Colorado Mesa University is mourning the loss of longtime administrator, coach, fan and friend of the athletic program Jim Paronto who passed away on December 11, 2023.
 
Jim served as the Assistant Director of Athletics and head football coach at Colorado Mesa (then Mesa State College) in 1990 before becoming the athletic director and served in that role from 1994-98.
 
Paronto was a longtime baseball umpire serving the Pac-12, WAC, Mountain West and Junior College World Series. He worked the JUCO World Series 15 times and the Connie Mack World Series five times. He served as the coordinator of umpires for the Mountain West, Scenic West, and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. He became the NCAA Baseball Rules Secretary in 2003.
 
Jim could be seen at nearly every football game and baseball game for the Mavericks for the past several years including this past fall's Maverick home football games.
 
The family has asked in lieu of flowers, to please consider a donation to a charity of your choice in Jim's name. A celebration of life will occur in April of 2024 and services will be held on December 22 at 10am at St. Matthews Episcopal Church.