Sal Aunese

Sal Aunese

Sal Aunese is a former Quarterback of Colorado who died of rare kind of stomach cancer at the age of 21 in 1989. Sal Aunese joined Colorado as junior Quarterbacks in 1988. Earlier, he played for Buffaloes as a sophomore and won the game for them. He passed for 1,004 yards and ran for 394. He led the team for 8-4. Sal Aunese was 6 feet tall and weighed 200 pounds. On March 30, 1989 he was diagnosed with a rare type of stomach cancer which later took his life. When the College Football League started regularly in 1989 in the Husky Stadium, the Buffaloes bent down on one knee and honored Sal Aunese. T.C. McCartney was only five months old at that time. Twenty years later, McCartney followed the legacy of his father and joined Tigers. In the season-opening match, he walked onto the same field where his father was honored by his team. In the story about Sal Aunese, both McCartney and Coach Les Miles have been interviewed. Les Miles recruited Sal Aunese when he was an assistant coach at Colorado.

Sports network ESPN today plans to air a tribute to Sal Aunese who played for CU as a Quarterback in 1987 and 1988. Sal had a very short sports career as he fell prey to inoperable stomach cancer in 1989. Sal Aunese was 20 years old and few inches shy of 6 feet when he started as Colorado’s junior starting quarterback. He was close to 200 pounds. He continued to be the starter all through 1988 and led his team, Buffaloes, to an 8-4 record, passing for 1,004 yards and running for 397. He had won the job early in 1987 as a sophomore. Sal Aunese was diagnosed with cancer on March 30, 1989, and he died six months later. Colorado dedicated the 1989 season to him and went 11-1, losing 21-6 to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. The Buffaloes won the Associated Press national title a year later. Sal Aunese was survived by his wife and a five-month old son, T.C. McCartney. Incidentally TC McCarney is now a quarterback at LSU. The plot of the documentary is something showing the son who is trying to walk in the footsteps of his dad.