Western State's Vandenbusche to Enter USTFCCCA Hall of Fame

Vandenbusche to Enter USTFCCCA Hall of Fame

NEW ORLEANS - Duane Vandenbusche, who spent 36 seasons in a coaching capacity for the Western State cross country and track and field teams, will be a part of the 15th induction class into the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He will be formally inducted during the association's annual convention Dec. 16 in Orlando.

"I'm honored to be selected for entry into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame," Vandenbusche said. "I owe this award to all the great athletes and assistant coaches at Western State College throughout my 36-year coaching career."

Vandenbusche coached 12 national championship cross country teams and 51 national individual champions between track and field and cross country during his coaching tenure from 1972-2007. He was a seven-time national cross country coach of the year and coached more than 300 All-Americans in track and field and cross country.

Vandenbusche coached 27 RMAC championship teams. He also served as host for the 1991 Japanese National Cross Country team in Gunnison in its preparation for the World Championships.

Vandenbusche joined the Western State faculty in 1962 as history professor and will begin his 48th year on the faculty this fall. He's made numerous presentations and organized several seminars on historical topics of Colorado. Vandenbusche also received a Colorado Broadcasters Association second-place honor for a weekly sports program on KLVE in 1990.

Vandenbusche is one of six inductees in the 2009 Hall of Fame class. He is joined by Arthur Gulden (Bucknell), Franklin Pitcher "Pitch" Johnson (Drake/Stanford), Oscar Moore, Jr. (Rowan), Charles "Chuck" Rohe (Furman/Tennessee) and Gary Winckler (Florida State/Illinois).