Dear Western friends and alumni,I am writing this letter to express the importance of a successful football campaign for Western’s health and future.

First allow me to provide some context and background for my sense of the importance of this campaign. Many of you know that I served as the Head Coach for men’s basketball at Western for five years. More about that later. What most of you don’t know is that I wrote a doctoral dissertation at Penn State on the historical relationship of intercollegiate athletics to higher education. With that in mind, I would like to provide a“historical snapshot “ to help put this football campaign into a larger context.

Intercollegiate athletics in America began in 1852 with a crew regatta between Harvard and Yale at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Crew was the sport of the upper class elite in the mid-19th century and fit perfectly for the predominately private, eastern colleges and universities. By the early 1870’s, however, a new kid arrived to break up the party of the social elites at Harvard, Yale, Brown, Princeton and Dartmouth.

Massachusetts A&M in Amherst (known then as the “Mass Aggies,” and now as UMass) decided to competitively take on the elite “Blue bloods.” The Aggies hired a crew coach, trained hard, and won a regatta on the Connecticut River over Harvard, Yale and Brown in 1871. The Massachusetts A&M president, in attendance at the Regatta, took his carriage back to Amherst and triumphantly announced that “we have defeated the Blue bloods.” His message was clear and it fundamentally, for better or worse, set the course for intercollegiate athletics for the subsequent 130 years in America. The message was that in a competitive meritocracy such as America, winning teams could convey quality status on an institution of higher learning. Alumni and legislative support, as well as increased enrollment, came to Mass. A&M in the years subsequent to the 1871 regatta.

Today, 130 years later, the iconic cultural sport is no longer crew. It is football. Many of you know that I had the privilege to coach an outstanding men’s basketball team at Western in 1992-93. We won the RMAC title and represented the conference in the NCAA Div II tournament, finishing the season with a record of 25-5. I am certain that many of my players would attribute at least part of our success to the fact that we came along during the great years of Coach Duke Iverson’s football program. With wonderful student-athletes such as Shane Carwin, Reggie Alexander, Tyrone Johnson, and Jason Merrill Western State football was a power in the RMAC, thrilled the community and student body and helped instill a pride in Western that clearly rubbed off on our basketball program, students and community supporters. In short, it was a “feel good” time at Western and it is time for us to recapture that pride and momentum.

The bar, however, is much higher now than in the early 90’s. Colorado School of Mines decided in the late 90’s that it was their time to have a Mass Aggie “moment.” Over a million dollars in private funding came to the Mines football program and completely transformed them from last place to a perennial conference power. Recently, Colorado State University in Pueblo raised enough private money to fully fund a very competitive Division II football program and build facilities for that program. At Western we have a strong tradition of successful football programs. We also have a coaching staff in which we can take great pride. We have a magnificent new College Center and we continue to have faculty and academic programs that I would put up against any college in the country.

It is our time to return to excellence and generate the kind of excitement and pride in Western that we experienced many years ago. With your help we will get there.

Jay HelmanPresident

WESTERN STATE COLLEGE MOUNTAINEER FOOTBALL

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Importance of Football to Western State CollegeWSC Football has the greatest tradition of any RMAC football program over the past 50 years plus with 19 RMAC championships and 7 national playoff appearances:

• Provides the most opportunities for school pride, identity and synergy for all students, staff, alumni and community;

• Provides significant economic benefit to the institution and community;

• Graduates Student-Athletes at a rate greater than the general student body by a margin that is among the best in the NCAA D-II;

• Provides significant diversity to WSC;

• Provides an experience that impacts young men for life and contributes to their success for years to come;

• Provides significant visibility and exposure to the College through media;

• Provides an experience with teammates that bonds them for life in a manner few people ever have the privilege of experiencing. This is GREATLY enhanced when that group is a championship contender.

Challenges in Higher Education, Collegiate Athletics and WSC in Recent Years and Future Trends • Funding for Higher Education in Colorado has seen a

dramatic decline in recent years.

• WSC is one of the smallest NCAA D-II public institutions with football and is the smallest RMAC institution with football.

• Significantly less public dollars for institutions and athletic programs.

