Joe Rossi Hall of Fame

2008 Hall of Fame Inductee Carl L. Zele, Jr. – Littleton Carl Zele, Jr. graduated from Englewood High School in 1972. He began umpiring in 1973 while attending C.U. Boulder. While pursuant to a music career, he was always athletic as well. He changed his major two times. Deciding that baseball needed "more athletic umpires", and thinking what better summer job could there be than working in baseball while getting paid. Carl made one quick call to Bill Vincent and spawned a new career. From the first high school game in 1974 until 2002 (arguably the finest athletic overall in CHSBUA) Carl Zele became a student of the game. He began gathering information from the likes of Irv Brown, Dal Ward, Coach Dave Wardell, Frank "Chief" Prentup and experience through Jon MeSherry, Eric Gregg, Nick Bremigan, Joe Brinkman, and Rich Garcia. Carl began refereeing Colorado High School Basketball during this time, completing ten years of service. If that were not enough, he also refereed the CHSGSUA through 2004. While attending the Bill Kinnamon Pro-Umpire School in 1978, Carl began working a lot of games like no other. From playing and coaching many, many games, league finals, state, district, regional and National tournaments to working numerous games with guys like Ken Zenter, Willie Milton, Joe Bellich, Nick Emeterio and Floyd Ewing, Carl lived and worked with a desire to learn and with a determination to be right with poise and dignity, which he felt was needed in maintaining the code of ethics of baseball and the CHSBUA - Which are as follows:

1. Never cancel a game unless (a) you are sick or; (b) dead
2. Always try to be the best (or at least look the best)
3. It is a whole lot harder to remain calm and keep poised then to mouth-off. Through the countless finals, state, district and regional tournaments, Carl Zele, Jr. was able to become one of the many CHSBUA "Men in Blue" that make the game as good as it is.