Wreath honors 10 killed in Colorado crash of Oklahoma State plane

Friday, January 27th 2006, 9:55 am

By: News On 6

STRASBURG, Colo. (AP) -- Braving a bitterly cold wind, Oklahoma State University officials and others gathered Friday near the place where 10 people were killed in the crash of a university plane five years ago.

The Jan. 27, 2001, crash killed two OSU basketball players, six team staffers and the two-person crew. The plane had taken off from Jefferson County Airport outside Boulder after the Cowboys had played Colorado; it crashed in a snowstorm a short time later about 40 miles east of Denver.

About 20 people attended the brief service, including sheriff's deputies and firefighters who had rushed to the scene after the crash.

Another observance was held in Stillwater at OSU Friday afternoon.

OSU officials placed a wreath on a memorial constructed by the university about 1,000 feet from the crash site. Lee Bird, the university's vice president for student affairs, said the victims would never be forgotten.

Killed in the crash were players Daniel Lawson and Nate Fleming, director of basketball operations Pat Noyes, publicist Will Hancock, trainer Brian Luinstra, manager Jared Weiberg, play-by-play announcer Bill Teegins, radio engineer Kendall Durfey and pilots Denver Mills and Bjorn Fahlstrom.