Colorado Buffaloes
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| Colorado Buffaloes | |
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| University | University of Colorado at Boulder |
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| Conference | Big 12 |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Mike Bohn |
| Location | Boulder, CO |
| Varsity Teams | 16 |
| Stadium | Folsom Field |
| Arena | Coors Events Center |
| Mascot | Ralphie (live); Chip (costume) |
| Nickname | Buffaloes |
| Colors | Silver and Gold |
| Homepage | CUBuffs.com |
The University of Colorado at Boulder features 16 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's team are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short). The nickname was selected by the campus newspaper in a contest with a US$5 prize in 1934 won by Andrew Dickson of Boulder, CO. They participate in the NCAA's Division I (I-A in football), in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference. The University's current athletic director is Mike Bohn (since April 13, 2005). Colorado has won 22 National Championships in its history, with most in skiing. It was ranked #14 of "America's Best Sports College" in a 2002 analysis performed by Sports Illustrated.[1]
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[edit] History
Football was introduced to the Boulder campus in 1890. Early games, which bore more resemblance to rugby than modern American football, were played against the School of Mines and Utah. The football stadium, originally named Colorado Stadium, was officially named Folsom Field in November 1944 to honor Coach Fred Folsom, one of the most respected college football coaches of his day. Seating capacity in the stadium is currently 53,750 spectators.
In 1934 the University teams were officially nicknamed the Buffaloes. Previous nicknames used by the press included the “Silver Helmets” and “Frontiersmen.” The final game of 1934, against the University of Denver, saw also the first running of a buffalo in a Colorado football game. A buffalo calf was rented from a local ranch and ran along the sidelines.
The year 1947 marked key point in race relations on campus. In this year, the Buffaloes joined the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, commonly know as the Big Six, then to be known as the Big Seven, and later the Big Eight. However, Missouri and Oklahoma had rules which would have allowed them to challenge teams with “colored” players. A student outcry, led by campus paper Silver and Gold, led to a movement against these Jim Crow restrictions which expanded to all the campuses of the Big 7 and eventually lead to their repeal.
[edit] Varsity sports
The University of Colorado was a member of the Colorado Football Association in 1893. Next, they became a charter member of the Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference in 1909 which changed its name a year later to Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference (RMFAC). Colorado then left the RMFAC to become a charter member of the Skyline Conference (aka Mountain States Conference) in 1938. They then joined the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, commonly know as the Big Six, in 1947 changing the common name to the Big Seven. In 1958 it became the Big Eight Conference. It remained the Big 8 until 1996 when four more universities were added to the conference and created the new Big 12 Conference.
List of Varsity Sports at University of Colorado
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Men's sports
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Women's sports
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[edit] Football
Undoubtedly the most famous aspect of Buffaloes athletics is the college football program, 16th on the all-time win list and 22nd in all-time winning percentage (.614). Folsom Field was built in 1924, and since then they have been 280-132-10 at home. The Nebraska Game in 2006 will be the schools 1100th football game.
Beginning in 1884, Colorado has enjoyed much success through its history. The team has won numerous bowl games (27 appearances in bowl games (12-15), 23rd (tied) all-time prior to 2004 season), 8 Colorado Football Association Championships (1894-1897, 1901-1908), Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference (1909), 7 RFMAC Championships (1911, 1913, 1923, 1924, 1934, 1935, 1937), 4 Mountain States Conference Championships (1939, 1942-1944)), 5 Big Eight (Six) conference championships (1961, 1976, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1 Big 12 conference championship (2001), 4 Big 12 North Championships (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005), and an Associated Press National Championship in 1990.
Colorado football also has a Heisman Trophy winner: Rashaan Salaam (1994). There have also been 6 unanimous All-Americans: Eric Bienemy 1990, Joe Garten 1990, Alfred Williams 1990, Jay Leeuwenburg 1991, Rashaan Salaam 1994, and Daniel Graham 2001. There are 6 players in the Big Eight Hall-of-Fame: Byron "Whizzer" White, Joe Romig, Dick Anderson, Mike Montler, Bobby Anderson, and Herb Orvis. There are 3 players in the College Hall-of-Fame: Byron "Whizzer" White, Joe Romig, and Dick Anderson.