• Significantly higher costs in maintaining and competing in intercollegiate athletics especially as a NCAA D-II member.

• The overall institution and the athletic program must rely more on private dollars at an increasingly greater rate to provide quality co-educational programs for the student-athletes, campus, community and alumni. WSC Athletics raises approximately twice the national average in proportion to the budget.

Proof that Western State College Friends and Alumni Rise to the Challenge • Multiple record setting years for fund-raising for the Western State College Foundation;

• Multiple record setting years for fund-raising for Western State College Athletics;

• Multiple $1 Million plus gifts provided to the Western State College Foundation in recent years;

• The Borick Business Building is a $7 Million, 100% privately funded building that included a gift of $3 Million;

• A $750,000 new and expanded track was built in 2005 and $575,000 of it came from private funds;

• Millions of dollars have been donated to make the new College Center a reality.

Needs and Uses of the Funding for WSC Football • Scholarships for high quality student-athletes

• Salary augmentation to attract and retain quality staff—the leaders

• Increases in recruiting budget

• Increases in operational budget

Other Future Plans • New Indoor Field House, which will include new office complex and meeting rooms for football and

significant expansion of our current weight room–estimated completion date–2015.

• Mountaineer Bowl Press Box Renovation and Team Rooms–estimated completion date– 2016.

Goal • Immediately raise the annual budget for WSC Football by $200,000 per year through 5-Year Commitments

($1 Million total) for 2010 through 2015. This has currently already been committed through private funds raised, but to continue we must obtain further commitments for future years. These funds will be primarily used for scholarships and some salary augmentation.

• For Mountaineer Football to turn the corner and be regularly competitive for the RMAC championship and playoffs this MUST happen.

Why Now? What are the alumni of other RMAC Football institutions doing? • The needs are immediate and compelling.

Without this private partnership with the institution WSC football is at least $200,000 annual budget below that of our RMAC competitive peers, as well as in need of facility improvements. Those are coming relatively soon, but we need scholarship funds NOW to continue the work that Coach Stewart and his staff have started.

• RMAC football has risen in competitive comparison faster in the past three years than any time in memory with regard to new facilities, resources, etc. This has been made possible largely through private funding increases from the alumni of our fellow RMAC institutions.

• CSU-Pueblo added football fully funded with a brand new stadium, team rooms, locker rooms, etc. This took over $13 Million from the alumni.

• Colorado School of Mines alumni began donating millions of dollars about 7 years ago for their football program.

• Mesa State College just conducted a major athletic facility renovation and program improvements.

• Adams State College (our arch rivals) just renovated the football locker room, built a brand new 6,000 sq. ft. weight room and are undergoing massive stadium improvements.

• The University of Nebraska at Kearney recently built a multi-million dollar stadium and press box improvement.

• We can no longer afford to lose recruits to Adams State College, Mesa State College, or CSU-Pueblo because we were a few dollars short on scholarships or we lacked a bit of depth in key positions down the stretch.

– Tom Burggraf Executive Director, WSC Foundation and Vice-President of Institutional Advancement, WSC

What has happened so far with Mountaineer Football Alumni Giving? • The Silent Phase of the Campaign was launched in 2006 and so far 94 donors have

pledged just under $500,000.

• These pledges have allowed Coach Pat Stewart and his staff to begin to re-build Mountaineer Football from the ground up. This staff has been in place for four years and only the past two years have been with scholarship budgets nearing what our competitors in the RMAC have. They are ready to turn the corner. With your support, they can bring Mountaineer Football back to respectability and challenge for a championship soon. However, the time is NOW so there is no lack of continuity.

• “YOUR COACH” has endorsed this campaign!

Why might you give? • What did you get out of the privilege of your experience with Mountaineer Football?

• A college degree?

• An experience of a life-time as you were challenged to your limits and gained valuable lessons and leadership skills for life that have helped you succeed to this day?

• A group of “brothers” for life with a special bond?

• Let’s make sure that happens for the current and future Mountaineer Foot-ball players for generations to come.

