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Football Goals, Argos Sports Garden Football Goals, Football Traing Aids argos-sports.co.uk | Colorado State University Animal Cancer Center - Fort Collins, Colorado csuanimalcancercenter.org | Football Equipment - footballs, flag football equipment, kicking cages,... shapeupshop.com |
The Colorado State University Rams football program, established in 1893, is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mountain West Conference (MWC) under first-year head coach Steve Fairchild. Rams football teams have met with relative success over the years, including winning or sharing the Mountain West title in 1999, 2000 and 2002.[3] Home games are played at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium, located four miles west of the school's campus, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
[edit] Early historyColorado State football goes back 115 seasons. The first seven coaches in school history may have laid the groundwork for football at Colorado State, but they were not overly successful. All of these men coached at the old Durkee Field and none of them stayed around long enough to build successful teams. Then, for over 35 years football centered around legendary head coach Harry W. Hughes. Hughes came from Oklahoma in 1911 and cleaned up athletics and set a mark as one of the finest coaches in the Western United States. Known as a highly fair and honest coach, Hughes won eight conference championships, became a member of the elite NCAA rules committee when only seven coaches were invited to join, he was a board member of the American Football Coaches Association and in 1952 the Helms Armature Hall of Fame inducted him as a member. In 1935 he earned the nickname "Dean of American Football Coaches" when in his 25th season as head coach, Hughes became the longest tenured coach at any school nationwide. Following 35 years dominated by Harry Hughes as football coach and the main influence over football, Bob Davis stepped in as the new head coach of football and he immediately took advantage of WWII veterans to take his team to the school's first bowl game on January 1, 1949. Davis' teams came in second place in the Skyline Conference in 1948, 1949 and 1950, but a de-emphasis on athletics and the Korean War hurt Davis in the early 1950s. In 1955, Bob Davis and his team won the only conference championship of this era and the first since 1934. In 1956, Davis resigned as coach to concentrate on his duties as athletic director and his former player and assistant, Don "Tuffy" Mullison took over the reigns. During the Mullison and Lude eras football fell to its worst low and in 1962 CSU lost its conference and competed as an independent. [edit] RenaissanceSark Arslanian and Leon Fuller produced several excellent players and good but not great teams during the 1970s and 1980s, often finishing just at or around .500. Then, when CSU decided to bring on legendary Ohio State coach Earle Bruce, football began its greatest resurgence since Bob Davis. Bruce took his 1990 team to the Freedom Bowl and won in an exciting game over Oregon. His smash-mouth football and rigid conditioning transformed the Rams into a 9-4 team with a bowl championship. However, Bruce's initial success gave way to two disappointing seasons in 1991 and 1992 which culminated in a controversial firing after the 1992 season. After the fallout of the Bruce firing, Sonny Lubick, a former assistant coach for Leon Fuller, stepped in as the 18th head coach in school history. The Rams experienced their most successful run in the 15 seasons under head coach Sonny Lubick (1993-2007).[4] [edit] Success under Sonny Lubick After Sonny Lubick took control over the Rams as head coach in 1993, the Rams made nine bowl appearances.[5] CSU had only two previous bowl appearances. Lubick won nearly 75% of home games in the stadium that would later bear his name, leading the team to six conference titles and an overall record of 108-74.[6] CSU was consistently a top 25 contender from 1994-2002, with a 79-32 record during that period and 3 top 25 finishes.[7] Lubick, conference coach of the year four times, coached current Denver Broncos Cecil Sapp and Erik Pears, and all-pro NFL linebacker Joey Porter.[8] [edit] Fairchild EraMain article: 2008 Colorado State Rams football team On November 27, 2007, following significant drops in attendance and a 17–30 record over the past 4 seasons, including 3–9 in 2007,[7] CSU made the difficult and controversial decision to relieve Lubick of his head coaching duties. The school hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild to take the helm. Fairchild was a Rams quarterback from 1978–80, and served under Lubick as quarterback's coach and later as offensive coordinator from 1993–2000.[9] The Rams finished the regular season in fourth place in the Mountain West Conference and accepted a bid to the 2008 New Mexico Bowl on December 20, where they defeated the Fresno State Bulldogs. [edit] Bowl ResultsUnder the coaching of Earle Bruce, Sonny Lubick and Steve Fairchild, the CSU Rams have gone to a total of eleven bowl games since the 1990 football season. Included in that stretch was the 1997 season, when the Rams knocked off the Missouri Tigers in the Holiday Bowl. CSU went to nine bowl games in Lubick’s 15 seasons at the helm. The program went to five straight bowls from 1999-2003, an unprecedented run of success. Colorado State put an exclamation point on a 10-2 season in 2000, Steve Fairchild’s last year with the university before leaving for the NFL, by beating Deion Branch and the Louisville Cardinals in the Liberty Bowl. Voters that year ranked the Rams No. 14 in the final polls. All told, the Rams have played in 12 bowl games, including the 1994 Holiday Bowl against Michigan, completing another 10-2 season that included a win at preseason national championship contender Arizona. CSU that year also finished 14th in the final national polls. In just the first season under new head coach Steve Fairchild, the CSU Rams were able to beat the Fresno State 40-25 in the 2008 New Mexico Bowl. During this game, running back Gartrell Johnson rushed for over 286 yards and received five passes for 90 yards setting a record for the second most all-purpose yards ever in a single FBS bowl game.
