A Century of Green and Gold: The History of Colorado State Football
The Colorado State Rams football program has a rich and storied history, representing Colorado State University in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Mountain West Conference. With over a century of play, the Rams have participated in over 1,000 games, including 17 bowl games, etching their name in college football history. This article explores the Rams' journey from their humble beginnings to their conference championships and bowl game appearances.
The Genesis of a Team (1892-1910)
The seeds of Colorado State football were sown on December 12, 1892, when F.O. Congdon and 18 fellow students at Colorado Agricultural College (CAC) decided to form the school's first American football team. The team, comprised of a small portion of the 179 students enrolled at the time, sought to compete with other schools in the region.
Following Christmas break, the team scheduled their inaugural game against Longmont Academy, a small private hybrid college/high school. On January 7, 1893, the first game in school history took place in Longmont, Colorado.
Initially, the team competed without a head coach. However, in 1894, Colorado Agricultural College President Alston Ellis disbanded the team after just one game into the season. The program was revived in 1899, following Ellis's departure, and 25-year-old University of Vermont graduate W. J. Forbes was appointed as the program's first-ever football coach.
An early rivalry with Wyoming was marred by controversy in the late 1890s. During a game, a dispute arose over officiating, leading to a Wyoming forfeit. As a result, Colorado Agricultural President Barton Aylesworth declared a ban on athletic events between the two schools until he received a written apology from Wyoming. Although the schools resumed competition the following year, the incident fueled a lasting rivalry.
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Tragedy struck the program prior to the 1900 season when head coach W. J. Forbes died in a freak accident on June 18, 1900. Forbes was succeeded by George Toomey, who led the Rams to a 1-3 record in the 1900 season.
The Hughes Era: A Golden Age (1911-1941)
Harry Hughes accepted the position of athletic director and head football coach at Colorado Agricultural University in 1911, heralding a new era for the program. Hughes transformed a winless team in 1911 into conference champions with an undefeated record in 1915. He also oversaw the construction of Colorado Field, the first sodded football field in Colorado history, replacing Durkee Field (1899-1911).
Hughes's tenure was marked by remarkable success. He led the Aggies to eight conference championships in the Rocky Mountain Conference in 1915, 1916, 1919, 1920, 1925, 1927, 1933, and 1934. His contributions to the sport extended beyond Colorado Agricultural, as he served on the NCAA National Rules Committee from 1926 until his retirement.
Hughes coached the Aggies from 1911 to 1941 in football and remained as the athletic director until his retirement in 1953. Known as the "Dean of American Football Coaches" by sportswriters and fellow coaches, Hughes was admired for his fairness and sportsmanship. He was a strict disciplinarian and developed the "Million Dollar Play" in 1914, a triple pass based on the single-wing formation that brought national fame to his teams.
Post-War Resurgence and Skyline Conference (1946-1967)
After World War II, head coach Julius Wagner took over the program in 1946 and served for one season. In 1947, Bob Davis took over as head coach. Davis utilized the "T" formation and veterans returning from World War II to turn around a 2-7 Aggies team in 1946 to an 8-2 team in 1948, placing second in the Skyline Conference. Colorado A&M (as the school was then called) was invited to and played in the Raisin Bowl in Fresno, California, against Occidental College on January 1, 1949. Losing 21-20 in the last minutes of the game, Davis's 1949 team went on to a 9-1 record and placed second again. Davis utilized classroom football along with practice and game films to help his players excel. Several of Davis's players went on to careers in the National Football League including Dale Dodrill, Thurman "Fum" McGraw, Jim David, Don Burroughs, Jack Christiansen, Alex Burl and Gary Glick. Three of his players were All-Americans: Thurman "Fum" McGraw (first team 1948, 1949), Harvey Achziger (first team 1952) and Gary Glick (second team 1955). Davis's 1955 team won the Skyline Conference championship, but following the season he resigned from coaching football to concentrate on his duties as athletic director.
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In 1962, the Rams duplicated the previous year's mark of 0-10. In 1963, Lude led the Rams to a 3-7 record with wins over Pacific, UTEP and Montana. In 1964, the Rams posted their best record under Lude to that point, a 5-6 mark. In 1965, CSU finished 4-6. It was in 1966 that the best season of the Lude era would come for the Rams, with a record of 7-3 with wins over South Dakota State, Utah State, Air Force, No.