– Martin Maslonka (‘89–’90)Lead Donor

Gift TablePlease consider a multi-year pledge for this important campaign. Multi-year pledges allow the program to make decisions, especially recruiting, with confidence and plan for the future. With respect to the current economic conditions and your individual situation and current place in life, we urge you to stretch your abilities. The current economic conditions also make the compelling needs for Mountaineer Football urgent and great. Imagine this program moving forward to a championship level during these difficult economic conditions. The Great Ones rise to the occasion, seize opportunities and rise above when others allow adverse conditions to dictate to them what their future will be. Pushing our comfort level will take us to the land of champions!

Please note that you can make your payments monthly, quarterly, or annually and this can be done through automatic deductions from a credit card or by check. We are flexible to meet your financial and tax needs.

1976 1992 1978 1994 1979 1997 1991

1954 1974 1992 1963 1975 1994 1964 1976 1995 1965 1977 1997 1966 1978 1998 1971 1979 1973 1991

Number Annual Campaign of Gifts Gift Annual 5-Year Required Level Cumulative Total

LEADERSHIP GIFTS 1 $25,000 $25,000 $125,000 2 $10,000 $45,000 $225,000 5 $5,000 $70,000 $350,000 Subtotal $70,000 $350,000 MAJOR GIFTS 10 $3,000 $100,000 $500,000 15 $2,000 $130,000 $650,000 25 $1,000 $155,000 $775,000 Subtotal $155,000 $775,000 SPECIAL GIFTS 30 $500 $170,000 $850,000 50 $250 $182,500 $912,500 100 $100 $192,500 $962,500 Subtotal $192,500 $962,500 Gifts Below $100 Many $1 – $99 $200,000 $1,000,000

Dear Alumni and Western State Supporters (especially those of you whose memories stretch back to the halcyon days of Western State football of the 30’s, 40’s and the 50’s as mine do):

Football was at the heart of Western’s lore in those days. And its traditions, from taking the train to games, the lighting of the “W”, and white-washing the “W” with a bucket brigade, to Tracy’s old red pick-up (the one before the arrival of his “new” blue one), bonfires, and Wednesday night “Sponsor Club” meetings, were at the heart of social and education experiences.

Gathering the needed resources to recruit top-flight athletes, the likes of Bill Rhodes, Bob Mears, Bill Schmalz, Dick Mikkelsen, Theron Bradford, Sam Boyd, Jim Roser and Jon Vaglienti (to name a few that have not

at this moment escaped my ninety-three year old memory), has always been necessary to a successful program. Coach Pete had to scrap for football talent just as coaches do today, and he traveled Colorado and beyond to find that talent. He found boys who learned to play the Split-T as it was supposed to be played—with an attention-grabbing combination of finesse and bone-jarring blocking and tackling. Coach Pete formed a Sponsors Club to build community involvement in Mountaineer football. They met each week during football season to watch films and get Pete’s commentary on the most recent game. These community members provided “sponsorship” of student athletes by simply providing a local “family” connection to make the remoteness of Gunnison less burdensome. I have many, many letters that affirm the impact that Coach Pete and Western State football had on the lives of football players, and I must add, I have many wonderful memories that affirm the impact that those players and Mountaineer football had on Coach

Pete and me.

Even greater recruiting challenges are faced by Western’s coaches today, with increased competition and expenses, and a difficult economy. I am encour-aging you to remember the Western State sense of family that served all of us so well in years past and join my efforts to support the football pro-gram to the end of reinvigorating the pride of the Western State Col-lege community that we all cherish.

Sincerely and respectfully,

Frances Pederson, Wife of Coach Pete (1953-1960)

– Frances Pederson Coach Pete Pederson’s wife

Dear Dalton Era Alumni,

I hope this note finds you all well. I want to thank all of you that attended the Dalton Gang Football Alumni Reunion this past fall in Gunnison during the Hall of Fame weekend. It was great to see all of you and reminisce about the ol’ times.

As you all know, I coached at many levels including the college level for quite some time. Consequently, I am very aware of the challenges that coaches and programs face in today’s collegiate competitive environment. These challenges are even greater for NCAA Division II programs, especially West-ern State College as a very small NCAA D-II school.

