As a kid I went to camp in Estes Park and that was where my love of Colorado started to materialize. As I got older, CU was a dominate force in the world of college football. I remember the days of Eric Bieniemy running down the field or Darian Hagan running/passing! I would watch as many games as I could on T.V. when they would air in Texas. Then, on January 1, 1996, I went to my first CU game, the Buffs vs. Oregon. I will never forget being at the Cotton Bowl and the excitement of seeing the Black & Gold in person.
I moved to Boulder in August of 1996. Those were the days when there were still lots of cows on Highway 36 from Denver to Boulder! My dorm was Farrand Hall, which was great being so close to Folsom Field, so I would never miss a game. Throughout the next four years, I attended every single game that I could make. I saw some amazing games, and some that made you want to pull your hair out. The Buffs made numerous bowl games, but they could never get over the hump. When I graduated in 2000 they were a very good team, but they hadn’t made it to the National Championship.
Then came 2001, I remember watching the Fresno State game and thought “Oh no this going to be a long year”. I was living in Oklahoma which is only a 9-hour drive away, so I still tried to make as many games as I could, and boy was it worth it that year! It was a magical year and the start of a nice run for The Buffs. I was fortunate enough to go to multiple Big XII Championships, Fiesta Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Houston Bowl, and the Independence Bowl; however, the good times were not going to last.
Us diehard Buff Fans have been starving for success. Besides the 2016 season, and if you count 2020 this has been a tough couple of decades for the Black & Gold. I for one, still never missed a game through all the bad times and never even thought about skipping a game. Each time I am sitting in Folsom I often wonder why would anyone not want to come and play here? The amazing backdrop over the Flatirons, the rabid fans, and the tradition! However, things have not been in our favor, from bad coaching hires to just plain bad luck, but this is all about to change!
When I found out we were going to hire Coach Prime I was beyond ecstatic! Growing up in Dallas, Texas, I had many good years watching him play cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys. He was electric every time he stepped on the field. The excitement he brought as an NFL/MLB player is what he is bringing to The Buffs. We needed this enthusiasm to bring this program back from the dead. Now, we are garnering headlines on ESPN all the time, we are being picked up for the prime T.V. slots, we are a National headline. This program is under a microscope now and this is how it should always be. CU should always be considered a top National program that people are talking about. What Coach Prime is doing is making us relevant again. While we may not win every game (I hope we do) we will be competitive again.
So buckle up everyone it is going to be an amazing ride and us loyal Buff Fans welcome all of you to The Buffs Bandwagon. I hope to see each and every one of you at Folsom this year – Follow us on all our social media pages for ticket giveaways and tune in every Thursday at 6:30 pm MST to watch Prime’s Playbook with Romi Bean and Deion Sanders, sponsored by The Wilhite Law Firm!