The 1970s: Struggles and Glimmers of Hope
In 1970, the Rams finished 4-7. The team began the season with a victory over New Mexico State, but then lost six straight with losses to No. 20 Arizona State, Iowa State, No. 10 Air Force, Wyoming, UTEP, and West Virginia. In Wampfler's second season, Colorado State went 3-8. The Rams lost their first eight games of the season, being beaten by BYU, Idaho, Wyoming, No. 12 Arizona State, Utah, No. 20 Air Force, Utah State, and Wichita State. The Rams finished the season on a three-game winning streak, defeating West Texas A&M, UTEP, and New Mexico State. In 1972, Wampfler's Rams finished with a dismal 1-10 record. CSU lost their first nine games of the season - losing three of the first four without scoring a single point - to Arizona, Iowa State, West Texas A&M, Utah State, No.
Arslanian led the Rams to a 5-6 record in his first season. After losing to Arizona to kick off the season, the Rams defeated BYU and New Mexico State. State then lost to No. 13 Arizona State then defeated Idaho. After losses to Utah State and Wyoming, Colorado State rang up 76 points in a dominant win against UTEP then defeated Toledo. Arslanian's Rams would close the season with losses to No. In Arslanian's third season, the Rams finished 6-5. The Rams kicked off the season against No. 12 Texas, losing the contest. CSU would then reel off four straight wins, defeating BYU, New Mexico, Wyoming and Oregon State. The Rams would lose to No. 11 Arizona State before defeating Air Force losing to Tennessee, beating UTEP and losing to No. The highlight of the Arslanian era came in 1977, when the Rams beat all odds and compiled a 9-2-1 record, their first such season in years. Despite the success, the Rams didn't get a bowl invite that season. In 1979, CSU went 4-7-1. The team's wins that season were over Wyoming, UTEP, San Diego State and Air Force. In 1980, Arslanian led the Rams to a 6-4-1 record for his fourth winning season at CSU. That season, CSU defeated Air Force, Arizona, New Mexico, San Diego State, Wyoming and UTEP. A poor start to the 1981 season cost Arslanian his job.
The Fuller Years (1982-1988)
Texas defensive coordinator Leon Fuller, a Bear Bryant and Fred Akers disciple, took over the Rams football program in 1982. However, Fuller also struggled to find success. In Fuller's first season, the Rams finished 4-7. That year, CSU would defeat Wyoming, New Mexico State, Air Force and UTEP. In 1983, Fuller led the Rams to a 5-7 record. Wins that year included Utah, San Diego State, UTEP, New Mexico and Northern Colorado. Fuller's third season saw the Rams finish 3-8. Colorado State would defeat Hawaii, New Mexico and UTEP. 1985 would bring a 5-7 record with wins over UTEP, New Mexico, Wyoming, Southern Miss and Utah. Losses included Colorado, No. 9 LSU, San Diego State, No. 15 BYU, No. 10 Air Force, Hawaii and No.
The Bruce and Lubick Eras: A Return to Prominence (1989-2007)
The Bruce era began in 1989, which resulted with the Rams compiling a 5-5-1 record. After losing the season opener to Tennessee and the second game to No. 9 Colorado, the Rams would defeat Cal State Fullerton then tie Eastern Michigan. After losing to No. 24 Air Force, CSU defeated New Mexico then lost to No. 25 BYU. The Rams then defeated Hawaii and Utah the next to week. A loss to Wyoming and a shutout win over UTEP would conclude the season. In his second season, Bruce led the Rams to a 9-4 record and a victory over Oregon in the Freedom Bowl, their first bowl appearance since 1948 and their first bowl victory ever.
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Considering the dreadful state of the program he'd inherited, Lubick made the Rams respectable fairly quickly. In his first season, the Rams overcame a 1-4 start to finish the season 5-6. While it was clear that Lubick had the Rams going in the right direction, he took the Rams to heights the program had never previously seen in 1994. Led by a defense that featured future NFL players Sean Moran and Brady Smith, they rolled to a then school-best 7-0 start, including a shocking 21-16 upset over No. The streak ended with a 45-31 shootout loss to undefeated Utah before a then-record crowd of 39,107 at Hughes Stadium. The Rams recovered to win their final three games, including a dramatic 44-42 comeback win at Fresno State that sealed CSU's first ever outright WAC championship and first-ever trip to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. Lubick's Rams followed up their breakout campaign in 1994 with a strong 1995 season.
The Rams sputtered again to start 1997, losing 31-21 to archrival Colorado after leading at halftime and falling to Air Force 24-0 a week later. However, the Rams would not lose again that season.
