Colorado University Athletics
On The Eve Of The Pac-12, Spotlight's On CU, Football
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Colorado Location: Boulder Colors: Silver, Black and Gold Chief Rival: Utah |
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NCAA Championships: Skiing, 17; M Cross Country, three; W Cross Country, two 12 Top Student-Athletes: Bobby Anderson, football; Dick Anderson, football; Jenny Barringer, track; Chauncey Billups, basketball; Lisa Van Goor, basketball; Adam Goucher, track; Carroll Hardy, track, baseball, football; Jimmie Heuga, skiing; Hale Irwin, football, golf; Dave Logan, football, basketball; Joe Romig, football; Shelley Sheetz, basketball; Bill Toomey, track/field; Byron White, football Other Famous Alumni: Astronauts, 18; Nobel
Laureates, four; Shining Moment: CU won its only national championship in football (1990) the hard way. The Buffs, after trailing 6-3 at halftime, overcame the loss of their starting quarterback (Darian Hagan) and one of their top defensive players (outside linebacker Kanavis McGhee) to defeat Notre Dame in the Federal Express Orange Bowl. CU also received a monumental break when a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown by Raghib GÇ£RocketGÇ¥ Ismail was nullified by a clipping call. The 10-9 win capped an 11-1-1 season and elevated the Buffs to No. 1. Classic CU: Orange Bowl Was Microcosm Of Season For '90 Buffs |
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Bet You DidnGÇÖt Know: In his freshman and sophomore season (1936-37), Byron GÇ£WhizzerGÇ¥ White tormented CUGÇÖs long-time (and suddenly reborn) rival Utah. In a 31-7 Buffs win in GÇÖ36, White scored five touchdowns GÇô one running, one passing, one on a kickoff return and two on punt returns. The following season, in a 17-7 win, GÇ£WhizzerGÇ¥ accounted for two TDs, a field goal and a pair of extra points. White went on to become a Supreme Court Justice. He died on April 15, 2002...CU and Utah have not played in football since 1962. The Utes won the final two games, including a 21-12 upset of the then-No. 8 Buffs in 1961. CU finished that season 9-1 and ranked No. 4 nationally. Utah finished 6-4...CU dropped GÇ£Lady BuffsGÇ¥ as the nickname for its womenGÇÖs teams in 1993...The first running of a live mascot at a CU football game came in 1934 against the University of Denver. A rented bison calf frolicked on the sidelines during CUGÇÖs 7-0 win in the final regular-season game...The BuffsGÇÖ most recent NCAA championship came this season in skiing, giving the school its 18th in the sport...CU has one Heisman Trophy winner GÇô Rashaan Salaam (1994)...The Buffs have made 27 bowl appearances, but only one in the past five seasons. Quotable: GÇ£Sports constantly make demands on the participant for top performance, and they develop integrity, self-reliance and initiative. They teach you a lot about working in groups, without being unduly submerged in the group.GÇ¥ GÇô Former CU football star and Supreme Court Justice Byron GÇ£WhizzerGÇ¥ White |
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Above: Colorado Athletics 2010-11 Season Highlights. Classic CU: CU Rains Down On Oregon In The 1996 Cotton Bowl |
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The Pac-10 Conference has a storied tradition in football, with all sights for the better part of a century centered on national championships and of course "The Granddaddy of Them All"...The Rose Bowl. With the new Pac-12 though, one more carrot will be dangled out there: a Pac-12 Championship game. Colorado and Utah joins Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and USC in the Southern Division while California, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State comprise the Northern Division. Each team will play a nine game schedule that includes five games within its own division and four games in the other division. Colorado will miss OSU and Cal in 2011 (although the Buffs and Bears meet in a 'non-league' game on Sept. 10). The teams with the best record in their respective divisions will meet for the title on Dec. 2, 2011 at the home stadium of the team with the best conference record. Oregon and Stanford are coming off extraordinary 12-1 seasons. The Ducks lost to Auburn in the BCS Title game while Stanford claimed an Orange Bowl win over Virginia Tech. Utah could make some early noise in the South, as the Utes are coming off three consecutive 10-win seasons including a perfect 13-0 mark in 2008. Southern California and Arizona return a host of starters including experienced signal callers in Matt Barkley (USC) and Nick Foles (UA). |
CU In The Pac-12...Football Coach Jon EmbreeGÇÖs Take: GÇ£ItGÇÖs a very strong conference GÇô a lot of diversity offensively and defensively. YouGÇÖll see a lot of different things week-to-week. I know everybody says, GÇ£SEC, SEC.GÇ¥ But I know youGÇÖre not going to hear anyone say the Pac-12 is the weakest anymore. I think weGÇÖve closed the gap. ThereGÇÖs good talent, good players, great coaches. ItGÇÖs just an exciting time. The speed (in the Pac-12) might be as consistent across the board, but thereGÇÖs a lot of speed in this conference. I mean, Auburn didnGÇÖt run away from Oregon (in the 2011 BCS title game). That just shows you...and then Cal holds Oregon to whatever, 13 points? So thereGÇÖs speed in this conference. If you just look at what theyGÇÖve done over the last couple of years, Oregon and Stanford...and USC, although no one wants to talk about them because of the NCAA issues GÇô but you still play them so youGÇÖd better talk about them, you know? And thereGÇÖs two teams in Washington State and Arizona State that, just from watching them, could have very good years. Washington State lost a lot of close games, but they have a lot of people coming back. Paul (Wulff) has done a good job of building that. He maybe hasnGÇÖt seen the benefits as early as he wants to, but I wouldnGÇÖt be shocked to see them do well next year. And Arizona State has a lot coming back, too. Dennis (Erickson) is always going to do a really good job and get his team ready. I mean every team is good. Arizona...I know the bowl game didnGÇÖt end how wanted it to (a 36-10 Alamo Bowl loss to Oklahoma State), but they won at SC, won some other big games and were in the conference race until late. It really is from top to bottom a very good conference. But I expect us to be (competitive) right away because weGÇÖre learning how to be physical. The guys had a good grasp (in spring ball) of what weGÇÖre trying to do offensively and defensively. And we donGÇÖt have a choice GÇô we have to (be competitive). IGÇÖve told our guys weGÇÖre going to be underdogs in probably 11 or 12, maybe all 13 of our games. Understand that now. WeGÇÖre not going to be the most talented team out there. ThatGÇÖs OK. WeGÇÖve got to go play, fight, compete, muddy up the game, slow it down, speed it up GÇô do whatever it is that you need to do to give yourself a chance. I think we need to have some success early because the kids are right there and that will help validate the stuff weGÇÖve been doing and give them some more confidence. Then weGÇÖll see what happens.GÇ¥ |
Pac-12 Spotlight content provided by B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com Contributing Editor and the Colorado Sports Information Office. |
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