audiences wouldn’t recognize Wise for his own stardom on the diamond. at’s what happens when a legend becomes a servant of the community he loves.

Below is a loose timeline of Wise’s career accolades and milestones, as detailed by Ken Summers, who played for Wise in the 70s and coached junior varsity baseball and volleyball at Englewood with Wise for two years.

Early life and college:

Wise was born on Nov. 18, 1927 and raised on the family farm in

Platteville, south of Greeley, graduating from Platteville High School in 1944. He played football, basketball and track because there was no baseball team. After high school, he was recruited to attend Colorado State College (now the University of Northern Colorado) to play basketball and baseball for Coach Peter Butler.

His college days were interrupted by serving in the military during World War II. After that, he returned to college playing football, basketball, and baseball. He was outstanding in basketball earning rst team all-conference honors and leading the league in scoring. He was also an honorable mention All-American.

In baseball he was a dominating pitcher. He only lost one game in his college career. In 1949, he pitched a three-hit complete game of University of Southern California to earn the CSC Bears a trip to the College World Series. He also had a batting average over .500. He was the rst All-American in the history of the college.

Professional career:

After college, he was signed by the Chicago Cubs and played minor league baseball. He was with several teams, including the Topeka Cubs. In his best year, he pitched 24 complete games for a 19-5 record and a 0.89 ERA, leading the team to a league championship and earning MVP honors. However, an arm injury derailed his major league dream. e Basin League in South Dakota was the place in the 1950s and 1960s that served as a recruiting and training ground for promising professional baseball players. He was a player and then player-coach in the league. As a pitcher, Wise holds the earned run average record (ERA) with 0.89 in 1955.

After a year away from the league, he returned to coach the Winner Pheasants. He also served as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles. He coached a young Jim Palmer, a star pitcher, and future hall of famer to a contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Wise would coach 15 future professional players during his years in the league. While at Englewood he signed one of his star pitchers, Mike Wegener, to a pro contract.

Teaching & coaching, later years: Wise’s rst coaching and teaching positions were at Cheyenne Wells High School and Trinidad Junior College in southern Colorado. At Cheyenne Wells, he coached basketball and led the team to a state

SEE WISE, P23