Anyone meeting Larry Varnell on 16th Street outside his Central Bank office in the 1970s would be met with a smile and a comment on the sports issue of the day.

In person, Varnell wasn’t an imposing figure. But as Denver’s leading sports activist, his shoulders carried the burden of solving the city’s most weighty sports problems.

Varnell died Tuesday night in Lakewood of complications from Alzheimer’s. He was 90.

Varnell’s work included co-chairing the Colorado Baseball Commission in its campaign to convince voters to authorize a sales-tax increase to fund a baseball stadium if a big-league team was awarded to Denver.

But Varnell’s pet project came in 1966, when Denver was about to lose the Broncos to a group from Birmingham, Ala. Varnell chaired a group called the DOERS, with the task of raising enough money to buy Mile High Stadium and begin the process that increased seating from 34,000 to 52,000 to meet NFL requirements. The DOERS raised $1.8 million.

“He was very proud of the DOERS,” said Roger Kinney, who joined Varnell in many important sports projects, including the baseball commission, on Wednesday. “I think you could say he was a leader at a time when all of our sports teams entered and grew in stature in the professional sports era. He also was a key help in the promotion of our college sports programs.”

Varnell was called to action in 1971 by then-Mayor Bill McNichols and charged with the task of persuading the city council to seek voter approval in building a new indoor arena, to replace the Denver Coliseum and Auditorium Arena. The result was McNichols Sports Arena.

Varnell was president of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame for 26 years. He played basketball in the old AAU tournament and later in the National Industrial Basketball League for teams such as the Ambrose Jellymakers, the Denver Chevrolets, the original Denver Nuggets and the Central Bankers. He coached basketball at Regis College and was the sports director at radio station KLZ and Channel 7.

Private services are scheduled, but the family suggests those wishing to could make contributions to the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, public television Channel 6 or Trinity United Methodist Church, 1820 Broadway, Denver 80202. Survivors include his wife Jeanne, sons Jeffrey, Joel and Jon and daughter Julia Varnell-Sargent.

Irv Moss: 303 954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com