Sean Irwin Proud Of Buffs' History-Making Turnaround

BOULDER — Last May, Colorado tight end Sean Irwin earned his degree from the CU Department of Classics.

This semester, he added a degree in history — then had a hand in helping the Buffs write a little history of their own. In an offense that uses a tight end almost solely as a blocker, Irwin started three games and played an integral role in helping CU's running game take some big steps forward in the Buffs' 10-3, Pac-12 South title run.

Now, he'll leave CU with two degrees and the knowledge that he and his brother Jeromy, a starting tackle, accomplished what they came to Colorado to do — put the program back on solid footing.

It is a history of which he is proud.

"No doubt there's some satisfaction in that," Irwin said. "All of us that have been here through those years, we went through a lot. To know that we turned this around, to know that you are leaving a positive imprint on this program, it's a good feeling."

Irwin chose to study classics — a study of the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome — because he has always been fascinated by history.

"There's just so much to learn from the ancient world," Irwin said. "It had such a huge influence on our society today, a lot of things that most people aren't even aware of. Some of it was very brutal — I think that's part of what attracted me to it — but government, literature, religion, all those things have some roots in the ancient world. It's really interesting to see both perspectives when you compare it to today's society."

As part of the major, Irwin studied four semesters of Latin, making him one of probably only a handful of Buffs who could successfully translate, "Fortes fortuna adiuvat" (Fortune favors the brave).

"That was tough," Irwin admitted with a laugh. "I struggled at times, but I made it through."

A fifth-year senior, Irwin arrived in Boulder one year before head coach Mike MacIntyre. He and his brother have been through some long, difficult seasons — but this year, as the Buffs began to pile up wins, he did his best to make sure the young players have been aware of what it takes to produce such seasons.

It was a case of a history major providing a history lesson for the younger players.

"Not having a good year for four years (stinks)," Irwin said. "It's something the young guys don't understand — and to be honest, I don't want them to have to ever understand it. But our job was to let them know it didn't happen overnight. At the end of the day, you want them to know what happened here and how we got to this point."

While Irwin did not catch a pass this season, he was considered among the Pac-12's best blocking tight ends. He also had three knockdown blocks on special teams and won the team's "Hammer Award" for the hardest legal hit of the season.

But maybe his biggest contribution came as a team leader. Last spring, he was selected by CU coaches as the co-recipient of the Eddie Crowder Award for outstanding leadership during spring practices.

It's a role in which he has taken great pride — and part of that role has been convincing young players that they can make sure history doesn't repeat itself with another stretch of losing seasons.

"None of us who are graduating want to come back and see this program falling back down," Irwin said. "None of us want this to be just one good year. We want to come back to a dynasty. I think that's why a lot of us get a little burned when you see someone taking it easy. We don't want them to be bad again. We have a lot of good, young players on this team and we want to see them continue to do well and continue to win. More than anything, you want them to always remember that in this program, we stand shoulder to shoulder."

With just one more game to go, the Dec. 29 Valero Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma State, Irwin and his fellow seniors would like nothing better than to go out with a win and become just the fourth CU team in history to win 11 games in a season.

But no matter what happens in the final game, Irwin will walk away from CU with two degrees in hand and a role in a historic turnaround.

"If I hadn't had football, I probably wouldn't have gone to college," he said. "I had no interest. But now I have a degree with a double major. I worked at it just like I worked at football, and I'm going to walk away with that in hand. What we did on the field and what I did in the classroom — that's something I will always be proud of."

FORMER PLAYERS TO ATTEND BOWL: While CU head coach Mike MacIntyre doesn't know yet exactly how many, a number of his former Buffs will be on hand at the Alamo Bowl — and he will provide the tickets.

"I told them all they are all a part of this," MacIntyre said. "They're all part of us going to this bowl, they're all part of this season that we had. Everybody is part of this legacy."

TICKET SALES HOT: With CU having sold approximately 6,500 tickets to the bowl game, a good crowd of black-and-gold clad fans is virtually a guarantee.

"It's awesome," MacIntyre said. "If we keep it going, it looks like we'll have the most (fans) the Pac-12 has ever had at a game. It's exciting. I hope more and more Buffs fans get excited and go. It means a lot to our players."

KOUGH UPDATE: Guard Gerrad Kough, who missed the last three games with an ankle injury, has been practicing and MacIntyre said he hopes to have him available for the game.

"If everything goes like it should, knock on wood, he'll be able to play," MacIntyre said.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu