Buffalo Belles Cap 50th Anniversary Season On Wednesday
November 10, 2020 | General
Thursday, November 11, will mark the third and final Buffalo Belles luncheon of the year, capping its remarkable 50th anniversary season.
In 1970, football-loving Martha Johnson and a group of her fellow Buffalo fans wanted to gain more insight into the Colorado Football program, so she contacted the perfect person to help her find just that, then Head Football Coach Eddie Crowder. She pitched her idea of creating a group for women in the area who wished to become more involved in the Buffs program to coach Crowder who supported it. From there, a tradition was born.Â
The first luncheon for the Belles, then named the Ladies' Quarterback Club, was held in the fall of 1970 with guest speaker, Head Men's Basketball Coach, Sox Walseth. That meeting would be the first of many in a great tradition.
Johnson and her friends faced some backlash in the community as some felt coaches were too busy. Needless to say, the Ladies' Quarterback Club was unfazed. They went on to get 100 members in attendance for their inaugural meeting.
The group evolved, eventually becoming the Buffalo Belles, and its interest grew from football to every aspect of Colorado Athletics. As membership grew, they made fundraising for the Athletic Scholarship Fund a focus. Today, money is raised through Buffalo Belles membership dues that supports the Martha Johnson Scholarship Endowment.Â
All meetings this year are virtual, and the first luncheon of the fall was held on October 7 with guest speakers, Athletic Director Rick George and Head Football Coach Karl Dorrell, and emceed by Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson. The second luncheon took place on October 28th and featured manager of the Ralphie Live Mascot Program Taylor Stratton, Head Women's Soccer Coach Danny Sanchez, and Head Ski Coach Richard Rokos.
The final luncheon, which takes place on Wednesday, will feature Women's and Men's Basketball Coaches JR Payne and Tad Boyle.Â
How To Get Involved
When you support the Buffalo Belles, you'll be promoting the rich heritage and tradition of Colorado athletics, all while enjoying the camaraderie of a multi-generational group of avid Buff fans (all Buffs fans are always welcome)!
The best way to get involved is to become a Buffalo Belles Member. You can email BuffaloBelles@colorado.edu if you have any questions about this process.
The luncheons are also a large part of what the Buffalo Belles are about. When the luncheons return to normal, you get to meet the coaches, student-athletes and department staff to get up close and personal - finding out what motivates them, why they chose CU and more!
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Hear revealing anecdotes about the programs and a prognosis for the future from the coaches.
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Get the inside scoop on recruiting, coaching strategies, and rising stars.
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Gain valuable insights and firsthand knowledge of the goals of the athletic department.
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Enjoy the camaraderie of other avid Buff fans.
The Buffalo Belles- Martha Johnson Endowment
The objective, a fully endowed scholarship existing into perpetuity. As many of you know, this type of funding is proving to be the very future of athletic department scholarships; it is a staple at many schools, with whom our Buffs compete.
By utilizing the format of an endowment, we assure our Buffalo Belles' scholarship donations will perpetually enable student-athletes to enjoy the benefits of our commitment to them. Perhaps in the future one of your relatives will know you helped create this scholarship.
If you would like to make a donation to the Buffalo Belles/Martha Johnson Scholarship endowment please contact Scott McMichael at 303/492-5695 or Scott.McMichael@colorado.edu