Tough, Versatile Pritchard Was MVP Of '90 Championship Season
November 07, 2015 | Football
BOULDER — While engaged in practice on Dec. 23, 1990, disaster struck for Colorado's offense when wide receiver Mike Pritchard was accidentally kicked in the hand by a teammate. A mere nine days before the Buffs were set to appear in the Orange Bowl, the CU star suffered a broken finger.
Doctors said the metacarpal would require 6 to 8 weeks for full healing and function. Pritchard didn't have that kind of time. The game of his life, and his finale as a Colorado Buffalo, was set to happen Jan. 1, whether Pritchard was ready or not. It was his last chance to avenge the prior year's Orange Bowl loss, also against Notre Dame.
As his coach, Bill McCartney, likes to say, “It would kill an ordinary guy.” Pritchard wasn't any ordinary college athlete. This is the same player who, when searching for something to drink as a 6 year old, accidentally drank an entire pitcher of wine, thinking it was just grape soda. The young Pritchard refused to get sick and he didn't.
Like that unfortunate incident with the “grape soda,” the son of an Air Force officer was not going to allow anything get in the way of his ultimate goal of taking home an Orange Bowl victory.
“It was just one of those games that I wasn't going to miss,” Pritchard recounted. “The doctors said that the bone didn't need surgery and that as long as I could deal with the pain, I could go ahead and play that game.”
In the end, doctors were able to construct a flexible cast so that the four-position player could play in the game of a lifetime.
McCartney trusted Pritchard's decision and was in awe of his toughness.
“It was about his ability to do it rather than a coach's decision,” McCartney said. “His decision to play is pretty remarkable and speaks a lot to the man that he is.”
Pritchard, broken finger and all, rushed for 24 yards on two attempts and led the team with 45 yards receiving on three receptions that New Year's Day. After being on the receiving end of yet another miracle, something that seemed to be a theme for the 1990 team, the Buffaloes finally claimed their Orange Bowl, defeating Lou Holtz and his Fighting Irish 10-9.
Voted as the Buffs' MVP that season, Pritchard displayed a quiet toughness that defines his entire career at Colorado. He was recognized this week as part of the 15th class inducted into the CU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Recruited out of Las Vegas, the young wide receiver knew that Boulder would be his home immediately after meeting McCartney.
“I just remember how intense he was and how truthful he was about how badly he wanted to win a national championship at Colorado,” Pritchard said. “He won me over right there.”
On McCartney's end, the head coach knew what a gift he secured when Pritchard committed to CU.
“Different people have had success in Vegas but I won the lottery,” McCartney said.
Through his career at CU, Pritchard would play wide receiver, I-back, wingback and halfback.
“The key to playing multiple positions is your ability to adapt. It takes a special ability to make those adjustments,” McCartney recounted.
Pritchard's most explosive year in Boulder was his senior season, when he tallied 74 touches for 1,515 yards. His 133 touches and 2,525 yards over his collegiate career totals out to a staggering average of 20.0 yards per play. He is still No. 13 in receiving yards in CU history, which is also the number at which he would be picked in the 1991 NFL draft..
Two Colorado Buffaloes were picked in the first round of 1991 draft, the first time in 11 years that one Buff, let alone two, went in the first round.
All bets were on All-American linebacker and Butkus Award winner Alfred Williams to be the first Buffalo to be chosen. Boulder, and the entire country were shocked when, with the 13th pick, Pritchard was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, five places higher than Williams, who went to Cincinnati.
This outcome was not a shocker to his coach, though.
“He deserved it,” McCartney said. “What was special about him was that he could hit his stride, top speed, in a New York second. He was one of those guys that was deceptively fast because of how quickly he could reach his maximum speed.”
Pritchard would go on to play nine seasons in the NFL, spending 1991-1993 with the Falcons before being traded to the Denver Broncos (1994-1995) and the Seattle Seahawks (1996-1999).
“My career was definitely a career that I'm proud of, but I know I could have accomplished so much more,” Pritchard said. “I just had injuries that kind of stopped the career. But I had a great career in the NFL and I wouldn't trade any moment. “
Now, 25 years after winning that Orange Bowl that Pritchard remembers “like it was two days ago,” the quiet tough man is honored at his Hall of Fame induction.
“It just really puts into the perfect form in terms of being inducted into the CU Sports Hall of Fame that I was part of something so special,” Pritchard said. “I can't describe the feeling of it. It's just validation of my accomplishments and validation of my success at CU.”
Now Pritchard is forever enshrined in the CU Sports Hall of Fame. He's there because of hard work and dedication, 2,525 yards and his role on the 1990 national championship team.
Perhaps most importantly though, he's there because of his endurance, strength and passion. His endurance was visible when he was a thirsty 6-year-old who refused to succumb to illness after making a tiny mistake. His strength is unmistakable when considering the fact that he played in the Orange Bowl with a broken finger and cast. And Pritchard's passion remains unmatched, especially when reminiscing about that national championship year that, to the MVP, could have been two days ago.