Postseason Archive

#12 Oregon – The “Forgotten” Cotton Bowl

//posted 1.1.1996

1995 – Colorado v. Oregon – Cotton Bowl – January 1, 1996

The “Forgotten Bowl”

Colorado had its wish come true. After losing two conference games early, the best Colorado could hope for was nine wins and a New Year’s Day game. The win over Kansas State in the regular season finale allowed the Buffs to achieve both goals.

The only problem was, no one seemed to notice.

Dubbed the “Forgotten Bowl”, the Colorado/Oregon match-up represented the first time in 55 years that the Cotton Bowl would be played without a Southwest Conference team. A lack of interest on the local level was reflected nationwide. While the two 9-2 teams had much to play for (Colorado needed a win to cement its status as a national power; Oregon was playing for its first 10 win season and top 10 ranking in school history), there was little to spur national attention. A dreary weather forecast doomed any hope of a decent walkup crowd. The official attendance for the game turned out to be 58,214 (69,000 capacity), but the crowd shots from the CBS cameras proved that only about half of the sold tickets were utilized. Oregon at least held up…

#6 Syracuse – Fiesta Bowl – Lost luggage, lost jacket, lost holiday

//posted 1.1.1993

(Post your own memories)

Colorado v. Syracuse – Fiesta Bowl – January 1, 1993

Lost Luggage, Lost Jacket, Lost Holiday

I had never been to Phoenix before. In fact, unless you count stepping across the state line at the Four Corners area which represents the intersection of the borders of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, I had never been to Arizona before. Coming at the end of December, a trip to the Fiesta Bowl to cap off the 1992 season seemed like a great idea.

My trip got off to a bad start when my luggage failed to meet me at the Phoenix airport. Fortunately, my hosts for my first evening in Phoenix, Kyle and Kim, were more than hospitable in taking care of my needs until the next day when my wayward luggage decided to complete its journey.

(Author’s Note: Allow me to digress. Kyle and Kim were floormates of mine from my freshman year in Libby Hall. In fact, Kyle was the first person I met in Boulder. I was carrying up some boxes to my dorm room my first day in town when Kyle strolled down the hallway, stuck out his large hand, and, in a voice which was…

#4 Notre Dame – Orange Bowl – “Opportunity Lost”

//posted 1.1.1990

(Post your own memories)

Travel Plans

When I was an undergrad at Colorado, a number of my friends and I made a pact:

If Colorado ever made it to the Orange Bowl as Big Eight Champions, we would go to the game.

No matter when, no matter our circumstances, we would find a way to get there. At the time, with the Buffs posting a series of records like 1-10, 2-8-1, and 3-8, there seemed to be little substance to the pledge.

A few short years later, though, the Buffs were going. I envisioned a class reunion of sorts in Miami, catching up with friends not seen for several years. Not only were the Buffs Big Eight champs, they were playing for the national championship. Surely all of my football buddies of the early 1980′s, who had endured the carnage of the early years, would not miss the Orange Bowl.

Reality check.

Many of my friends from the early 80′s had, much to my chagrin, gotten a life. I was still single, while many of my classmates had settled down with wives and children. An excursion to Miami for them was just not in the cards.

Pact or no pact, few were planning on the…

Baylor – Bluebonnet Bowl – “On the Road Again”

//posted 12.31.1986

(Post your own memories)

On the Road Again

The 1986 season was a watershed in Colorado football history. Yes, the Buffs had finished 1985 with a winning season (7-5), and had gone to a bowl game for the first time in almost a decade, but it is the 1986 season which is seen as the turning point in Buff fortunes. Still, when the Buffs opened the 1986 campaign 0-4, it was hard not to consider that 1985 was an aberration, and that the aura of losing was once again to permeate the Colorado campus. Colorado rallied, though, to post a surprising 6-1 Big Eight record, including an historic 20-10 win over Nebraska. Even a 28-0 loss to No. 4 Oklahoma did little to dampen fans’ spirits. After the Buffs dominated Kansas State, 49-3, to post a 6-5 record and the right to participate in a bowl, Colorado fans didn’t care where the game was or who the opponent would be. We were just glad to be invited.

The location? Houston, Texas. The game? The Bluebonnet Bowl against the Baylor Bears. What was a Buff fan to do?

Two words: “Road Trip”!

Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” sings the…

1980′s Fanaticism – 1970′s overview – Chuck Fairbanks

//posted 8.26.1980

(There have been 3 comments, post your CU memory now)

CU at the Game – Background for 1980

“Fanaticism”

“A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.” -Winston Churchill

Before winding the clock all the way back to 1980, we first need to make a brief stop in September, 1985. It was then, without knowing it at the time, that I acquired what would become the symbol of my “fanaticism” for Colorado football.

It remains in my dresser drawer to this day. It is my proof of purchase, if you will, for demonstrating my “belief without evidence” in the Buffs. (“Belief without evidence” was a catch phrase Northwestern head coach -and future CU head coach – Gary Barnett would use to inspire his players during the Wildcats improbable run from doormats to the Big 10 Championship in 1995).

In September, 1985, it served as little more than an advertising ploy, a means by which the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, could utilize me as a walking billboard for its products.

“It” is a simple t-shirt, so lacking in inherent value that they gave them away. Gold in color, sponsored by Coors, it came with the slogan “Back to Black” imprinted on the back.…

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Postseason Archive

#12 Oregon – The “Forgotten” Cotton Bowl

#6 Syracuse – Fiesta Bowl – Lost luggage, lost jacket, lost holiday

#4 Notre Dame – Orange Bowl – “Opportunity Lost”

Baylor – Bluebonnet Bowl – “On the Road Again”

1980′s Fanaticism – 1970′s overview – Chuck Fairbanks

“Fanaticism”

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