[edit] Rivalries[edit] Rocky Mountain ShowdownEight times since 1998, Colorado State and in-state rival Colorado have faced one another in the annual football battle in Denver at Invesco Field at Mile High. The rivalry started in 1893 and was played annually until 1958. After being resurrected in 1984, the game moved to Denver in 1998. Since moving to Invesco Field at Mile High, the teams have consistently played before the largest crowds in state history to witness a college sporting event. On August 31, 2009, Colorado State and Colorado signed a 10-year contract extension of the Rocky Mountain Showdown which will bring the game back to Invesco Field at Mile High from 2010 to 2019. The game is scheduled to be played at Hughes Stadium in 2020. [edit] Border WarThe Border War featuring CSU and Wyoming - the longest rivalry in each school's history - dates back to 1893. Since 1968, the schools have battled for possession of the Bronze Boot traveling trophy. The bronzed battle boot was worn in Vietnam by CSU alumnus Dan Romero.  [edit] Ram-Falcon TrophyThe Ram-Falcon Trophy originated in 1980 to highlight the series between CSU and the U.S. Air Force Academy, located in Colorado Springs. The wood-carved trophy was produced by local artist Bill Wrage. The Air Force ROTC detachment on the CSU campus initiated the creation of the trophy. [edit] Mascots and pageantry[edit] The AThe prominent white "A" displayed on the foothills overlooking Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium is the oldest ongoing tradition associated with CSU. The "A" stands for Aggies. The "A" evolved after World War I, when a trend began among colleges to display the school insignia on a hill near campus. At a special assembly on Dec. 4, 1923, the students of the State Agricultural College (as CSU was then known) agreed it was time to erect such an emblem. A group of military volunteers formed the "AL" club and donated vehicles for transporting supplies, and female students provided food for the workers.  The college declared December 12 a special holiday, and students worked from that morning until mid-afternoon to form the "A." Construction was completed in just six hours. One small detail was missing: the school didn't own the land on which the insignia sat. The college and governing board members met with landowner R.G. Maxwell and negotiated a long-term lease for the sum of $1. The following year, students lengthened and widened the "A" to its present size of 450 feet high and 210 feet across. For many years, the class carried out the annual tradition of whitewashing the "A." Today, the "A" is an official landmark. Each fall, various fraternity members and new freshmen on the football team join forces to give the "A" a fresh coat of white paint. During that annual tradition, students have the opportunity to hike to the "A." Before the hike begins, students are given a small white pebble to carry with them. The half-mile hike takes students on a scenic trek leading them to the tip of the "A" where they are met by members of the Student Alumni Connection and learn about the significance of the "A." As students prepare to make their descent back down the hill, they are encouraged to reflect upon the mark they will leave at CSU and are asked to each leave their pebble as a symbol of that mark. [edit] CAM the RamThe official mascot of Colorado State University is CAM the Ram. His name reflects CSU history in that the letters of his name stand for Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College, the university's former name. The current CAM is a Rambouillet Ram and the 22nd CAM to serve Colorado State. He travels to cheer on the Rams football team and has his own troop of student "Ram Handlers" and a traveling trailer and a traveling trailer. Was there life before CAM? Yes, and even before the Aggies. The school's first mascot was an English bulldog named Peanuts. Later, in 1919, a black bear cub became the mascot for a short while, but throughout most of the Aggies era, the University had no mascot at all [edit] Pro Football Hall of FameThe Rams own the only football program in the state of Colorado that has produced a Professional Football Hall of Famer. *Jack Christiansen, a dominating return man and five-time Pro Bowler, helped the Detroit Lions to three world championships after playing in Fort Collins. [edit] Rams in the ProsFor more than six decades, players have parlayed their foundation at Colorado State into opportunities at the next level. A total of 17 former CSU players are active in the NFL. Included in that group are Broncos fullback Cecil Sapp, who enters his sixth NFL season after starting nine games for the team in 2007; Clark Haggans , who signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals; and Erik Pears, a starter on the Broncos’ offensive line in 2007. In addition, Sports Illustrated featured Joey Porter (now with Miami) on the cover of its 2006 NFL preview after he and Haggans helped the Steelers to a Super Bowl XL championship, and quarterback Caleb Hanie is battling for a roster spot with the Chicago Bears. Colorado State is one of only a handful of universities that has had both a No. 1 overall selection (Gary Glick, 1956) and a No. 2 overall selection (Mike Bell, 1979) in the NFL Draft. [edit] External links
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