Dal Ward (2008) - CU Athletic Hall of Fame - University of Colorado Athletics

Dal Ward

Induction:
2008

Head Football Coach, 1948-58
63-41-6 Career Record
Assistant Athletic Director, 1963-74

Dallas Ward was the head football coach at Colorado for 11 seasons, tied for the fourth longest tenure in the program’s 118-year history... In 110 games between 1948 and 1958, his teams posted a 63-41-6 record, a 60.0 winning percentage (31-29-4 in Big 7 Conference play, 26-18-4 the last eight years)... He led CU into a new phase of its illustrious athletic history, piloting the team as it entered the Big 7 Conference, the ancestor to the Big 8 and Big 12 conferences... Largely credited with bringing CU to a new level on the national collegiate athletic scene... His teams ran the single-wing, and though never winning the Big 7 title as his reign was simultaneous with that of a dominant Oklahoma program, his teams finished second twice and third four times in the league standings during his tenure... Five of his teams were ranked in the top 15 nationally in rushing, including the 1957 squad that led the NCAA with 322.4 yards per game (CU was second nationally in total offense that same season)... The Buffs were shutout just twice in 110 games in his career, in an era where shutouts were very common... He coached four All-Americans (Don Branby, John Bayuk, Bob Stransky, John Wooten) and 25 first-team All-Big 7 performers... In 1962, he returned to the sidelines for one season as defensive coordinator under Bud Davis... Following his coaching career, he went on to work as an assistant athletic director at Colorado for 12 years (1963-74), supervising facilities, and taught in CU’s physical education department... He died in February 1983 at the age of 76.
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