Joe Rossi Hall of Fame

1997 Hall of Fame Inductee Howard Dunbar – Cheyenne, Wyoming The late Howard Dunbar began his career as a sports official during a tour of duty with the U.S. Air Force, then called the Army Air Corps, shortly after the end of World War II. During this time, he served as Sports Commissioner for baseball, softball, basketball, and volleyball for U.S. personnel. Upon his transfer to Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, he continued to officiate high school sports in Wyoming as well as working in Nebraska and Colorado. Howard also worked in the Western Athletic Conference as a football official. After a career spanning 59 years, Howard retired from officiating after a career which saw him work softball for 50 cents per game (1934; the sport's second year) and where he assisted in the founding of the Eastern Wyoming Sports Officials Association (in 1980). His legacy to the sport also includes the naming of a sports facility in his honor. Dunbar Field was created by Cheyenne City Council resolution in 1994 in honor of Howard's "outstanding citizenship and contributions of time, energy and spirit to improve the quality of life in Cheyenne through its sporting activities." Howard died December 30, 1993 and is survived by his wife, Gwen and a family of two girls and one boy.