I have stayed abreast of the status of the Mountaineer Football program and I was able to get an even better pulse on that status last fall during our time in Gunnison. I have also had the opportunity to visit with Greg Waggoner, Athletic Director at WSC, about their current challenges.

WSC currently has strong leadership from the top down, especially with Pat Stewart and his staff. However, they need resourc-es to compete with the rest of the RMAC and the NCAA D-II. WSC has launched a capital campaign for raising scholarships and other operating funds for the football program in an attempt to bring them into better parity with their competitive peers. This “bar” is changing daily and we need to act swiftly.

Alumni and donors of other colleges and universities are stepping up to keep their programs competitive. We need to do the same. I have personally committed to this campaign and I know many of you have also. If you have not already done

so, I strongly urge you to do so soon. If you have already committed, then I am

proud of you.

Football is the greatest game ever played and Mountaineer Football is very special in so many ways. For it to remain special, it needs to be competitive to carry on the great Mountaineer Football tradition. It is important to the pro-gram, the College and all of the future young men that will come through the program.

I look forward to sometime down the road at another Dalton Gang Reunion and sitting in Mountaineer Bowl watching them dominate the other team and reminiscing with you all again.

– Sincerely, Coach Dalton

– Coach Kay Dalton (1961-1965)

Dear Friends,

It is my pleasure to be asked by Greg Waggoner to write about the importance of greater funding for a quality WSC football program.

I was hired as an Assistant Professor in HPER and 1st assistant in foot-ball to Coach Dalton. As well, I was Head Track Coach, replacing the legendary, Coach Paul Wright. I had a full teaching load and was a teacher first, and a coach second. I later became a successful golf coach.

In football, during this period of time, we were the top Division 4 team in the region, and finished second to North Dakota State. We lost by one point in a heartbreaker for the NCAA Division 4 Championship.

A coach is as successful as his staff. It is so important to make raising money for the program the number one priority. I believe the football program should be separated in raising funds from the other sports as it needs to be the #1 priority. We need football coaches who will never be satisfied with second best. In order to give a team the best chance of success, there has to be financial support.

I have confidence that if Coach Stewart and his staff have the proper support they will be successful.

Sincerely, Ollie Woods

Dear Western State College Football Alumni,I have been asked on behalf of my father, Tracy Borah, to write this letter to WSC football alumni for the Western State Football campaign.

My daddy loved Western State College! He loved the institution as a place of receiving a quality education. He received his MA in 1957. He loved the colors of WSC: Crimson and Slate. He had his office at home painted slate and the furniture was crimson! He loved the mascot of WSC: Mountaineers. It truly reflected his heritage with his family for his grandfather was a hunting guide for President Teddy Roosevelt. Most importantly and above all else, what he loved the most were the athletes and coaches that came through Western’s doors. To him, you were family; his family. He was ever so proud of each of you in your accomplishments. This was everything from what you did on the playing field as either a player or a coach but for your successes in life. He believed in each of you and knew you would succeed. You had played WSC football or helped coach the program and that helped to mold you into the fine men you are today. The coaches from Pederson, to Dalton, to Noxon were reliable. They never gave up on you. It was an honor for my father to be an assistant coach to each of these fine men, too.

My father absolutely loved every reunion he orchestrated from the Pederson Era, the Dalton Gang Era, and to the Noxon Era. He never wanted you to forget where you came from as you were molded from boys to men. He also wanted the WSC football players and coaches to remember they are family to each other.

Western State College was my father’s home. He knew he owed a debt of grati-tude to the institution and to those who helped him get a start in his career at WSC. Coach Pete Pederson recruited my father to Western in 1956. That began the circle of life for my father’s WSC fam-ily. It is an honor that this family still continues to this day.

I hope you can find it within your reach to give back to Western State College. The WSC

Football campaign is a great way to honor what you received – to be a member of a unique, elite family of belonging to WSC football alumni plus an educa-tion and your success in life.

With Kindest Respect to All,Candi Borah

– Candi Borah Coach Tracy Borah’s daughter (1956-1985)

Dear Mountaineers,For those of you who were at our last reunion at homecoming, it was great getting together again. And for those who weren’t there, we missed you and you missed a fun weekend.

