Colorado University Athletics
Looking Back: With All-Star Players And Coaches, 1971 Buffs Were Legendary Bunch
April 03, 2020 | Football, Alumni C Club, Buff Club, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — When the Big Eight claimed the top three spots in the final Associated Press football poll following the 1971 season — Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado — it was the first time in history that one conference had nailed down a 1-2-3 finish.
While the event was no doubt significant at the time, that significance has only grown. It is still the only season in history in which one conference finished 1-2-3 in the final AP poll.
Simply, the Big Eight — a conference that no longer exists — did what the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12 and Big 12 have never matched, before or since.
At the time, the No. 3 ranking for Eddie Crowder's team in the final poll was the highest ever for the Buffaloes. Since then, the 1990 team finished first (CU's only national title in football to date) and the 1994 team matched the No. 3 ranking.
But that 1971 team has been lost in the shuffle to a degree. Over the years, those Bill McCartney-coached squads of the late 1980s and early 1990s— in particular 1989 (4th in the final poll), 1990 and 1994 — have dominated the conversation when it comes to the discussion of the best teams in Colorado's history.
But given the benefit of the lens of history, the 1971 team that finished 10-2 belongs in that conversation as well, for a variety of reasons. Not only did 18 players from that 1971 roster end up hearing their name called in future NFL drafts — many of whom went on to enjoy long professional careers — that team also featured an all-star lineup of assistant coaches who went on to produce outstanding achievements as their careers progressed.
Some quick hits on the 1971 Buffaloes:
— The Buffs opened the season unranked, but quickly changed that situation when they collected a 31-21 win at No. 9 LSU in the season opener. Two weeks later, No. 10 Colorado hit the road again and delivered a 20-14 win over Woody Hayes and No. 6 Ohio State.
— Colorado finished unbeaten at home, winning five games at Folsom Field by an average of 28.6 points per game.
— CU's only two losses of the year both came on the road. Thanks to the Big Eight scheduling matrix at the time, the Buffs played at Oklahoma and Nebraska that season, losing 45-17 to the No. 2 Sooners and 31-7 to the No. 1 Huskers. (By the way, that season also featured what is still considered to be among the greatest college games ever, a 35-31 Nebraska win at Oklahoma.)
— CU had a 1,000-yard rusher in Charlie Davis (1,386 yards; 6.3-yard per carry average); a future College Football Hall of Famer and first-round draft pick on the defensive line, Herb Orvis; and one of the most electrifying players in the nation in wide receiver/returner Cliff Branch, who scored 11 touchdowns — four rushing, three receiving and four on punt returns. The team also featured future Major League Baseball All-Star catcher John Stearns at safety, who led the team in interceptions with five; as well as running back Bo Matthews, who would go on to be taken No. 2 overall in the 1974 NFL Draft, still the highest selection ever for a Buff.
— Colorado wrapped up its season with a 29-17 win over No. 15 Houston in the Bluebonnet Bowl, a victory that catapulted CU to No. 3 in the final AP poll.
— A total of 18 players off the 1971 roster ended up being selected in the NFL Draft, including three first-rounders:
1972 (7)
16. Herb Orvis, DE, Detroit (1)
98. Cliff Branch, WR, Oakland (4)
166. John Tarver, RB, New England (7)
205. Scott Mahoney, OG, Kansas City (8)
237. Brian Foster, DB, Cincinnati (10)
263. Larry Brunson, WR, Denver (11)
385. Carl Taibi, DE, Washington (15)
1973 (3)
31. Cullen Bryant, DB, L.A. Rams (2)
423. John Stearns, DB, Buffalo (17)
1974 (10)
2. Bo Matthews, FB, San Diego (1)
7. J.V. Cain, TE, St. Louis (1)
48. Charlie Davis, RB, Cincinnati (2)
56. Greg Horton, OT, Chicago (3)
92. Ozell Collier, DB, Denver (4)
144. Jon Keyworth, RB, Washington (6)
218. Mark Sens, DE, Washington (9)
394. Randy Geist, DB, Chicago (16)
402. Mark Cooney, LB, Green Bay (16)
— Crowder's coaching staff included assistants who would go on to win five Super Bowl rings as NFL assistants; a future NFL head coach who would lead his teams to six playoff berths; a future Division I head coach who would win three ACC titles, coach 11 bowl teams and earn induction into the College Football Hall of Fame; and a coach who would go on to be an assistant for a two-time Division II national champion.
(One year prior, Crowder's staff also included a young Don James, who would end up as a legendary coach at Washington, where he won a national title in 1991.)
Those 1971 assistants included:
Steve Ortmayer — Spent 18 years in the NFL after leaving Colorado (Chiefs, Raiders, Packers). Won two Super Bowl rings with Raiders (1980 and '83) as special teams coach/director of football operations.
Jerry Claiborne — Went on to be head coach at Virginia Tech, Maryland and Kentucky, finishing with a 179-122-8 record and 11 bowl appearances. Won three ACC titles at Maryland, took Kentucky to No. 19 in 1984 final AP poll and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Kay Dalton — Coached for Broncos, Bills, Chiefs and Oilers after leaving CU. Then coached at Colorado State before becoming an assistant under Joe Glenn at Northern Colorado when Bears won back-to-back national D-II titles (1996-97).
Rick Duval — Left CU to become a member of Tom Osborne's first staff at Nebraska.
Larry Kennan — Spent 14 years in the NFL, including quarterbacks coach with 1983 Super Bowl champion Raiders. Also coached with Broncos, Colts, Seahawks and Saints.
Jim E. Mora — Left CU to join Dick Vermeil at UCLA, then worked with Don James at Washington. Became an assistant with Seahawks and Patriots before becoming the head coach of the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars in the USFL. Stars played in all three USFL title games and won two. He then took over New Orleans Saints and guided them to the first winning record in franchise history (12-3) in 1987 and the playoffs. Also head coach of Indianapolis Colts; finished with six NFL playoffs appearances.
Dan Radakovich — Left CU to join the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he coached the offensive line and won two Super Bowl rings (1974-75). Also coached with Rams Jets, Broncos, Browns, Steelers and 49ers in a 48-year coaching career.
Steve Sidwell — Left CU and coached 22 years as a defensive coordinator in the NFL with stops with the Patriots, Colts, Saints, Oilers and Seahawks.
Dan Stavely — A member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame who first worked at CU for Dal Ward in the 1950s before coming back to work 18 more seasons at CU as the freshman coach, academic advisor and associate athletic director.
Augie Tammariello — Left CU to become head coach at SW Louisiana, where he won one conference title.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu