Crack open the 1957 Englewood High School yearbook and you only need to flip a few pages to find a photo of Russell “Kay” McFarland. His dark hair, good looks, and bright eyes immediately draw attention. While well-known for his athleticism, he was a member of the EHS student council, the “E” club, the Red Cross, a junior Rotarian, the Stags, and a junior Kiwanian.
Football, basketball, track, and baseball rounded out his very busy, but well-rounded time at Englewood High School.
Kay Howard, the founder of the Veterans Memorial at EHS, graduated from Englewood High School in 1959 and has always felt a strong connection to the people she attended school with, including McFarland, “You can find out a lot about Kay (McFarland) from the EHS Yearbook for 1957. He was an outstanding athlete in track and football.”
In his obituary, written in May 2022, the touching tribute recounts his time at EHS. He emerged as one of the premier athletes in the state, earning recognition on all-star teams in football and basketball, including All-American honors. While competing for the Englewood Pirates, he secured state championships in the long jump and as part of the 880-yard relay team. In 1956, he was honored with the Denver Post Golden Helmet Award, which at that time was known as the Bronze Shoe.
Following his time in Englewood, McFarland excelled at Colorado State University. He earned varsity letters in three sports—basketball, football, and track—and received the Nye Award for being an exceptional male athlete.
Howard can recount multiple memories that she had shared with McFarland during their time at EHS, including Homecoming of ’57. “He took me to my first Homecoming dance in 1957 at EHS. I was in awe of him and had “hero worship.”
She also recounted personal memories between the two, giving examples of McFarland’s kindness to his fellow EHS classmates: “He taught me how to use a stick shift when I was learning to drive.” Overall, she described McFarland as handsome, tall, and a fantastic athlete.
Sometime after high school, “He married prom queen Pat Mooney.” They celebrated their 63rd anniversary a few months before he passed.
McFarland’s athletic skills attracted the interest of professional teams. Before he even played a college game, he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. His obituary noted that McFarland was “CSU’s first (and perhaps only) athlete to be drafted into the NFL without playing a single down for a college team, and likely one of the few in all professional sports.
He retired after a seven-year career in the pros, all with the 49ers. In 1992 Kay was inducted into the Colorado State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
While EHS Alum Howard did not stay in direct contact with McFarland, she would still see him as he traveled his path, “He went on to play professional football for the San Francisco 49ers and the Rams. I saw him play professional football for the 49ers when my husband and I lived in California.”
After retiring from the NFL, McFarland built and acted as CEO of a regional dental insurance provider for 16 years. He passed away on May 26, 2022, from Parkinson’s disease.
