Colorado Buffaloes

Colorado Buffaloes
Football was introduced to The University of Colorado at Boulder campus in 1890. Early games bore more resemblance to rugby than modern American football, which 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. In 1934 the University teams were officially nicknamed the Buffaloes. Previous nicknames included the ?Silver Helmets? and ?Frontiersmen.? The final game of 1934, against the University of Denver, saw the first ever running of a buffalo calf, rented from a local ranch, in a Colorado football game.

A traditional college football rivalry with the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers re-started in the early 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. Colorado began to repeatedly threaten Nebraska in the late 1980's, following their win over the Huskers in 1986, and then surpassed the Huskers for the Big 8 crown in 1989.

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 allowing 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.

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. Folsom Field was built in 1924, and since then they have been 280-132-10 at home. The Nebraska game in 2006 was the school's 1100th football game.

Colorado has 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. The Ski team competes as a member of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association as the Big 12 does not sponsor skiing.

The University has 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 song is used for all sports, not just football.

The University of Colorado features 16 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's team are called the Buffaloes or Golden Buffaloes. "Lady Buffs" refers to the women?s teams beginning in the 1970s, but was officially dropped in 1993. The nickname was selected by the campus newspaper in a contest in 1934. Team participates in the NCAA's Division I in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference.

The University's current athletic director is Mike Bohn. 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. In June 2007, the Buffaloes were placed under probation for two years and fined $100,000 for undercharging 133 student-athletes for meals over a six year span (2000-01 to 2005-06) resulting in the major infraction. The football program, with 86 of the 133 student-athletes involved, also lost one scholarship for the next three seasons.

Gear up for the ultimate fun as the Colorado Buffaloes are ready to bring on their A game in their latest games. The Colorado Buffaloes are the sports teams representing the University of Colorado Boulder and they play for the Division I (FBS) of NCAA, where they participate in the Pacific 12 Conference. The sports program has sixteen varsity teams in numerous different sports including basketball, football, baseball, swimming, softball, tennis, cross country, skiing and various more as well. They have the Golden Buffaloes and Buffs as their nicknames, which are used for both men's and women's teams.

The Colorado Buffaloes have Mike Bohn as their current athletics director and they have gold, black and silver as their team colors. The teams have managed to win no less than twenty four national championships over the course of their history. In addition to this, the University f Colorado Boulder was placed on the fourteenth spot on the list of America's Best Sports College by Sports Illustrated in the year 2002.

Now you have the chance to become one of the lucky few who get to watch these extremely talented teams live in action! Cheer them on from the stands with your Colorado Buffaloes tickets and have the ultimate sports experience!