The reason I’m dropping you a note is because the WSC football program is having a bit of a problem. I think Pat Stewart and his staff are working very hard to produce winning football, but they are having a tough time competing in the RMAC and Division II football. The problem, as I see it, is the small size of the school and town – therefore smaller size budget for scholarships, etc.

I know these are very tough economic times, but if you do have some extra cash, they could surely use it to help keep the team competitive. If you feel so inclined, contact Greg Waggoner. Even small amounts by a lot of people would help.

Having been in the situation I was in the last couple of years I coached (coaches riffed, scholarships cut, etc.), I know it is tough coaching with both hands tied behind your back. Any-way it was good seeing everybody and I hope we can do it again and hope we can somehow support our school and team.

Your Coach Always,

Bill Noxon

Dear Friends,I would like to add my whole hearted support to the “Football Return to Dominance and Secure the Future Capital Campaign” and to encourage everyone to contribute to this endeavor to the best of their ability. I know the question might be -- Why? The answer is easy but the hard part requires getting it done.

WSC has experienced success in football when we have good student-athletes (call it talent if you want) that are well prepared and have an attitude of excellence. Coach Stewart and his staff are working extremely hard to obtain quality student-athletes, prepare them well and install a sense of excellence in the squad members both on and off the field. However, they have been working at a competitive disadvantage in terms of the recruiting process and especially as it involves scholarship monies.

Let’s face it, today’s recruitable student-athlete is making his decision not only on academic offerings and college location, but Scholar-ship offering play a huge part in the decision making process as well. Factor the parents or guardians in this decision and you can understand why financial considerations play a major role in the college the football prospect eventually selects. “WE” must catch up in this area if our winning tradition is to be reestablished and continued!!!

I am extremely proud to have served as a head or assistant coach at WSC for over 20 years.  My memories are great and I have been fortunate to be a part of helping establish a truly great Mountaineer football winning tradition at one of the most unique college settings in America. I know you all share this pride and experienced some of your

greatest memories while being a part of the Western football program. But now is a time where we must find a way to provide similar resources that are being utilized by our competitive peers and to help WSC football return to dominance. And we can’t count on “State Dollars” to help any more as was once done it the past. Those days are pretty much over. So again, I call on you to do what you can to help. Being a Mountain-eer football player is special -- having a winning program is “really special!!!!”

Duke Iverson (WSC - 1967-68, 1974-78, 1988-2000, 2006-2007)

Dear Alumni,Hello, I’m the Head Football Coach of Western State College and I am a football alumnus. I am very proud to have gone to college at Western State in Gunnison, Colorado. I believe in Western State College football and what it does for young men. I have been the head coach at Western for the last four years and have witnessed our team develop into a mature squad that

is poised to make a run at our 20th RMAC Championship. Our program is at a pivotal point in its history and your help is required.

The name of the enterprise is called the “Return to Dominance and Secure the Future” campaign. Thanks to many of you that have already joined this effort with a significant commitment. We are all at different places in our lives with family, obligations and our professions but please consider what you can give back to your program. You have my assurance we will be good stewards of your investment in Western State Football and you won’t be disappointed with the results. It is monumentally important that we commit to bringing this great program back to the top and ensure that it will always be here.

Western helped to mold me into the man I am today. I know my experience at Western State has had a direct impact on all of the success I have experienced in my professional and personal life. Throughout my career, regardless of what was going on in my life, I have worn Western State Football on my heart with pride and honor. You can‘t put a dollar amount on what this football program has done for many of us. You are part of an exceptional breed because you went to school at the coldest spot in the nation and played college football at the highest elevation in the world! We’re asking you to give back and create an everlasting legacy so that future generations of Mountaineer Football can encounter the same rich experiences and blessings that you have had. It takes action and we need you to get involved financially any way that you are capable of giving. We need your help to make that happen for this fall and in the future. This is a critical time to secure our football program, which has given us so much. Your benevolent gift will help change the landscape of college football in this part of the country. Please help make Western State Football a perennial playoff and championship contender now and in the future!

