Colorado Buffaloes football

Colorado Buffaloes football
2024 Colorado Buffaloes football team
First season	1890; 134 years ago
Athletic director	Rick George
Head coach	Deion Sanders 2nd season, 10–10 (.500)
Stadium	Folsom Field (capacity: 50,183[1])
Year built	1924[1]
Field surface	Natural Grass
Location	Boulder, Colorado
NCAA division	Division I FBS
Conference	Big 12
Past conferences	Independent (1890–1892, 1905) CFA (1893–1904, 1906–1908) RMAC (1909–1937) Skyline (1938–1947) Big Eight (1948–1995) Big 12 (1996–2010) Pac-12 (2011—2023)
All-time record	724–545–36 (.569)
Bowl record	12–17 (.414)
Claimed national titles	1 (1990)
Conference titles	26
Division titles	5 (4 Big 12 North) (1 Pac-12 South)
Rivalries	Colorado State (rivalry) Kansas State (rivalry) Nebraska (rivalry) Utah (rivalry)
Heisman winners	Rashaan Salaam – 1994
Consensus All-Americans	30 (5 unanimous)[2]
Current uniform
Colors	Silver, black, and gold[3]
Fight song	Fight CU
Mascot	Ralphie
Marching band	Golden Buffalo Marching Band
Website	CUBuffs.com

The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level, and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team was a charter member of the Big 12 before leaving to join the Pac-12 Conference after the 2010 season. After 13 seasons in the Pac-12, the Buffaloes returned to the Big 12 in 2024. Before joining the Big 12, they were members of the Big Eight Conference. The CU football team has played at Folsom Field since 1924.^[1] The Buffs all-time record is 716–520–36 (.577 winning percentage) as of the 2022 season. Colorado won the 1990 National Championship. The football program is 27th on the all-time win list and 40th in all-time winning percentage.

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2017)

Beginning in 1890, the Buffaloes have appeared in 29 bowl games (36th all-time), and won 27 conference championships, 5 division championships and an AP national championship in 1990.

Folsom Field was built in 1924, and since then, Colorado has a 308–169–14 record at home through the 2016 season. The road game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on November 24, 2006, was Colorado's 1,100th football game. The game on September 12, 2015, against Massachusetts was the school's 1,200th football game.

• Independent (1890–1892, 1905)
• Colorado Football Association (1893–1904, 1906–1908)
• Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference (1909)
• Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference (1910–1937)
• Mountain States Conference (1938–1947)
• Big Eight Conference (1948–1995)
• Big 12 Conference (1996–2010)
• Pac-12 Conference (2011–2023)
• Big 12 Conference (2024–present)

Colorado won one national championship in football for 1990.^{[4]: 120 [5]}

Season	Coach	Selectors	Record	Bowl	Result	Final AP	Final Coaches
1990	Bill McCartney	AP, Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, FACT, FB News, Football Research, FW, Matthews, NCF, NFF, Sporting News, USA/CNN	11–1–1	Orange	W 10–9	No. 1	No. 2

1990 season

Colorado won the national championship in 1990 under the direction of head coach Bill McCartney, who helmed the team from 1982 to 1994. While the Georgia Tech won the United Press International Coaches Poll, Colorado won the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America and other polls. Colorado played the most difficult schedule in the country, beat more ranked teams and conference champions, and had a more talented roster.^[6] Colorado capped the season with a 10–9 win over Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, a rematch of the 1989 season Orange Bowl Game which Notre Dame won 21–6. Colorado's tie came against Tennessee, who was ranked No. 8, the first week of the season when Colorado was ranked No. 5. The second week gave the Buffs a scare, scoring with 12 seconds left in the game on a 4th and Goal attempt. The next week gave Colorado its only loss of the season, losing 23–22 to Illinois and dropping Colorado to No. 20 in the polls. Colorado then went on to beat teams ranked (at the time) No. 22 Texas, No. 12 Washington, No. 22 Oklahoma, and No. 3 Nebraska. They ended the season 7–0 in the Big Eight Conference for the second straight season. They then capped the season with a win over Notre Dame who were number 1 until a loss in their second to last game of the regular season.^[7]

Colorado has won 26 conference championships in over a century of college play, spanning through five conferences.

