Coach D talks about the beginning of Aspen's famous Rugby team... the Gentlemen of Aspen.

Pete DeGregorio (Aspen high school PE Coach /Original Aspen Gentlemen) (7 min) Image of Maroon Bells ©Mark Ronay Photography/ Music by Felix Plante. Produced by Twist and Turn Press.

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Pete DeGregorio

Coach Pete DeGregorio, the patriarch of modern-era football in Aspen, directs the Skiers through the then-Northwestern League with the help of assistant coach Willard Clapper, a graduate of Western State College.

“Pete … was amazing,” Clapper reiterated. “And he was one of the first rugby players here.”

DeGregorio helped establish the original Gentlemen of Aspen rugby club.

A quotable favorite in the Denver and Grand Junction newspapers back then, DeGregorio revered his role as the coach of an underdog, undersized football team in an awakening resort town. He often underplayed his team’s chances by building up the opponent and falling back on an Aspen resort stereotype.

“We have too many cake-eaters,” DeGregoria said, more than once or twice.

Cake-eaters who created a legacy Aspen football history.

Aspen Skiers Football

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