Purify enjoys purity of semipro football

Bobby Purify doesn’t miss the days of scoring touchdowns for the University of Colorado. He’s OK with not hearing his name on ESPN and not reading his name in the newspaper.

“It’s in my past,” said Purify who works in real estate as a contractor for Colorado Springs Utilities. “I’ve lived my dream. I’ve done what I’ve wanted to do in my life. I have a blessed life in my eyes. My two girls (ages 4 and 2) are healthy, and I’m still able to play the sport I grew up playing.”

From 2000 to 2004, Purify trotted out to games in a black and gold uniform for the Buffaloes. Now, he takes the field donning red and black for the Colorado Springs Flames, a semipro team in the Colorado Football Conference.

The Flames own a league-best 8-0 record.

For Purify, a wide receiver for the Flames, the game is more fun than work. After leaving Colorado, where he played running back, Purify had brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers before returning to Colorado Springs. He joined the Flames at the start of last season and was hooked because of the camaraderie among his teammates.

“Every practice, it’s like a family reunion,” the Palmer High School graduate said. “Always cracking jokes and messing with each other.

“Plus, it keeps me sane. I have two little girls, and it gets me out of the house. It helps me stay in shape as well, and it’s just a couple hours a week where I get to bond with some guys that have common interests.”

The common interest is a love for football, said Nic Olney, the team’s defensive coordinator and assistant general manager.

“All these guys have jobs, have families — they’re grown men,” said Olney, a teacher at Panorama Middle School and coach at Harrison High School. “They make priorities to be here because they love the game.”

That love has yielded almost immaculate results. The Flames have outscored opponents 413-29.

“That reflects the amount of talent we have,” said Fred Reese, who has coached the team since 1998 and was a running back for the Dallas Cowboys and 49ers in the early 1970s. “We have a lot of guys who have played college ball, whether it be Division I, II or III.

“A lot of people that hear about semipro football don’t think there’s talent out on the field. They think it’s just another sandlot brawl. This league, in the years that I’ve been here, I’ve seen them clean it up. No fights. It’s just a good brand of football, and it’s great entertainment for the local community, especially Colorado Springs.”

ABOUT THE FLAMES

• Part of the nine-team Colorado Football Conference

• Established in 1987, inaugural year of CFC

• 8-0 this year, outscored opponents 413 to 29

• CFC divisional playoffs are this weekend. Flames have a bye and will play in CFC semifinals Aug. 15

• Notable players on the team: WR Bobby Purify (University of Colorado), RB Ian Oldham (Colorado State University), DL Daniel Garcia (Western State), DL Al Everett (Adams State), LB Hansel Bjork (Adams State)