Chadron State College Athletic Hall of Fame
Gold was an all-state football player and a track and field standout at Chadron High School. He set the Class B state record of 158-foot-3 in the discus and placed third in the shot put at the Nebraska State Meet as a senior in 1964. He played football two years at CSC, but was booted off the team in 1966 by coach Jack McBride for smoking.
The incident proved to be a blessing for the next coach, Bill Giles. Gold returned to the team in 1967 and rushed 135 times for 681 yards. The following year, Gold became the first Chadron State player to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season, when he carried 214 times for 1,126 yards (5.3-yard average) and scored 10 touchdowns. The Eagles won eight games that fall after winning only nine the previous six seasons. Gold earned all-district and honorable mention All-American honors in ’68.
Gold spent 34 years as a business teacher and guidance counselor in the Bellevue Schools. His wife, the former Susan Lecher, also is from Chadron. They live in Bellevue. With some tutoring from Dr. Pat Colgate, one of the assistant football coaches at CSC when Gold played, he became an exceptional wood carver, specializing in Western figures.
