| Colorado State Rams football | |||
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| First season | 1893 | ||
| Athletic director | Paul Kowalczyk | ||
| Head coach | Jim McElwain | ||
| 1st year, – | |||
| Home stadium | Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium | ||
| Field | Sonny Lubick Field | ||
| Year built | 1968 | ||
| Stadium capacity | 34,400 | ||
| Stadium surface | FieldTurf - (2006- ) Grass - (1968-2005) |
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| Location | Fort Collins, Colorado | ||
| League | NCAA Division I FBS | ||
| Conference | Mountain West | ||
| All-time record | 477–530–33 (.475) | ||
| Postseason bowl record | 5–7 | ||
| Conference titles | 15 | ||
| Consensus All-Americans | 2[1] | ||
| Current uniform | |||
| Colors | Green and Gold | ||
| Fight song | Alma Mater | ||
| Mascot | CAM the Ram | ||
| Nickname | Rams | ||
| Rivals | Colorado Buffaloes Wyoming Cowboys Air Force Falcons |
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| Website | CSU Rams | ||
The Colorado State Rams football program, established in 1893, represents Colorado State University and is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mountain West Conference (MWC) under head coach Steve Fairchild. Rams football teams have met with relative success over the years, including winning or sharing the Mountain West title in 1999, 2000 and 2002.[2] Overall, the Rams are a 473–521–33 (.477) (473 wins, 521 losses, and 33 ties),[3] and are 5–7 in bowl games.[4]
Home games have been played at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium, located four miles west of the school's campus in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, since 1968. The Rams have long-standing rivalries with Colorado, Wyoming, and Air Force.
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Colorado State football goes back 115 seasons, and experienced its most successful run in the 15 seasons under head coach Sonny Lubick (1993–2007).[5] During their history, the Rams have played in five different conferences.[6]
Since Sonny Lubick took control over the Rams as head coach in 1993, the Rams have made nine bowl appearances.[7] CSU had only two previous bowl appearances. Lubick won nearly 75% of home games in the stadium that would later bear his name, leading the team to six conference titles and an overall record of 108-74.[8] CSU was consistently a top 25 contender from 1994–2002, with a 79-32 record during that period and 3 top 25 finishes.[9] Lubick, conference coach of the year four times, coached current Denver Broncos Cecil Sapp and Erik Pears, and all-pro NFL linebacker Joey Porter.[10]
On November 27, 2007, following significant drops in attendance and a 17–30 record over the past 4 seasons, including 3–9 in 2007,[9] CSU made the difficult and controversial decision to relieve Lubick of his head coaching duties. The school hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild to take the helm. Fairchild was a Rams quarterback from 1978–80, and served under Lubick as quarterback's coach and later as offensive coordinator from 1993–2000.[11] The Rams finished the regular season in fourth place in the Mountain West Conference and accepted a bid to the 2008 New Mexico Bowl on December 20, where they defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs. After the early success, the Rams had three consecutive three win seasons under Fairchild. At the end of his fourth season with Colorado State, Fairchild was fired by Athletic Director Jack Graham.
Under the coaching of Earle Bruce, Sonny Lubick and Steve Fairchild, the CSU Rams have gone to a total of eleven bowl games since the 1990 football season.
Under Sonny Lubick, the CSU Rams played in their two of their biggest bowl games to date. The first was the 1997 Holiday Bowl 35–24 victory over the Missouri Tigers while the second was the 2000 Liberty Bowl 22–17 victory over the Louisville Cardinals. During both of these winning seasons, the CSU Rams were ranked in the top 25 football teams by both the Coaches Poll and the AP Poll.
In the first season under new head coach Steve Fairchild, the CSU Rams were able to beat the Fresno State 40–25 in the 2008 New Mexico Bowl. During this game, running back Gartrell Johnson rushed for over 286 yards and received five passes for 90 yards setting a record for the second most all-purpose yards ever in a single FBS bowl game.
| Year | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
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| Western Athletic Conference (1968–1998) | |||||||||
| 1990 | Earle Bruce | 9–4 | 6–1 | 2nd | W Freedom | ||||
| 1994 | Sonny Lubick | 10–2 | 7–1 | 1st | L Holiday | 14 | 16 | ||
| 1995 | Sonny Lubick | 8–4 | 6–2 | 1st–T | L Holiday | ||||
| 1997 | Sonny Lubick | 11–2 | 7–1 | 1st | W Holiday | 16 | 17 | ||
| WAC: | 2–2 | ||||||||
| Mountain West Conference (1999–Present) | |||||||||
| 1999 | Sonny Lubick | 8–4 | 5–2 | 1st–T | L Liberty | ||||
| 2000 | Sonny Lubick | 10–2 | 6–1 | 1st | W Liberty | 15 | 14 | ||
| 2001 | Sonny Lubick | 10–4 | 5–2 | 2nd | W New Orleans | ||||
| 2002 | Sonny Lubick | 10–4 | 6–1 | 1st | L Liberty | ||||
| 2003 | Sonny Lubick | 7–6 | 4–3 | 3rd | L San Francisco | ||||
| 2005 | Sonny Lubick | 6–6 | 5–3 | 2nd–T | L Poinsettia | ||||
| 2008 | Steve Fairchild | 7–6 | 4–4 | 5th | W New Mexico | ||||
| MWC: | 3–4 | ||||||||
| Total: | 5–6 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
| †Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches' Poll. | |||||||||
Eight times since 1998, Colorado State and in-state rival Colorado have faced one another in the annual football battle in Denver at Invesco Field at Mile High. The rivalry started in 1893 and was played annually until 1958. After being resurrected in 1984, the game moved to Denver in 1998. Since moving to Invesco Field at Mile High, the teams have consistently played before the largest crowds in state history to witness a college sporting event. On August 31, 2009, Colorado State and Colorado signed a 10-year contract extension of the Rocky Mountain Showdown which will bring the game back to Invesco Field at Mile High from 2010 to 2019. The game is scheduled to be played at Hughes Stadium in 2020.
The Border War featuring CSU and Wyoming - the longest rivalry in each school's history - dates back to 1893. Since 1968, the schools have battled for possession of the Bronze Boot traveling trophy. The bronzed battle boot was worn in Vietnam by CSU alumnus Dan Romero.
The Ram-Falcon Trophy originated in 1980 to highlight the series between CSU and the U.S. Air Force Academy, located in Colorado Springs. The wood-carved trophy was produced by local artist Bill Wrage. The Air Force ROTC detachment on the CSU campus initiated the creation of the trophy.
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