CHSAA Remembers Former Commissioner Bob Ottewill

Bob Ottewill, who served as the commissioner of the Colorado High School Activities Association from 1990-2002 and helped to modernize the Association, passed away Saturday. He was 79.

“Bob’s contributions to this Association, and to education based athletics and activities in Colorado, were profound,” said CHSAA commissioner Mike Krueger. “His leadership helped shape the direction, values, and purpose of CHSAA in ways that continue to influence our work today.”

As broad and deep his impact was upon high school activities in Colorado, his personal interactions stayed with those he came across in his career and everyday life.

“The thing I will always attribute to Bob, he would always say, ‘No one is either all good, or all bad,'” said former CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico, who was hired by Ottewill. “He had perspective, and a good life balance. Play was really important to him. Whether it was wiffle ball or a peanut-eating contest, he made it fun.

“He led by being Bob,” Angelico continued. “He was generous, he was honest, he was insightful. Never did he lecture and say, ‘This is what you will do.’ But you knew just by watching him what the bar was, and what the expectation was. He led by example without a lot of words.”

Ottewill’s influence upon high school activities in Colorado, and the nation more broadly, was immense. His tenure saw the sanctioning of five new sports: field hockey, boys and girls lacrosse, girls golf, and spirit. He was a strong advocate for women, and girls sports.

“He hired two women, and that was unheard of at the time,” Angelico said. “People were like, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ But he put his money where his mouth was.”

Ottewill loved and believed in educationally based athletics – he once called his job the “the best business in the world” – and was always looking to improve.

“He was not stuck in the past,” Angelico said. “If there was a new way to try to do something, he would say, ‘Do it.’ He gave you the freedom to try it. He was forward-looking, not just focused on maintenance.”

Ottewill was hired to lead media, publications and information in 1972. During his first decade and a half working at CHSAA, he was integral to the Association’s communications and historical archives. He served on various national committees, helping to shape and influence rules, specifically in basketball.

He was named Associate Commissioner in 1988.

“When I got to town, Bob was the media guy,” said Marcia Neville, an Emmy-award-winning television sports broadcaster who spent 26 years reporting on Colorado’s high school sports & activities. “I was the first female television sports reporter in the state of Colorado – that had never happened before – and because I was assigned to be the high school specialist, to cover preps, C-H-S-A-A was kind of stuck with me. But that’s not the way Bob handled it. He was gracious. It was not something he had to get used to. I was the person who would be covering high school sports… and gender didn’t matter. 

“When he became commissioner, it just made sense for Bob to be in that position. He handled it fabulously. I think the thing about Bob is that he was a total professional. He knew his business, he was well respected, but he always had that sparkle in his eye and that devilish smirk, like he was up to something. Bob Ottewill was a lot of fun to work with and a lot of fun to be around.”

Ottewill was appointed commissioner in 1990, at the age of 43, by a unanimous vote. He inherited an Association in a financial crisis. Chief among Ottewill’s legacy is his swift navigation of that situation, and setting CHSAA up with financial stability.

“We were bankrupt,” Angelico said of Ottewill’s first year. “We couldn’t pay the rent, nor salaries, his first 10th months on the job. He inherited something he didn’t expect, and got us out of it masterfully. He really set the Association up with financial security.”

In his tenure as commissioner, Ottewill was responsible for hiring a number of staff, including Angelico and Rhonda Blanford-Green, who themselves would later become commissioners.

A prolific writer, Ottewill served at various times as the editor and publisher of The Colorado Interscholastic, which was distributed to schools quarterly, and served as CHSAA’s internal newsletter and historical record of the organization. He wrote an exhaustive history of the Association upon his retirement as commissioner. Even after his retirement from CHSAA, he continued to write for Mile High Sports.

Ottewill was inducted into the CHSAA Hall of Fame in 2006. His legacy is seen in the everyday details of the work in the Association to this day – a main meeting room, where most sports and activities committees meet annually, is named in his honor.

In 1992, Ottewill wrote, in remembrance of former commissioner Ray Ball, that Ball “was high school activities in this state for over 20 years.” He wouldn’t admit it, but Ottewill himself became synonymous with high school activities in this state for the next 20. His impact of progress helped to set CHSAA up as a modern Association.

“Bob’s impact was never limited to policy or governance,” Krueger said. “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,” Krueger continued. “I know that I certainly did, and I am forever grateful to him for his friendship and mentorship.”