College Basketball - 1946

Lou Butler in white uniform, behind #22

First Season Playing Basketball
Pueblo Junior College – January 1946

Since I had been discharged from the Navy, I now had to decide what I was going to do. We had debated whether I should go to work (my dad really wanted me to go to work for the Missouri Pacific Railroad where he worked) or whether I should use my GI Bill and go to school. I was qualified for enough time on the GI Bill to get my BA and MA, and I knew I didn’t want to work for the railroad with all of its layoffs and constant working on nights and weekends. So I entered Pueblo Jr. College, not really knowing what I wanted to major in, just knowing I wanted to participate in sports. I enrolled in the business department with intentions of majoring in accounting. I also went out for basketball.


Harry Simmons was the coach and he was very helpful to one who had not played any ball in high school and needed a lot of coaching. He admired my hustle and determination to learn and so spent a lot of time trying to get my speed, coordination, and the ball into sync. I spent much time dribbling around the court whenever I was not on the floor until I could dribble without kicking the ball.

Leona had rented an upstairs apartment at 1701 East 7th Street, just 2 blocks from my folks and about 2 blocks from her folks. We had about 15 stairs going up to the apartment, but it seemed like a lot more when I arrived home after my first day's practice with the college basketball team. I had ridden the bus and streetcar for about an hour and had time to get good and stiff from the very strenuous workout!

Leona on THE STAIRS!

Most of the team had just returned to school from the service, and most of them had taken up smoking while in the service. Coach Simmons said he didn’t care if they smoked as long as they could keep up. He really worked us hard and most of them decided to give up smoking in order to keep up! Even though I didn’t smoke, I stood at the foot of those stairs thinking that I could never make it to the top!

Pueblo Junior College Basketball Team, January - March 1946

Lou Butler - back row, far right

INDIANS Basketball Prospectus

"All Pueblo Junior College games will be played in the spacious Junior College Gym where new fan shaped backboards have been installed this season. The new backboards should speed up our games and eliminate the mad scrambles that were evidenced with the rectangular boards."

Admissions -- Adults 60 cents --- Students 30 cents (Tax included)

"Louis Butler is short in statue [sic] and experience, but long on eagerness and speed. Louie stands but 5' 9", but his hustle and determination give him the necessary qualifications to become an outstanding player. A few games under his 'belt' and we can expect good basketball from this boy. Louie is a former Centennial student."

I played junior varsity mostly and got into some of the varsity games that season. Leona went with us on the bus to many of the games out of town. One of our first games was in Trinidad (Colorado) where, it seems, I spent more time on the floor from being knocked down, than I spent standing up. However, I missed 16 straight free throws! I can assure you I spent much time the next week and future weeks at the free throw line shooting free throws after most of the team was in the showers.

We had a very successful season and were invited to go to the National Junior College Basketball Tournament, but we didn’t have any money in the budget for basketball, let alone enough to go to a tournament, so we couldn’t accept the invitation. There were only 6 men on the campus when the 1945-1946 school year started and only about 250 when we all got out of the service in December.