Bob Ottewill, who worked for the Colorado High School Activities Association for three decades and Mile High Sports Magazine for 15 years, passed away early Saturday morning.
Ottewill’s final 12 years (1990-2002) at the CHSAA were spent as the organization’s commissioner; at Mile High Sports he served as an advisor and columnist, writing under the pen name “Pencils Robinson.”
“Bob Ottewill’s contributions to the Colorado High School Activities Association, and to education-based athletics and activities across our state, were truly profound,” said current CHSAA commissioner, Mike Krueger. “His leadership helped shape the values, direction, and purpose of CHSAA in ways that continue to guide our work today.”
James Merilatt, the founder of Mile High Sports, credits Ottewill for his role in an unlikely success story.
“Bob Ottewill played a pivotal role in the history of Mile High Sports,” said Merilatt, who started the still-in-publication magazine in 2002 and now leads the digital content efforts for DenverSports.com. “When I was just a kid living next door, he fed my love for sports; every day, there was something going on at the ‘Claire Sports Complex’ – from whiffleball to around-the-house football to pickup basketball. But more than that, he instilled a love for storytelling; he showcased that there was more to the game that the final score and the stat sheet. I’ll never forget seeing the newspaper story about his tryout with the Denver Rockets; I knew from that day on that I wanted to be a sportswriter. That planted the seed that would eventually turn into the magazine.”
Born in Kansas City in 1946, Ottewill was raised in Huntington, New York. His childhood served as a preview of the life and career he would eventually lead; his first job was camp counselor, official and coach at the famed “Norton Athletic Club” summer camps, where kids of all ages played games of all kinds from the time school ended until it resumed in the fall. Ottewill was a varsity letter winner at Huntington High School in both basketball and baseball, before earning a roster spot on the Ohio Weslyan University freshman basketball team.
Following college graduation, a job opportunity as an English teacher with Kearney Middle School in Commerce City ultimately led him to Colorado. While teaching at Kearney, he also worked nights and summers at the Denver Post, where he primarily fielded calls taking scores and stats and preparing them for publication in the next day’s paper.
During his time at the Post, he famously and anonymously tried out for the ABA’s Denver Rockets. After getting cut by head coach Alex Hannum, Ottewill penned a Plimpton-esque story detailing his failed attempt. The part-timer’s piece was quietly placed on the desk of legendary Post editor Dick Connor, who ran the story the following day. In a tongue-and-cheek gesture, the Rockets “retired” Ottewill’s practice jersey ahead of their subsequent home game.
With experience in both media and writing, Ottewill was hired by the CHSAA in 1972, handling media, publications and information. It was there that he truly began making an indelible mark on the lives of millions of kids in Colorado. Serving in various capacities and on various committees both in Colorado and nationally, Ottewill played a vital role in policy and rules, particularly in the sport of basketball. In 1988, Ottewill was named Associate Commissioner, and in 1990 he earned the role of Commissioner. During his tenure as commissioner, the CHSAA sanctioned five new sports: field hockey, boys and girls lacrosse, girls golf and spirit. He was a strong advocate for women, and girls sports.
“Bob was a big advocate for girls’ and women’s sports,” said Marcia Neville, who worked as a prep sports reporter for 24-years at Denver’s CBS4 and two more at Fox31; she also served as the co-emcee for the Sportswomen of Colorado’s annual awards celebration for more than 30 years. “He endorsed and celebrated the work we did at Sportswomen of Colorado. He’s also a member of the Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports Hall of Fame – that speaks volumes of his support and advocacy for Colorado’s female prep athletes.”
Neville also believes that a young Ottewill had to be one of the more forward-thinking employees of the CHSAA, an organization that had largely been run by men and primarily served young male athletes.
“He hired two women, and that was unheard of at the time,” former CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico told CHSAANow.com. “People were like, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ But he put his money where his mouth was.”
One of the women hired by Ottewill was Rhonda Blanford-Green, a track star at Aurora Central High School who would ultimately go on to earn the job of CHSAA commissioner from 2017 to 2022.
“Bob Ottewill was a champion of providing earned equitable opportunities and foreseeing the critical importance of representation in a statewide organization before it was a ‘thing,’” said Blanford-Green. “What an honor to be hired, mentored, and become a lifelong friend of this great, extraordinary leader and man, who authentically walked his walk.”
Ottewill was inducted into the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Hall of Fame in 2006.
“Bob’s impact was never limited to policy or governance,” Krueger added. “He was deeply committed to people and to the belief that educational experiences through activities and athletics can change lives.
“Many across our state benefited directly from his guidance, his example, and his genuine care for others. I know that I certainly did, and I am forever grateful to him for his friendship and mentorship.”
Following retirement from the CHSAA, Ottewill embarked on a new adventure – helping a fledging, local sports magazine take flight. Mile High Sports Magazine, an idea developed by Merilatt and further assisted by Doug Ottewill, Bob’s son, faced – as the former commissioner often noted – “long odds.”
But, like everything Ottewill did, he told the ambitious duo that anything was possible. His guidance and writing at a below market rate (or, “free” as was more accurately the case) helped launch Mile High Sports toward a run that few could have imagined.
“Once MHSM was more than just an idea in our minds, Bob continued to play a big part in what we were creating. His network of contacts in the Colorado sports community opened doors for us that would’ve been otherwise impossible to crack,” said Merilatt. “His column, penned under the name Pencils Robinson, provided us with quality and credibility that we desperately needed, especially in the early days of the publication. And he showed us what writing could be, providing us with a standard that we were all trying to match on a monthly basis.
“But perhaps most importantly, Bob offered us three things that are difficult to measure. He helped us tap into our imaginations, offering a glimpse into our creativity that ultimately became the spark for the magazine. He gave us confidence, giving encouragement at every step of the way, even when it most likely wasn’t warranted. And he provided us with a goal; subconsciously, we always wanted to make him proud with the work that we did.
“There are a lot of people who made Mile High Sports Magazine possible. But no one played a bigger role in the publication’s history and success than Bob Ottewill, with an impact that pre-dates the first issue by decades.
“They say that Hall of Famers are people that you can’t write the history of the sport, school or organization without them. With that criteria, Bob Ottewill is a first-ballot member of the MHS HOF.”
The senior Ottewill wrote for the publication for 15 years, while his son still serves as editor-in-chief. Mile High Sports is currently in its 24th year of publication.
Current contributor to Mile High Sports and longtime preps reporter for the Denver Post, Neil Devlin, remembers Ottewill for far more than just sports.
“I’ve lost a great friend, softball teammate, fellow vintage-car enthusiast and meal buddy,” said Devlin. “But the overall void for every prepster in the Rocky Mountains is so much bigger. As someone who was involved with Colorado high school sports for more than four decades, I defy anyone to even think about arguing who better combined leader, friend, protector, visionary, referee and a real sense of everyman to our state’s teenaged games.
“The loss was inevitable but still stings, and the local powers that be should be already creating an award in his honor. The ‘Commish’ was one of a kind and came to us at the correct time.”
Ottewill is survived by his son Doug, daughter Marianne Davidson and grandchildren Jack, Quinn, Maisy and Jameson – all of whom are, or will be, heavily involved in high school sports at Northfield High School in Denver.
“Everywhere I go, my last name precedes me,” said Doug. “It’s a testament to what my dad did and who he was. It’s a legacy I proudly honor every day.”
