Pueblo School District 60 honors its own “Mr. Rogers”
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — Remembered for his dedication to athletics and education, an official, coach, competitor, and teacher in Pueblo was honored recently after he passed away in February.
Pueblo School District 60 (D60) posted to its Facebook page on Tuesday, May 7 about Larry Rogers, who was honored by D60 Athletics Director Aaron Bravo, during a recent East High School soccer match at Dutch Clark Stadium.
“It’s a safe bet that anyone who has played soccer in the Steel City was officiated by Larry Rogers at some point during their career,” said Bravo. “But soccer was only a small part of who Larry was.”
To honor Rogers, Bravo presented a soccer ball signed by members of the D60 girls soccer teams to his widow, Kathleen. “We want to thank Larry Rogers for always ‘going that extra mile’ for the young people in our community,” Bravo said.
According to D60, Rogers graduated from Central High School and played basketball at what was then called the University of Southern Colorado. He was also an accomplished runner, according to the school district, and earned a sponsorship from Asics.
During his teaching career, Rogers taught at Franklin, Spann, and Morton elementary schools, in addition to Roncalli. He also coached several sports including cross country and track at East, and softball at Heaton Middle School, but according to D60, “Mr. Rogers will best be remembered for his efforts in soccer.”
Rogers coached girls club soccer and served as an official for the Pueblo Rangers, in addition to middle and high school soccer and adult league soccer, just to name a few. He also served as Area Director/Assignor for high school soccer until his passing, according to D60.
“Mr. Rogers believed in ‘teachable moments’ on the field and took every opportunity to pass on information to a player, or mentor a young referee,” wrote D60.
Rogers also passed the love of the game onto his three children, Vincent, Andrea, and Christa, who all played soccer at Centennial High School. His daughters also played competitive soccer for the Rangers, and Christa moved on to play in college at Tennessee Wesleyan University with a soccer scholarship. His other daughter, Andrea, now coaches the boys soccer program at Alamosa.
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