Colorado Buffaloes
The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado Boulder. The university sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffaloes.[2] "Lady Buffs" referred to the women's teams beginning in the 1970s, but was officially dropped in 1993.[2] The nickname was selected by the campus newspaper in a contest with a $5 prize in 1934 won by Andrew Dickson of Boulder.
Colorado Buffaloes
Pac-12 (primary)
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (indoor track & field)
Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (skiing)
16
Prentup Field
Silver, black, and gold[1]
The university participates as a member of the Pac-12 Conference (Big 12 Conference beginning July 1, 2024) at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level.[3] Rick George was announced as the sixth athletic director in program history on July 17, 2013,[4] following the resignation of Mike Bohn, and after an interim appointment by former Women's Basketball Head Coach former deputy athletic director Ceal Barry. Colorado has won 29 national championships in its history, with 20 in skiing, the most recent coming in 2015. It was ranked #14 of "America's Best Sports College" in a 2002 analysis performed by Sports Illustrated.[5]
Colorado does not have intercollegiate men's programs in baseball, tennis, soccer, lacrosse, or volleyball. There is no women's softball program, one of three Pac-12 members without.
History[edit]
Competitive football began on the Boulder campus in 1890. Early games, which bore more resemblance to rugby than modern football, were played against the School of Mines and Utah. The football stadium, originally "Colorado Stadium," was opened in 1924 and was officially renamed 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's intercollegiate 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 inaugural running of a bison in a Colorado football game. A bison calf was rented from a local ranch and ran along the sidelines.
The year 1947 marked key point in race relations on campus. The Buffaloes joined the Big Eight Conference. However, Missouri and Oklahoma had rules which would not 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 led to their repeal.
On June 10, 2010, the Buffaloes announced that they would join the Pacific-10 Conference, soon renamed the Pac-12 Conference, in all sports beginning on July 1, 2011.[6]
On July 27, 2023, the Buffaloes announced that they would rejoin the Big 12 Conference in all sports beginning in the 2024–25 academic year.[7]
