Sitting in class as a student at Colorado State University, Jim Opperman was bored out of his mind.

The Course was ‘Principles of Healthful Living,’ and the teacher was none other than CSU football and wrestling coach, Tuffy Mullison. As the other students were doodling and dozing off, Mullison zeroed in on Opperman with a proposition.

CSU was about to square off against their rival, the University of Wyoming. The problem was, they needed a heavyweight. As a 210-pound all-state athlete and a member of the Rams football team, Opperman fit the bill. Plus, Opperman could use the good clout with Mullison – if he missed any more classes, he’d risk losing another letter grade.

“I liked wrestling, and I had already missed 12 classes, so I thought it could help,” Opperman said. “So, I wrestled (against Wyoming) with no practice. And I won the match!”

Even though he won, the Rams didn’t win the dual, but Opperman, still committed to playing football, continued to wrestle in the heavyweight slot despite never going to a single practice, ultimately earning a fourth-place finish in the Western Athletic Conference tournament despite giving up more than 100 pounds to one opponent from Brigham Young University.

After college, and a stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, Opperman returned to Fort Collins and began his student-teaching and coaching football at Poudre High School. Then, an out-of-the-blue phone call came from an assistant coach of Arnold ‘Torgy’ Torgerson at Fort Collins High. “I didn’t know him from Adam, but I got a call saying (Torgy) wouldn’t let him quit until he found a replacement,” Opperman said. “All of a sudden, I had an opportunity. Torgy helped me understand how to become a better head coach and allowed me the leeway to do what I needed to do.” It would be hard to find a better mentor than Torgerson, a 2002 Lifetime Service to Wrestling honoree and a staple in the Colorado prep wrestling community.

It was under his tutelage that Opperman learned how to be a coach and mentor in his own right, a path that led him to coaching hundreds of student athletes in football, wrestling, and even rugby at places like Fort Collins, Lakewood, Green Mountain, Mullen, Smoky Hill, and currently Fairview. Opperman has coached multiple champions and state placers, but more importantly he’s touched many lives.

Among his fondest memories was coaching his first dual meet victory while at Fort Collins, against defending state champion Fort Morgan. It came down to the final match, and Opperman’s squad got the win in dramatic fashion.

As he looked around amidst the chaos in the gym, Opperman saw Stan Lampe, another Colorado coaching legend, standing and smiling. “I just saw him smiling and enjoying what we had accomplished, and that recognition and appreciation meant a lot to me,” Opperman said. “It’s very humbling to get this type of recognition that you’re not really looking for.”

(Presenter-Ryun Mendoza)