Prior to the 1999 season, Colorado State and seven other WAC schools, upset over conference expansion that threatened to balloon travel costs and break up longstanding regional rivalries, broke away from the conference and formed a new league, the Mountain West Conference. But 1999 would be memorable for Ram fans for another reason. Historically, the Rams had never been able to get the better of Colorado. Even with his success in rebuilding the program, Lubick had gone 0-3 in his first three games against Colorado. On September 4 the game, dubbed the Rocky Mountain Showdown, was played at a neutral site, Mile High Stadium in Denver for the second straight year, and the Rams were once again considered underdogs against the ranked Buffaloes. However, behind 189 rushing yards and two touchdowns from McDougal, the Rams blew out the Buffaloes 41-14, marking the first time in 13 years that CSU had beaten their in-state rivals. The victory was seen by many as the final step in CSU's ascension to legitimacy. Victories over Wyoming and Air Force also completed the "Front Range" sweep, and the Rams finished 8-4 again, this time tying for the Mountain West title.
In 2000, Lubick's Rams, led primarily by Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year Matt Newton, defeated Colorado for the second straight season by a score of 28-24. The victory was the catalyst for a 10-2 season that included an outright Mountain West title and a 22-17 Liberty Bowl victory over Louisville. With the graduation of several key seniors, and the preseason loss of starting running back Cecil Sapp to injury, Lubick faced a rebuilding year in 2001. 2001 was also notable for the emergence of quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt. A transfer from Michigan State, Van Pelt's dual threat capability as a running and passing quarterback would make him a two-time conference player of the year. But it was his game in 2002 against Colorado that made Van Pelt a cult hero in Fort Collins. After losing to CU in 2001, Van Pelt and the Rams, bolstered by the return of Sapp, went into their Rocky Mountain Showdown heavy underdogs against a Buffaloes team ranked sixth in the nation. Trailing 14-13 late in the fourth quarter, Van Pelt broke loose on a 26-yard touchdown run. As he neared the goal line, Van Pelt turned and spiked the football off of CU cornerback Roderick Sneed's helmet as he scored what would be the game-winning touchdown. Following the game, Van Pelt called CU "the sorriest sixth-ranked team in the nation he had ever faced". It was the second biggest upset in school history, and further added to Van Pelt's following in Fort Collins. Though the outspoken quarterback occasionally gave Lubick problems, the 2002 season would be another banner season. The 2003 Ram football team was considered by many to be the best team in Lubick's tenure, if not all of CSU history, prior to the season. Although it was not apparent at the time, Lubick's tenure had crested. With Van Pelt gone, CSU faced another rebuilding year in 2004.
The 2005 season started once again with another devastating loss at Colorado on September 3. Leading 21-10 after three quarters, three interceptions allowed CU to tie the game, and Mason Crosby kicked a game-winning 47-yard field goal with five seconds left to give the Buffs a 31-28 win. This time the Rams regrouped. Following the 2005 season, Lubick signed a three-year contract extension that would have made him CSU's coach through the 2009 season. It was the second contract extension Lubick received at CSU. Unfortunately, the Lubick family was dealt a difficult blow in the off-season. The Rams entered the 2006 season with high hopes, but on and off field problems quickly beset the program. Despite these losses, however, the Rams started the 2006 season strong. On September 9, after three years of frustratingly close losses, the Rams defeated their in-state rival CU by a score of 14-10 at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium. After dropping a 28-10 decision at Nevada the following week, CSU rebounded with a road win at Fresno State and a homecoming win against UNLV to go to 4-1. Playing at in-state rival Air Force on October 12, the Rams opened up a 21-3 halftime lead and appeared to be well on their way to a fifth victory. However, the Falcons rallied for 21 unanswered points and came back to defeat CSU 24-21. The loss was the beginning of one of the worst slides in Lubick's tenure. The following week Colorado State was shut out 24-0 at Wyoming in the annual Border War series. Home losses to New Mexico and BYU followed, and the Rams ultimately never recovered. Lubick's 14th season got an immediate boost with the return of Bell. With their all-conference halfback in the fold, as well as the most seniors returning in Lubick's tenure, the Rams had a team that figured to rebound from the dismal 2006 season. But a difficult early s…
Modern Era (2008-Present)
The Colorado State Rams football team represents Colorado State University in the Mountain West Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level in college football. Colorado State has played in over 1,000 games in over a century of play, including 17 bowl games. The following are the yearly results, game-by-game yearly results, and detailed bowl results of the team.
The Rams have long-standing rivalries with Colorado, Wyoming, and Air Force. The team is currently led by interim head coach and defensive coordinator Tyson Summers, who was named interim head coach after Jay Norvell was fired on October 19, 2025. The Rams have played their home games at Canvas Stadium since 2017. Previously, the team played 49 seasons (1968-2016) at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium.
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