John F. Kennedy High School's navy blue is prominent in Earl Sandstedt's Denver home. He was the Commanders' first head coach in boys basketball, holding the position from 1966-82. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)
Whether or not it dates him, Earl Sandstedt admits he played basketball at Denver West High School before the jump shot became the method of choice for sinking baskets.
Sandstedt was known for his two-handed set shot, which carried him through a stellar career at West, where he was one of the top players in the Denver Prep League. He went on to Colorado State College in Greeley, earning all-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors.
Sandstedt's two-handed setter didn't have the ring around the league as the powerful jump shots of Manual's Dennis Boone and Harry Hollines in later years or the zing of sweeping hook shots by South's Chuck Darling and East's Ron Shavlik. Sandstedt's two-handers were more like getting hit with a feather.
"When I was little, I wasn't strong enough to get the ball to the rim with one hand," Sandstedt said. "When I got older, I just kept it up. It worked."
While he didn't teach it as a coach, Sandstedt's trademark stayed with him. He rarely could enter a conversation without having to defend his old-fashioned way of playing the game.
Bob Mantooth, Sandstedt's teammate at both West and Colorado State College, keeps everything in perspective.
"He couldn't jump anyway," Mantooth said of Sandstedt launching a shot with both feet on the floor.
Memories of Sandstedt's basketball career were rekindled a couple of weeks ago when Kennedy High School had Earl's Night to honor its first basketball coach. Sandstedt moved from Manual High School, where he assisted Al Oviatt in basketball, to the head coaching job at Kennedy when the school opened in 1966.
Sandstedt coached the Commanders for 18 years, including the 1976-77 season, when Kennedy won the Denver Prep League championship.
"We had some good teams," Sandstedt said. "A couple of games stand out, but it's mainly the relationships you make with your players."
Sixty to 70 of his players and former associates showed up for Earl's Night. The list of his former players included his son, Mark, and Scott Yates, son of Dick Yates, a coaching icon at South and Kennedy in the DPL.
"It had been a long time, and I didn't recognize some of them," Sandstedt said. "We had to take a minute or two to get reacquainted."
Sandstedt was well known among the high school coaches in the state, serving in the officers' chairs of the state's high school coaches association.
Sandstedt retired from Kennedy in 1986. He exchanged basketballs for bicycles, and he and his wife, Pat, led a series of bicycle tours in Europe.
"Our favorite bike trip in Europe took us to Normandy in 2003 to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary," Pat Sandstedt said. "Our entire
The 1953-54 Northern Colorado men's basketball team (known then as Colorado State) take a break during practice. This is for a Colorado Classic on former player Earl Sandstedt. The two players kneeling are Earl Sandstedt, left, and Bob Mantooth, right. The coach is Pete Butler. (Courtesy of University of Northern Colorado)
family was with us."Sandstedt grew up on Denver's west side, a few blocks south of downtown Denver. His recreation center was the basketball court at Grace Church, an alternative to being on the streets for the area's youngsters.
"I had a social security number when I was 12 years old," Sandstedt said of his family work ethic that traced back to the wheat fields in eastern Colorado. "There wasn't any sitting around at my house."
Sandstedt played basketball at 6-foot-3 and could play guard or forward. He also played baseball at West, and the Cowboys won the state championship in 1949. Pitcher Bob Pryor was the catalyst, with Sandstedt in right field, Mantooth at first base and Ted Taylor at second base.
He's still dismayed by a happening at CSC. The Bears tied for the RMAC title in 1952 and faced a playoff to gain a spot in the postseason. But coach Pete Butler also was the baseball coach, and he told the basketball team the season was over and he was moving on to baseball. The playoff game never happened.
Sandstedt still takes some ribbing about his shooting style. But he also has an answer.
"I wish there would have been the 3-point line back then," Sandstedt said. "It would have been a piece of cake."
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com
Sandstedt file
Born: May 12, 1931, in Snyder (just north of Brush)
High school: Denver West
College: Colorado State College, Greeley
Family: Wife Pat, son Mark, daughters Dana and Lori
Hobbies: Golf, pool, biking, walking
Residence: Denver
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