Colorado Buffaloes Football: A Legacy of Grit and Glory
The Colorado Buffaloes football program, representing the University of Colorado Boulder, boasts a rich and storied history. As a member of the Big 12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level, the team has captivated fans for generations. From early landmark victories to recent transformative seasons, the Buffaloes have etched their name in college football lore.
Early Beginnings and Folsom Field
The team has played at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado since 1924. The stadium has witnessed countless memorable moments and has become synonymous with Buffaloes football. Folsom Field was built in 1924, and since then, Colorado has a 308-169-14 record at home through the 2016 season.
A National Championship and Coaching Legends
Colorado won the 1990 National Championship. 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. 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.
Bill McCartney helmed the team from 1982 to 1994. McCartney is the all-time leader in games coached with 153, total wins with 93, and conference wins with 58.
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. Ten coaches have won conference championships with the Buffaloes: Fred Folsom, Myron Witham, William Saunders, Oakes, Jim Yeager, Sonny Grandelius, Mallory, McCartney and Barnett. 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.
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Mike MacIntyre had brief success with the program. Hired on Dec. 10, 2012, 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.
Memorable Moments and Landmark Victories
The Colorado Buffaloes' history is punctuated by unforgettable moments that have defined the program. One such moment occurred when Shedeur Sanders threw for 510 yards, setting a new school record. This unforgettable performance marked Coach Deion Sanders’ first game and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Authentic Denver Post newspaper reports capture these moments, providing a glimpse into the program’s earliest seasons. These articles, reproduced from scan archives, offer a unique perspective on the team’s evolution.
Rivalries
A traditional college football rivalry with the Nebraska Cornhuskers restarted in the 1980s 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. 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. 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.
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".
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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. At the time, it was the second-most played rivalry for both teams (Utah had played Utah State 62 times; Colorado had played Colorado State 61 times). The rivalry was dormant until 2011, when both teams joined the Pac-12, renewing the rivalry on an annual basis.
Recent Seasons and Transformations
The team returned to the Big 12 in 2024. Many of this season’s opponents had not clashed with the Buffaloes in well over a decade. Colorado isn’t alone in their conference realignment - over a dozen other schools joined large conferences this year. College football looks very different to what it has in previous years.
This year, the expanded 12-team college football playoffs launched. While the Buffs didn’t clinch a playoff appearance this season, they’ve shown they have what it takes to compete at a high level. This was a season with high expectations for the Buffs. In many ways, they met those expectations, winning nine games and scoring an average of 34.5 points per game. This massive turnaround placed the Buffs in a four-way tie for first place in our new conference - something Buff fans could only dream about not even two years ago.
The Buffs earned their 31st bowl game appearance this fall. A bowl victory would give the CU the 13th bowl win in school history. This year’s bowl game could be the perfect stage for a statement victory, cementing a cornerstone season in Colorado football history.
Individual Stars and Accolades
In 1994, the Buffaloes celebrated their first Heisman Trophy winner, Rashaan Salaam. Two decades later, Travis Hunter, nicknamed "The Unicorn," became their second Heisman winner. Hunter stood out with ability to perform at a high level on both sides of the ball and was a highlight machine throughout this past season. He put his whole heart into the game and his representation of the Buffs on and off the field has been exemplary.
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Travis Hunter, Colorado’s star, two-way player, has been named the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner.
Honoring the Past
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). Contemporary uniforms issued with those numbers will include a commemorative patch. Nonetheless, no player has used any of those numbers since the announcement. Uniform number 19 will remain unused for 19 years, after which it may be re-issued. In 2025 Shedeur Sanders' and Travis Hunter's numbers had been retired.
Looking Ahead
The Colorado Buffaloes football program continues to evolve, with future games scheduled.
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