Year	Conference	Coach	Overall record	Conference record
1894	Colorado Football Association	Harry Heller	8–1	5–0
1895		Fred Folsom	5–1	3–0
1896			5–0	2–0
1897			7–1	2–0
1901			5–1–1	2–0
1902			5–1	4–0
1903		Dave Cropp	8–2	4–0
1909	Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	Fred Folsom	6–0	3–0
1910			6–0	3–0
1911			6–0	4–0
1913			5–1–1	3–0–1
1923		Myron E. Witham	9–0	7–0
1924			8–1–1	5–0–1
1934		Bill Saunders	6–1–2	6–1
1935		Bunny Oakes	5–4	5–1
1937			8–1	7–0
1939	Mountain States Conference		5–3	5–1
1942		James J. Yeager	7–2	5–1
1943			5–2	2–0
1944		Frank Potts	6–2	2–0
1961	Big Eight Conference	Sonny Grandelius	9–2	7–0
1976†		Bill Mallory	8–4	5–2
1989		Bill McCartney	11–1	7–0
1990			11–1–1	7–0
1991†			8–3–1	6–0–1
2001	Big 12 Conference	Gary Barnett	10–3	7–1

† Co-champions

Year	Division	Coach	Opponent	CG result
2001†	Big 12 North	Gary Barnett	Texas	W 39–37
2002			Oklahoma	L 7–29
2004†			Oklahoma	L 3–42
2005			Texas	L 3–70
2016	Pac-12 South	Mike MacIntyre	Washington	L 10–41

† Co-champions

The Buffaloes have played in 1,109 games during their 125 seasons, through 2014. In those seasons, 11 coaches have led Colorado to postseason bowl games: Bunny Oakes, Dallas Ward, Marcel M. Mazur, Bud Davis, Eddie Crowder, Bill Mallory, Bill McCartney, Rick Neuheisel, Gary Barnett, Dan Hawkins, Mike MacIntyre and Karl Dorrell.^[8] Ten coaches have won conference championships with the Buffaloes: Fred Folsom, Myron Witham, William Saunders, Oakes, Jim Yeager, Sonny Grandelius, Mallory, McCartney and Barnett. The Buffaloes won the national championship in 1990, and have won a total of 28 conference championships.

McCartney is the all-time leader in games coached with 153, total wins with 93, and conference wins with 58.^[9] Folsom had the longest tenure as head coach, remaining in the position for 15 seasons. Harry Heller and Willis Keinholtz are tied for the highest overall winning percentage. Each served a single season and won eight of his nine games for a winning percentage of .889. Of coaches who served more than one season, Folsom leads with a .765 winning percentage. Davis, in terms of overall winning percentage, is the worst coach the Buffaloes have had with a .200 winning percentage. No Colorado coach has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, although McCartney was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame in 1996.

Mike MacIntyre had brief success with the program. Hired on Dec. 10, 2012,^[10] MacIntyre compiled a 30–44 record over five-plus seasons at Colorado. In 2016, MacIntyre lead Colorado to a 10–2 regular season and a trip to the Pac-12 Championship Game. It was the first winning season for Colorado since 2005, ending a 10-year streak of finishing below .500. 2016 was also the best season for the Buffaloes since 2001. As well, it marked their first time playing in a conference championship game since the 2005 Big 12 Championship Game. The team also went 8–2 in the Pac-12 after having five conference wins in the previous five seasons. Mike MacIntyre was named the Walter Camp 2016 Coach of the Year by the Walter Camp Foundation, the second Colorado football coach to earn the honor (Bill McCartney in 1989). MacIntyre was also awarded the 2016 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, American Football Coaches Association's coach of the year and comeback coach of the year awards, the Associated Press coach of the year, and the Eddie Robinson coach of the year by the Football Writers Association of America. In 2018, the Buffaloes started out the season 5–0 with wins against rivals Colorado State, Nebraska, Arizona State, and UCLA - however, MacIntyre was fired as the head coach on November 18, 2018, after a six-game losing streak.^[11]

