Colorado University Athletics
1989 And 1990 Still Most Successful Stretch In Buffs Football History
May 20, 2020 | Football, Alumni C Club, Neill Woelk
Editor's Note: NBC Sports Network will air the complete 1990 and 1991 Orange Bowl games between Colorado and Notre Dame on Thursday, May 21. The 1990 game (1989 season) will begin at 7:30 p.m.; the 1991 game (1990 season) will air at 10 p.m. Check in with CU social media channels for more information on some special events during the broadcasts, including interviews from Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson.
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BOULDER — Without question, they comprise the most successful two-year stretch in Colorado Buffaloes football history: the 1989 and 1990 seasons.
Under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Bill McCartney, the Buffs produced consecutive Big Eight titles, two Orange Bowl appearances, a national championship and a No. 4 overall finish, a plethora of all-conference and All-American players, and the first 11-win seasons in CU history.Â
It was a two-year stretch of success not seen before — or since — in Boulder.
The names from both squads are familiar to anyone with even a casual interest in Colorado football.
Defensively, linebacker Alfred Williams, the Butkus Award winner in 1990, was a standout both years. Linebackers Kanavis McGhee and Chad Brown were mainstays both seasons, as were defensive lineman Joel Steed and defensive back Tim James.
Offensively, quarterback Darian Hagan — who never lost a Big Eight start in three seasons — was the straw that stirred the drink both years. J.J. Flannigan led CU in rushing in 1989; Eric Bieniemy turned the trick a year later. Mike Pritchard led the team in receiving both seasons, while linemen Joe Garten, Jay Leeuwenberg and Mark VanderPoel anchored the trenches in 1989 and '90.
Even the special teams were outstanding, with an All-American punter (Tom Rouen in 1989) and a pair of All-Big Eight return specialists (wide receiver Jeff Campbell in 1989; defensive back Dave McCloughan in 1990).
There were, of course, many more great players on the squads. All told, the Buffs had eight first-team All-American honors in those two years; a second-team All-American; and 22 first team All-Big Eight picks (10 in 1989; 12 in 1990).
But while there is no argument about those years being the best back-to-back stretch in CU history, there is still to this day a sometimes spirited debate about which of those two squads was actually the "better" team.
In the strictest sense, the debate is settled by the final rankings. The 1989 team finished 11-1 and No. 4 in the final AP and UPI polls after losing to Notre Dame, 21-6, in the Orange Bowl. The 1990 Buffaloes finished 11-1-1, and first in the AP poll and second in the UPI final rankings after collecting a 10-9 win over Notre Dame in an Orange Bowl rematch.
But while the names and results were quite similar over the two seasons, the paths the two teams traveled were vastly different, even though they both ended in the Orange Bowl with a national championship on the line.
1989 regular season dominance — Not only did the '89 Buffs march through the regular season with an unbeaten record, they did so in road grader fashion. CU outscored its regular season opponents by an average of 41-14 over 11 games, gave up 20 or more points just three times, and scored at least 38 points an astounding eight times.
Only one opponent — Nebraska — came within a touchdown of the Buffs in the regular season, with Colorado collecting a 27-21 victory in Boulder in a matchup of the nation's No. 2 (CU) and No. 3 (NU) teams. The next-closest regular season win for those Buffs was a 17-point victory over Oklahoma, 20-3, in Norman.
"We were really, really good," Hagan said recently. "We were firing on all cylinders. Bieniemy gets hurt and J.J. comes in and has a phenomenal year and rushes for over 1,000 yards (1,187). We were so good, there were a lot of games when the starters were on the bench by the fourth quarter."
1990 slow start, strong finish — After the success of 1989, the '90 Buffs opened the year carrying the burden of some major expectations, ranked fifth in both polls. But after tying Tennessee in the opener, then needing a late touchdown to beat Stanford a week later, the Buffs laid an egg at Illinois in Week 3, a loss that dropped CU all the way to 20th in the AP poll. That, however, proved to be the last time the Buffs would lose that season. They bounced back to beat Texas and Washington to complete non-conference play, then ran the table in Big Eight play. That, plus some fortuitous events down the stretch across the nation, landed Colorado a spot in the Orange Bowl again.
Still, it wasn't easy by any means. CU needed the infamous fifth down to win at Missouri, then had to overcome a 12-0 fourth-quarter deficit in Lincoln to collect a 27-12 victory over Nebraska in miserable conditions.
But facing those adverse situations paid off. When the Buffs found themselves trailing Notre Dame 9-3 in the third quarter of the Orange Bowl, they didn't flinch, even with Hagan on the sidelines with an injury. Instead, they marched downfield for what proved to be the winning touchdown, then stymied the Irish for the entire fourth quarter to claim the national title.
For CU linebacker Chad Brown, it was that effort in the face of adversity — which the Buffs faced seemingly all season — that separated the 1990 team from 1989.
"I see different ways to describe which was a 'better' team," Brown said recently "Talent-wise, maybe 1989 was a little ahead. Execution-wise, I would say the '89 team was probably better. But there's something to being tested, like we were in 1990. We came into that season with the motivation of what the '89 team wasn't able to do. In the end, I think the more tough-minded team, the more mentally prepared team, was ultimately the better team."
Hagan agrees with Brown's assessment concerning battling back in the face of difficult situations.
"In '89, we kicked everybody's butt and really never had to finish a game in crunch time," he said. "But in '90, it seemed like every game went down to the wire. We had to finish games, and we did. That was a big difference."
While there were a number of Buffs who played for both teams, the biggest common denominator, of course, was McCartney. CU's head coach had not only recruited some of the nation's best players to build the program, but had also constructed a top-flight group of assistants. The list from those two years included Gerry DiNardo, Mike Hankwitz, Gary Barnett, Mike Barry, Brian Cabral, Don Frease, Bob Simmons, Ron Vanderlinden and Oliver Lucas. Several went on to lead Division I programs of their own, with Barnett moving on to win a Big Ten title at Northwestern, then coming back to Boulder to win a Big 12 title with the Buffs.
"That coaching staff was amazing," Hagan said. "Those teams were really talented, but the coaches were so good, that's what made the difference."
Not only was there talent those years, there was also depth. When Bieniemy — the team's leading rusher in 1988 — was injured for much of the '89 season, Flannigan stepped in and became a 1,000-yard runner. In 1990, when Hagan battled injury, backup Charles Johnson stepped in and delivered in key moments. Also in 1990, when Bieniemy was unavailable for the opener against Tennessee, Pritchard switched to tailback and ran for 217 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
Another common thread between the two seasons was incredibly difficult non-conference schedules, something that was actually a McCartney staple throughout his tenure — and something that is virtually unheard of today.
In 1989, the Buffs faced Texas, Colorado State, Illinois and Washington, with the Illini and Huskies both nationally ranked. A year later, CU lined up against Tennessee, Stanford, Illinois, Texas and Washington, with four of the five nationally ranked.
It is hard to imagine any team in America today facing a similar non-conference lineup, but the Buffs embraced the challenge.
"We knew playing teams like that would get us ready for the Big Eight," Hagan said.Â
The combined 1989 and '90 rosters included 25 players that would ultimately be selected in the NFL Draft, including first-round picks Pritchard and Williams and second-rounders Bieniemy and McGhee. Also on the 1990 roster were future first-rounders Deion Figures (cornerback), Leonard Renfro (defensive line) and Charles Johnson (wide receiver).
One team won a national title; the other is still the only team in modern CU history to finish the regular season with an unbeaten record.
"There was a lot of talent on both of those teams," Brown said. "There's a lot of different ways you can say who was the best team — but in my mind, the tougher team is always going to be better."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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