Coaches include Eddie Crowder (67-49-2), Dallas Ward, Bill Mallory, Chuck Fairbanks, Fred Folsom (77-23-2), Bill McCartney (93-55-5), "Slick" Rick Neuheisel, and Gary Barnett. The current coach is Dan Hawkins beginning in 2006.
[edit] Men's basketball
They play at the Coors Events Center on campus and are 267-119 (.692) (Prior to 2005 season) at home.
| Coach | Years | Seasons | Won | Lost | Pct. | Conference Titles | NCAA¹ | NIT¹ |
| No coach | 1902-06 | 5 | 18 | 15 | .545 | |||
| Frank R. Castleman | 1907-12 | 6 | 32 | 22 | .592 | |||
| John McFadden | 1913-14 | 2 | 12 | 7 | .583 | |||
| James N. Ashmore | 1915-17 | 3 | 16 | 10 | .615 | |||
| Melbourne C. Evans | 1918 | 1 | 9 | 2 | .818 | |||
| Joe Mills | 1919-24 | 6 | 30 | 24 | .556 | |||
| Howard Beresford | 1925-33 | 9 | 76 | 51 | .598 | |||
| Henry P. Iba | 1934 | 1 | 9 | 8 | .529 | |||
| Earl Clark | 1935 | 1 | 3 | 9 | .250 | |||
| Forrest B. Cox | 1936-50 | 13 | 147 | 89 | .623 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| H.B. Lee | 1951-56 | 6 | 63 | 74 | .459 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Russell "Sox" Walseth | 1957-76 | 20 | 261 | 245 | .516 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Bill Blair | 1977-81 | 5 | 67 | 69 | .493 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Apke | 1982-86 | 5 | 59 | 81 | .421 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Miller | 1986-90 | 4 | 35 | 79 | .307 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Harrington | 1990-96 | 6 | 67 | 76 | .469 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ricardo Patton | 1996- | 10 | 177 | 140 | .558 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Totals | 104 | 1085 | 1034 | .512 | ||||
¹ Invitations
[edit] Women's Basketball
Women's Basketball started at Colorado in 1975. The team has had six coaches and the current coach is Kathy McConnell-Miller.
| Year | Coach | Big 12 | Pct. | Overall | Pct. | Postseason |
| 1975-1976 | Carol Hochsprung | 2-10 (IC) | .083 | 2-11 | .154 | |
| 1976-1977 | Jerry Zancanelli | 5-8 (IC) | .385 | 8-12 | .400 | |
| 1977-1978 | Jerry Zancanelli | 5-8 (IC) | .385 | 14-12 | .538 | |
| 1978-1979 | Jerry Zancanelli | 6-6 (IC) | .500 | 18-14 | .563 | |
| 1979-1980 | Rene Portland | 10-3 (3/IC) | .769 | 22-9 | .710 | |
| 1980-1981 | Rene Portland | 9-1 (1/IC) | .900 | 18-11 | .621 | |
| 1981-1982 | Russell "Sox" Walseth | 10-0 (1/IC) | 1.000 | 28-5 | .848 | |
| 1982-1983 | Russell "Sox" Walseth | 8-2 (T1/IC) | .800 | 28-8 | .778 | |
| 1983-1984 | Russell "Sox" Walseth | 7-5 (BE) | .583 | 21-8 | .724 | |
| 1984-1985 | Ceal Barry | 3-11 (7/BE) | .214 | 10-18 | .357 | |
| 1985-1986 | Ceal Barry | 2-12 (8/BE) | .143 | 6-22 | .214 | |
| 1986-1987 | Ceal Barry | 9-5 (2/BE) | .643 | 21-9 | .700 | |
| 1987-1988 | Ceal Barry | 6-8 (6/BE) | .429 | 14-14 | .500 | |
| 1988-1989 | Ceal Barry | 8-6 (3/BE) | .571 | 21-11 | .656 | NCAA |
| 1989-1990 | Ceal Barry | 14-0 (1/BE) | 1.000 | 27-4 | .871 | NCAA |
| 1990-1991 | Ceal Barry | 10-4 (3/BE) | .714 | 17-11 | .607 | |
| 1991-1992 | Ceal Barry | 8-6 (T4/BE) | .571 | 18-11 | .631 | |
| 1992-1993 | Ceal Barry | 11-3 (2/BE) | .786 | 22-9 | .710 | NCAA |
| 1993-1994 | Ceal Barry | 12-2 (1/BE) | .857 | 27-4 | .871 | NCAA Regional |
| 1994-1995 | Ceal Barry | 12-2 (1/BE) | .857 | 27-5 | .844 | NCAA Regional |
| 1995-1996 | Ceal Barry | 14-0 (1/BE) | 1.000 | 30-3 | .909 | NCAA Regional |
| 1996-1997 | Ceal Barry | 9-5 (4/BE) | .643 | 26-9 | .743 | NCAA |
| 1997-1998 | Ceal Barry | 12-4 (T2) | .750 | 23-9 | .719 | NCAA Regional |
| 1998-1999 | Ceal Barry | 5-11 (8th) | .313 | 12-16 | .429 | |
| 1999-2000 | Ceal Barry | 7-9 (T8th) | .438 | 15-14 | .517 | WNIT |
| 2000-2001 | Ceal Barry | 4-12 (10th) | .250 | 10-19 | .345 | |
| 2001-2002 | Ceal Barry | 11-5 (4th) | .688 | 22-9 | .710 | NCAA |
| 2002-2003 | Ceal Barry | 11-5 (T3rd) | .688 | 24-10 | .706 | NCAA Regional |
| 2003-2004 | Ceal Barry | 11-5 (4th) | .688 | 24-8 | .750 | NCAA Regional |
| 2004-2005 | Ceal Barry | 11-5 (3rd) | .688 | 22-8 | .733 | NCAA |
| 2005-2006 | Ceal Barry | 2-14 (T11th) | .125 | 9-19 | .321 | |
| 2006-2007 | Kathy McConnell-Miller | |||||
| OVERALL | 264-135 | .662 | 586-333 | .638 | ||
| Big Eight Conference | 190-69 | .734 | ||||
| Big 12 Conference | 74-70 | .514 | ||||
[edit] Skiing
The Ski team competes as a member of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association as the Big 12 does not sponsor skiing. Colorado is one of the dominant programs in the NCAA in skiing winning 16 National Championships, most recently in 2006, and is always nationally ranked and the only Big 12 school to win. Having the Rocky Mountains in your backyard doesn't seem to hurt, along with the world-class ski resorts.
[edit] Cross Country
Being at such a high altitude helps the runners in training. Colorado has won three NCAA Men's Cross Country Champions (2001, 2004, and 2006) and two NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship (2000 and 2004). The men have also won all 11 Big 12 Conference Titles in the Conference's history. The women have won 10 of the 11 Conference Championships (all but 1998-1999).
[edit] Facilities
| Facility Name | Teams | Capacity | Largest Crowd | Opened |
| Folsom Field | fooball | 53,750 | 54,972 | 1924 |
| Coors Events Center | basketball, volleyball | 11,064 | 11,363 | 1979 |
| Prentup Field | soccer | 800 | 1,871 | 2004 |
| Potts Field | track and field | 1984 | ||
| Balch Fieldhouse | indoor track | 4,000 | 1937 | |
| South Campus Tennis Complex | tennis | 2003 | ||
| Buffalo Ranch CC Course | cross country |
[edit] Club Sports
Colorado has a very active and developed club sports system with over 30 sports. Many sports used to be varsity sports but were disbanded in 1980 due to Title IX and some that overlap with varsity sports.
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[edit] Notable Buffaloes
- Byron White was a Supreme Court Justice after his football career.
- Chauncey Billups is the starting point guard for the Detroit Pistons. He was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2004
- Jeremy Bloom played football and skied internationally finishing 6th in the 2006 Winter Olympics in the moguls and is currently in the NFL. He also sued the NCAA and lost, having to give up football for Colorado in 2004 because he received endorsement money for skiing.
