The University of Northern Colorado baseball program started in 1924 and Virgil Jester was their first player to make it to the Major League level. Names that appear on the chart above in bold print are in the University of Northern Colorado Hall of Fame.

The University of Northern Colorado Bears have appeared in ten College World Series: 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 & 1974. The latter being discussed below:

The Magical Season

In the long and storied history of UNC baseball, 1974 sticks out as a magical year in Greely. Head coach Tom Petroff led the Bears to a 32-13 record and the school's 10th berth in the College World Series; however, 1974 will always be remembered for the District Playoffs held at Jackson Field. With a CWS berth on the line, UNC disposed of Gonzaga in three straight games. That set up a showdown with the nation's top-ranked squad - Arizona, who came into the three-game series with a record of 58-4. Before an estimated crowd of 3,000, the Bears handled the heavily favored Wildcats 6-5 and 6-2 to advance to Omaha, Nebraska. At the CWS, UNC fell to Oklahoma 10-1 in its first game but came back to defeat Harvard (4-2) before being eliminated by Southern Illinois (5-3).

Source: University of Northern Colorado Media Guide.

Did you know that there are seven (7) former University of Northern Colorado players who made it to "the show"? Send corrections or updates to Baseball Almanac.