Sincerely,

Pat StewartHead Football Coach, Western State College

– Pat Stewart

Dear WSC Football Alumni and Friends,I am excited to share this WSC Football Return to Dominance and Secure the Future Capital Campaign with you. This is a campaign about a program that has been part of the fabric of Western State College for nearly 90 years and is equally important to the future of our Athletic Department, College and Community for the next 100 years. This is about a program that has won more than twice the number of RMAC championships as any other RMAC institution in the history of one of the oldest conferences in the nation. This is about a program that has provided many young men a rare and special opportunity and experience and has been instrumental in producing thousands of young men going on to great successes in life. This is a program that builds “Champion Leaders for Tomorrow.”

In the past three-plus years, I have met personally with approximately 150 WSC Football alumni and friends about this campaign and the needs of Mountaineer Football. Nearly 100 of you have already started your commitments to a tune of nearly $500,000. This equates to just under $5,000 per individual committed so far. I hope you can join these donors by committing a pledge of significance soon. Join your former teammates and join other Mountaineers in making a difference.

WSC is one of the smallest NCAA D-II institutions in America that sponsors football and we are located in a state that is extremely challenged economically, especially in higher education. WSC Athletics currently raises between 35% and 48% of our total annual budget (including salaries) depending on the year. This compares to the average in the NCAA D-II of 24%. We have worked hard and we are being creative in doing all that we can to bring competitive teams to the College. More facilities and commitments are coming soon.

We are competing against many other institutions of larger size that have also been successful in raising money through their alumni and friends. In several cases, the fund-raising was initiated by the alumni themselves.

As a fellow Mountaineer student-athlete, I know what WSC has given me through my competitive experience. I also know what Mountaineer Football means to each of us and to this College and community. I respect the fact that the economy may force you to hesitate regarding the level you may commit. However, it is also because of these economic times that Mountaineer Football needs you. I urge you to match your fellow Mountaineers and to out-give your RMAC competitive football alumni. Our goal is to obtain this pledge by July 1, 2010. Keep in mind that you can pay it monthly or annually. We are flexible and can set up credit card charge also.

Coach Stewart and his staff received some additional staffing and scholarships when they took over four years ago, but it has just been in the past two years that we began to commit the full $200,000 per year to get them in the middle of the pack in the RMAC. With your support, they can and will bring Mountaineer Football back to a championship caliber program you can be proud of, but we must sustain the $200,000. The price of playing poker (or football) in the RMAC has risen exponentially. We are asking you to partner with us to bring Mountaineer Football back to respectability. Again, Coach Stewart and his staff have made strides, but now we need to make leaps and bounds and the time is urgent!

My contact information is on the bottom of this letter and I urge you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. If possible, I can also arrange a time to meet with you in person. I look forward to receiving your pledge soon and thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Greg WaggonerAthletic Director

(970) 943-2079 gwaggoner@western.edu

Western State CollegeWSC Football Return to Dominance and Secure the Future Campaign

LETTER OF INTENDED DONATION

I/we, ____________________________________, because of my/our belief in and devotion to Western State College and Mountaineer Football, and my/our commitment to future generations of WSC Football players, hereby register my/our intended support for the Return to Dominance and Secure the Future Campaign. It is my/our intent to provide a total of $____________ to the Western State College Foundation/WSC Football Campaign for the exclusive use of funding the WSC Football program.

This commitment shall extend over a period of 5 (five) consecutive years, with the first installment in _________, 20___ . I/we reserve the right to meet this funding commitment on a flexible schedule, including the possibility of accelerating the payment schedule.

I/we am receiving no goods or services in exchange for this tax-deductible donation.

All correspondence relating to this pledge, payment receipts, and any additional forms of recognition shall be sent to me/us at the following address:

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

My/our gift commitment may be publicized in order to enhance the visibility and mission of the Return to Dominance and Secure the Future Campaign.

__________________________________________________ __________ (Donor) Date

__________________________________________________ __________ (Donor) Date

_________________________________________________ __________Tom Burggraf (Executive Director, WSCF) DateORGreg Waggoner (Athletic Director, WSC)

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THANK�YOU!