[edit] Rivalries
[edit] University of Nebraska
A traditional college football rivalry with the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers started in the mid 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. Nebraska never considered Colorado much of a rival until 2001, when Nebraska came to Folsom Field undefeated and left at the short end of a nationally televised 62-36 pasting. Other sports have then taken on Nebraska also as their rival.
[edit] Colorado State University
Colorado's in-state rival is Colorado State University. The two schools are separated by about 50 miles and both schools consider it important and noteworthy to beat the other school for bragging rights for the next year. The two football teams annually compete for the Centennial Cup. The trophy takes its name from the state's nickname of "The Centennial State".
[edit] University of Colorado Athletic Hall-of-Fame
Criteria for automatic selection: Three-time all-conference selection, two-time All-American, trophy winner and/or previously retired jersey. Jersey Number (if any) shown before name.
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[edit] Traditions
Link to audio versions of songs The University has had several fight songs that have lost and gained popularity over the years. The oldest, "Glory Colorado", is sung to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and has been around nearly as long as the school. Glory Colorado is considered to represent all campuses of the University. "Go Colorado" was originally sung exclusively by the Glee Club at football games, though it is now played and known almost exclusively by members of the Golden Buffalo Marching Band. The most popular of the three fight songs and the most widely recognized is "Fight CU." Originally sung by the football team, the song has gained enough popularity that few people outside the band know that it is not the only fight song of the university. The original version included the line "fight, fight for every yard" but the line was changed to "fight, fight for victory" to allow the song to be used for all sports, not just football.
[edit] Glory Colorado
Glory, Glory Colorado
Glory, Glory Colorado
Glory, Glory Colorado
Hooray for the silver and gold!
[edit] Go Colorado
Away we go, go buffalo
We want a Colorado victory.
Show them we're out to win this game
Come on Colorado, push on to fame!
Fight for the silver, fight for the gold,
Give a rousing cheer!
Hey Buffalo, we're going to show
Go Colorado, Let's go!
[edit] Fight CU
Fight CU down the field,
CU must win
Fight, fight for victory
CU knows no defeat
We'll roll up a mighty score
Never give in
Shoulder to shoulder
We will fight, fight
Fight, fight, fight!
[edit] Alma Mater
Hail, all hail our alma mater
Ever will our hearts be true
You will live with us forever
Loyal will we be to you
We sing forever your praises
Evermore our love renew
Pledge our whole devotion to you
Dear old CU.
[edit] Mascot
The Mascot present at all football games is the Ralphie, a real buffalo, and Chip, a costumed mascot who was selected to the 2003 Capital One All-America Mascot Team. Ralphie is actually Ralphie IV and leads the football onto the field at the beginning of the first and second halves. The tradition begin in 1934 after the selection of Buffaloes as a nickname when a group of student paid $25 to rent a buffalo calf and cowboy as his keeper for the last game of the season. The calf was the son of Killer, a famed bison at Trails End Ranch in Fort Collins, CO. It took the cowboy and four students to keep the calf under control on the sidelines, a 7-0 win at the University of Denver on Thanksgiving Day.
[edit] Colors
The official school colors are silver and gold, adopted in 1888 as a symbol of the mineral wealth of the state. In 1959 the athletic teams started using black and yellow instead of silver and gold because silver and gold ended up looking like dirty white and dirty yellow. The colors have stuck and most people don't even know the school colors are silver and gold.
[edit] Shoulder to Shoulder Gold Rush T-shirt Campaign
This campaign is a student initiative aimed at uniting the CU Community around a positive tradition of wearing the gold Shoulder to Shoulder T-shirt at every home game. This program is student run, organized and managed, so all profits go back to student organizations throughout campus. This also means that the t-shirt can be sold for a very low price, just above the cost to the university. This is $5 for a short sleeve shirt and $7 for a long sleeve shirt. The campaign began in the Fall of 2004 with one student organization and now has expanded to a multi-organization effort.
[edit] External links
- Official Colorado athletics site
- CU Insider
- Club Sports
- Shoulder to Shoulder Gold Rush T-shirt Campaign
[edit] References
- Davis, William E. (1965). Glory Colorado! A history of the University of Colorado, 1858-1963. Boulder, CO: Prutt Press, Inc.. LD1178 .D35.
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