Here They Come! The 1957-58 Pioneers University of Denver Ice Hockey 1957-'58

This month’s Historical Object is a 1957-1958 University of Denver (DU) Pioneer hockey souvenir program, entitled “Here They Come!: The 1957-58 Pioneers.”

DU has been playing Division I NCAA men’s ice hockey since 1949, when the Field House Arena (the predecessor to Magness Arena) was completed. Pioneer Hockey is one of the more successful hockey programs in the history of collegiate men’s ice hockey. As of 2012, the Pioneers are tied with the University of North Dakota for second in all-time NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championships with 7, trailing only the University of Michigan, which has 9. Since the creation of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in 1959, the Pioneers have won 9 WCHA Regular Season Championships and 14 WCHA Playoff Championships.

The 1957-58 hockey team was the first of many championship DU hockey teams. After compiling a 24-10-2 record, the 57-58  Pioneers defeated North Dakota 6-2 in the championship game in Minneapolis. The team also finished tied for first in the Western International Hockey League (WIHL), the school’s first-ever league crown. Coach Murray Armstrong, then in just his second season as head coach, had said publicly that he would quit if DU did not win a national title within three years. Armstrong went on to coach for another 29 years and win another 4 NCAA titles (1960, 1961, 1968, 1969). Armstrong retired in 1977 and passed away in 2010 at the age of 94. In 2008 the entire 1957-58 team was elected into the DU Athletic Hall of Fame.

1957-1958 University of Denver Men's Ice Hockey Team

This program from the Pioneers’ first championship year (1957-1958) features head shots of all DU athletics administrators, coaches, and players, and even includes players’ relationship statuses at the time the program was printed (the vast majority were apparently single). The program also features a handy illustrated guide (p.8) to hockey referee signals that “every fan should know.”

Poster for opening of Penrose Library in 1972

Penrose Library, now undergoing a total renovation, was first completed in 1972 as the successor to the Mary Reed Library. Mary Reed, built in the 1930s, had long before run out of space. While few would argue the beauty of Mary Reed, functionally as a library it left much to be desired. The El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs provided funding for the construction of the Penrose Library and the library was named after Spencer Penrose. Penrose had started the foundation with his wife in 1937. He made his fortune by investing in Colorado mining during the early 20th century, and the El Pomar Foundation was his way to “give back” to Colorado. The El Pomar Foundation donated a total of four and a half million dollars to the University. It was the largest gift in the history of the foundation up to that time, as well as the largest single gift the University had ever received from a foundation. The main colors used inside of the building were yellow, orange, red, and purple. Seating was unique and included doughnut chairs and pod, or “egg” chairs. This poster welcomed visitors and features a cartoon character sitting in one of the Penrose egg chairs. Some of the egg chairs will be retained, but as a memory of the past. There will be many new distinctive furniture features in the new building, which will bring the library fully into the 21st Century.

A DUPedia article is located at http://library.du.edu/dupedia/category/places/buildings/penrose-library with more photos and information