Mike Sanford was named interim Head Coach after Karl Dorrell was fired during the 2022 season, Sanford was previously the Buffaloes Offensive Coordinator for the start of the 2022 campaign.^[12] On December 3, Colorado announced Deion Sanders as Head Football Coach.^[13]

• Campus fields (1890–1901)
• Gamble Field (1901–1924)
• Folsom Field (1924–present)

A traditional college football rivalry with the Nebraska Cornhuskers restarted in the 1980s (many historical documents show the importance of this game going back to 1898) when Bill McCartney declared the conference opponent to be their rival. His theory was since Nebraska was such a powerhouse team, if Colorado was able to beat them then they would be a good team. Colorado began to repeatedly threaten Nebraska in the late 1980s, following their win over the Huskers in 1986, and then surpassed the Huskers for the Big 8 crown in 1989.

In 1990, Colorado beat Nebraska 27–12 in Lincoln for the first time since 1967, en route to their first national title. From 1996 to 2000, the series was extremely competitive, with the margin of victory by NU in those five years being only 15 points combined. The rivalry was further buoyed by the introduction of the Big 12 Conference in 1996, which moved Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the southern division with the four new schools from Texas, formerly in the Southwest Conference. Nebraska had traditionally finished the Big 8 conference schedule with a rivalry game with Oklahoma, but the two were now in different divisions, which meant they met every other year in the regular season. Colorado replaced Oklahoma as Nebraska's final conference game of the regular season, which further intensified the rivalry. In 2001 No. 1 Nebraska came to Folsom Field undefeated and left at the short end of a nationally televised 62–36 blowout. Both teams departed the Big 12 in 2011, as NU headed east to join the Big Ten and the future of the rivalry was in doubt. On February 7, 2013, Colorado and Nebraska agreed to renew the rivalry.^{[14][15][16][17][18][19]} Colorado traveled to Lincoln in 2018 and won 33–28 (winning against Nebraska for the first time since 2007 and the first time in Lincoln since 2004). On September 7, 2019, Colorado mounted an improbable comeback after being down 17–0 at half, to win the game in overtime, 34–31. After a 3-year break, Nebraska lost 36–14 to Colorado in Boulder in 2023, but then won against Colorado 28-10 in 2024. Nebraska leads the series 49–21–2 through the 2023 season.^[20]

Colorado's in-state rival is the Colorado State Rams of the Mountain West Conference, located north of Boulder in Fort Collins. The two schools are separated by 45 miles (72 km) and both consider it important and noteworthy to beat the other for bragging rights for the next year. The two football teams annually compete in the Rocky Mountain Showdown for the Centennial Cup, played in Denver, Fort Collins, and Boulder. The trophy takes its name from the state of Colorado's nickname of "The Centennial State". The Buffaloes lead the series 67–22–2 through the 2023 season.^[21]

The rivalry with Utah ran from 1903 to 1962, in which Utah and Colorado played each other nearly every year; through 1962 they had met 57 times.^[22] At the time, it was the second-most played rivalry for both teams (Utah had played Utah State 62 times;^[23] Colorado had played Colorado State 61 times^[24]). The rivalry was dormant until 2011, when both teams joined the Pac-12, renewing the rivalry on an annual basis. The Colorado–Utah rivalry remains the fifth-most played rivalry in Utah's history, and eighth-most in Colorado's history.^[25][26] Utah leads the series 34-32-3 through the 2022 season.^[27]

Colorado has participated in 29 bowl games, with a record of 12–17 (.414).

Season	Coach	Bowl	Opponent	Result	Attendance	Network
1937	Bunny Oakes	Cotton	Rice	L 14–28	35,000	—
1956	Dallas Ward	Orange	Clemson	W 27–21	72,552	CBS
1961	Sonny Grandelius	Orange	LSU	L 7–25	62,391	ABC
1967	Eddie Crowder	Bluebonnet	Miami (FL)	W 31–21	30,156	ABC
1969		Liberty	Alabama	W 47–33	50,144	ABC
1970		Liberty	Tulane	L 3–17	44,500	ABC
1971		Astro-Bluebonnet	Houston	W 29–17	54,720	ABC
1972		Gator	Auburn	L 3–24	71,114	ABC
1975	Bill Mallory	Astro-Bluebonnet	Texas	L 21–38	52,728	ABC
1976		Orange	Ohio State	L 10–27	65,537	NBC
1985	Bill McCartney	Freedom	Washington	L 17–20	30,961	Lorimar
1986		Bluebonnet	Baylor	L 9–21	40,470	Raycom
1988		Freedom	Brigham Young	L 17–20	35,941	Raycom
1989		Orange	Notre Dame	L 6–21	81,191	NBC
1990		Orange	Notre Dame	W 10–9	77,062	NBC
1991		Blockbuster	Alabama	L 25–30	52,644	CBS
1992		Fiesta	Syracuse	L 22–26	70,224	NBC
1993		Aloha	Fresno State	W 41–30	44,009	ABC
1994		Fiesta	Notre Dame	W 41–24	73,968	NBC
1995	Rick Neuheisel	Cotton	Oregon	W 38–6	58,214	CBS
1996		Holiday	Washington	W 33–21	54,749	ESPN
1998		Aloha	Oregon	W 51–43	34,803	ABC
1999	Gary Barnett	Insight.com	Boston College	W 62–28	35,762	ESPN
2001		Fiesta	Oregon	L 16–38	74,118	ABC
2002		Alamo	Wisconsin	L 28–31OT	50,690	ESPN
2004		Houston	UTEP	W 33–28	27,235	ESPN
2005	Mike Hankwitz	Champs Sports	Clemson	L 10–19	31,470	ESPN
2007	Dan Hawkins	Independence	Alabama	L 24–30	47,043	ESPN
2016	Mike MacIntyre	Alamo	Oklahoma State	L 8–38	59,815	ESPN
2020	Karl Dorrell	Alamo	Texas	L 23–55	10,822	ESPN

This list has no precise inclusion criteria as described in the Manual of Style for standalone lists. Please improve this article by adding inclusion criteria, or discuss this issue on the talk page. (July 2023)

Heisman Trophy:^{[citation needed]}

Year	Name	Position	Rank in Heisman voting	Points
1937	Byron White	HB	2nd	264
1961	Joe Romig	OG/LB	6th	279
1969	Bobby Anderson	TB	11th	100
1971	Charlie Davis	TB	16th	28
1989	Darian Hagan	QB	5th	242
1990	Eric Bieniemy	TB	3rd	798
	Darian Hagan	QB	17th	17
	Mike Pritchard	WR	50th	2
1991	Darian Hagan	QB	20th	12
1992	Ronnie Blackmon	CB	30th	4
1993	Charles Johnson	WR	15th	24
	Michael Westbrook	WR	61st	1
1994	Rashaan Salaam	TB	1st	743
	Kordell Stewart	QB	13th	16
2002	Chris Brown	TB	8th	48

• Paul "Bear" Bryant Award

1989 Bill McCartney

• Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award

2016 Mike MacIntyre

• Dodd Trophy as Coach of the Year

2016 Mike MacIntyre

• Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award

2016 Mike MacIntyre

• Home Depot Coach of the Year Award

2016 Mike MacIntyre

• Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award

2016 Mike MacIntyre

• Pac-12 Conference Football Coach of the Year

2016 Mike MacIntyre

Name	Induction	Ref
Byron White	1952	[31]
Joe Romig	1984	[32]
Dick Anderson	1993	[33]
Bobby Anderson	2006	[34]
Alfred Williams	2010	[35]
John Wooten	2012	[36]
Bill McCartney	2013	[37]
Herb Orvis	2016	[38]

Colorado has one inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

• Cliff Branch – WR (1972–1988); HoF Class of 2022

The following is a list of Consensus All-Americans from CU as listed^[when?] in NCAA record books.^[2]

• 1943 Robert Hall, Colorado (AP-2)
• 1953 Gary Knafelc, Colorado (AP-3)
• 1954 Frank Bernardi, Colorado (AP-2)
• 1956 John Bayuk, Colorado (INS-2; CP-3)
• 1960 Joe Romig, Colorado (WC)
• 1961 Joe Romig, Colorado (WC, TSN, FWAA)
• 1961 Jerry Hillebrand, Colorado (FWAA)
• 1967 Dick Anderson, Colorado (AP, NEA)
• 1968 Mike Montler, Colorado (AP, AFCA)
• 1969 Bobby Anderson, Colorado (AP, UPI, NEA, TSN)
• 1970 Pat Murphy, Colorado (WC)
• 1970 Don Popplewell, Colorado (AP, UPI, NEA, FWAA, WC, CP, FN)
• 1971 Herb Orvis, Colorado (WC, AFCA, TSN)
• 1971 Cliff Branch, Colorado (FN)
• 1972 Cullen Bryant, Colorado (UPI, NEA, AFCA, TSN, Time)
• 1972 Bud Magrum, Colorado (FWAA)
• 1973 Bo Matthews, Colorado (Time)
• 1973 J.V. Cain, Colorado (TSN, Time)
• 1975 Troy Archer, Colorado (Time)
• 1975 Pete Brock, Colorado (TSN, NEA, Time)
• 1975 Dave Logan, Colorado (TSN)
• 1975 Mark Koncar, Colorado (AP)
• 1976 Don Hasselbeck, Colorado (TSN)
• 1978 Matt Miller, Colorado (UPI)
• 1979 Mark Haynes, Colorado (AP)
• 1979 Stan Brock, Colorado (TSN)
• 1986 Barry Helton, Colorado (AP, UPI, TSN)
• 1988 Keith English, Colorado (AP)
• 1989 Tom Rouen, Colorado (AP, UPI, WC, FWAA)
• 1989 Kanavis McGhee, Colorado (WC)
• 1989 Alfred Williams, Colorado (UPI, AFCA, FWAA, FN)
• 1989 Darian Hagan, Colorado (TSN)
• 1989 Joe Garten, Colorado (AP, UPI, AFCA, FWAA, TSN)
• 1990 Alfred Williams, Colorado (AP, UPI, NEA, WC, AFCA, FWAA, SH, TSN, FN)
• 1990 Joe Garten, Colorado (AP, UPI, NEA, WC, AFCA, FWAA, SH, TSN, FN)
• 1990 Eric Bieniemy, Colorado (AP, UPI, NEA, WC, AFCA, FWAA, SH, TSN, FN)
• 1991 Joel Steed, Colorado (WC)
• 1991 Jay Leeuwenburg, Colorado (AP, UPI, NEA, WC, AFCA, FWAA, SH, TSN, FN)
• 1992 Mitch Berger, Colorado (UPI)
• 1992 Deon Figures, Colorado (AP, UPI, NEA, WC, FWAA, SH, TSN, FN)
• 1992 Michael Westbrook, Colorado (NEA)
• 1994 Chris Hudson, Colorado (Associated Press, Walter Camp, FWAA-Writers, Scripps-Howard)
• 1994 Michael Westbrook, Colorado (Walter Camp, AFCA-Coaches, Sporting News)
• 1994 Rashaan Salaam, Colorado (Associated Press, Walter Camp, FWAA-Writers, AFCA-Coaches, Scripps-Howard, Sporting News, Football News)
• 1995 Bryan Stoltenberg, Colorado (UPI, Walter Camp, FN)
• 1995 Heath Irwin, Colorado (AP)
• 1996 Matt Russell, Colorado (AP, FWAA-Writers, Walter Camp, TSN)
• 1996 Chris Naeole, Colorado (AP, AFCA-Coaches, Walter Camp, FN)
• 1996 Rae Carruth, Colorado (TSN)
• 1999 Ben Kelly, Colorado (FN, CNNSI-KR)
• 2001 Roman Hollowell, Colorado (TSN, CNNSI-PR)
• 2001 Andre Gurode, Colorado (AP, TSN, PFW, CNNSI)
• 2001 Daniel Graham, Colorado (Walter Camp, AFCA-Coaches, FWAA, AP, TSN, PFW, FN)
• 2002 Mark Mariscal, Colorado (AP, AFCA-Coaches, Walter Camp, TSN, CNNSI, ESPN)
• 2002 Wayne Lucier, Colorado (TSN)
• 2002 Chris Brown, Colorado (AFCA-Coaches)
• 2004 John Torp, Colorado (ESPN)
• 2005 Mason Crosby, Colorado (Associated Press, FWAA-Writers, Walter Camp, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, ESPN, CBS Sports, College Football News, Rivals.com)
• 2006 Mason Crosby, Colorado (Walter Camp Foundation, Pro Football Weekly)
• 2007 Jordon Dizon, Colorado (Associated Press, Walter Camp, Sporting News, ESPN, College Football News, Rivals.com)
• 2010 Nate Solder, Colorado (AP, FWAA, TSN, WCFF, ESPN, PFW, SI)

The following players have been honored by having their uniform numbers designated as retired numbers by the Buffaloes.^[39][40]

Colorado Buffaloes retired numbers
No.	Player	Pos.	Tenure	Year retired
11	Bobby Anderson	QB/RB	1967–1969	1969
19†	Rashaan Salaam	RB	1992–1994	2017
24	Byron White	HB	1935–1937	1937
67	Joe Romig	G	1959–1961	1961

† = Posthumous honored

In 2020, Colorado athletic director Rick George announced plans to re-issue uniform numbers 24, 67, and 11, with the support of the noted players (or their families).^[39] Contemporary uniforms issued with those numbers will include a commemorative patch.^[39] Nonetheless, no player has used any of those numbers since the announcement.^{[41][42][43][44]} Uniform number 19 will remain unused for 19 years, after which it may be re-issued.^[39]

On November 1, 2023, Colorado's Big 12 opponents from 2024 through 2027 were revealed.^[45]

Home Schedule

2025	2026	2027
Arizona	Houston	Arizona State
Arizona State	Kansas State	Kansas
BYU	Texas Tech	TCU
Iowa State	UCF	West Virginia
−	Utah	−

Away Schedule

2025	2026	2027
Houston	Arizona State	Arizona
Kansas State	Baylor	BYU
TCU	Cincinnati	Houston
Utah	Oklahoma State	Iowa State
West Virginia	−	UCF

Announced schedules as of December 19, 2023.^[46]

2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031
Aug. 30 Georgia Tech	Sept. 5 at Georgia Tech	Sept. 4 Colgate	Sept. 2 UMass	Sept. 1 TBA	Aug. 31 SMU	Aug. 30 Missouri
Sept. 6 Delaware	Sept. 12 Weber State	Sept. 11 Northwestern	Sept. 9 at Florida	Sept. 8 Florida	Sept. 7 at Missouri	Sept. 6 at SMU
Sept. 13 Wyoming	Sept. 19 at Northwestern	Sept. 18 Northern Illinois	Sept. 16 Northern Colorado	Sept. 15 at Colorado State	Sept. 14 Colorado State	Sept. 13 Northern Colorado

Others beyond 2031: vs. North Texas, Sept. 4, 2032; at North Texas, Sept. 3, 2033; vs. Colorado State, Sept. 17, 2033; at Colorado State, Sept. 16, 2034; vs. Colorado State, Sept. 19, 2037; at Colorado State, Sept. 11, 2038.

• Official website