The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado Boulder. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffaloes. "Lady Buffs" referred to the women's teams beginning in the 1970s, but was officially dropped in 1993. The nickname was selected by the campus newspaper in a contest with a $5 prize in 1934, won by Andrew Dickson of Boulder.
The university participates as a member of the Big 12 Conference at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
Fernando Lovo was announced as the seventh athletic director in the program's history on December 29, 2025, following the resignation of Rick George. Colorado has won 30 national championships in its history, with 21 in skiing, the most recent coming in 2024. It was ranked #14 of "America's Best Sports College" in a 2002 analysis performed by Sports Illustrated.
History Competitive football began on the Boulder campus in 1890. Early games, which bore more resemblance to rugby than modern football, were played against the School of Mines and Utah. The football stadium, originally "Colorado Stadium," was opened in 1924 and was officially renamed Folsom Field in November 1944 to honor Coach Fred Folsom, one of the most respected college football coaches of his day.
In 1934, the university's intercollegiate teams were officially nicknamed the "Buffaloes." Previous nicknames used by the press included the "Silver Helmets" and "Frontiersmen." The final game of 1934, against the University of Denver, also saw the inaugural running of a bison in a Colorado football game. A bison calf was rented from a local ranch and ran along the sidelines.
The year 1947 marked a key point in race relations on campus. The Buffaloes joined the Big Eight Conference. However, Missouri and Oklahoma had rules that would not have allowed them to challenge teams with "colored" players. A student outcry, led by campus paper Silver and Gold, led to a movement against these Jim Crow restrictions, which expanded to all the campuses of the Big 7 and eventually led to their repeal.
On June 10, 2010, the Buffaloes announced that they would join the Pacific-10 Conference, soon renamed the Pac-12 Conference, in all sports beginning on July 1, 2011.
On July 27, 2023, the Buffaloes announced that they would rejoin the Big 12 Conference in all sports beginning in the 2024–25 academic year.
Varsity sports Basketball Basketball Cross country Cross country Football Golf Golf Lacrosse Track and field† Soccer Tennis Track and field† Volleyball Co-ed sports Skiing The University of Colorado was a member of the Colorado Football Association in 1893, and became a charter member of the Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference in 1909, which changed its name a year later to Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference. Colorado left the RMFAC to become a charter member of the Mountain States Conference (a.k.a. Skyline Conference) in 1938. CU joined the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1947, then commonly known as the Big Six, changing the common name to the Big Seven. In 1958, the conference added OSU to become the Big Eight Conference. It remained the Big 8 until 1996, when it combined with four member schools of the defunct Southwest Conference (Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Baylor) to create the Big 12 Conference.
On July 1, 2011, the school joined the Pac-12 Conference, along with Utah. A total of 12 of CU's 17 varsity sports competed in the Pac-12, except the ski teams, indoor track & field teams, and the lacrosse team. The ski teams participate in the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association (RMISA), of which they have been members since 1947, along with fellow Pac-12 newcomer Utah. Both continue to house skiing in the RMISA. The indoor track & field teams participated in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) as the Pac-12 didn't sponsor indoor track. With the Big 12 sponsoring indoor track, CU now competes in that conference. Women's lacrosse was added in the spring of 2014; that team competed in the MPSF until the Pac-12 Conference added women's lacrosse as a sport for the 2018 season.http://uslaxmagazine.com/college_women/DI/2015-16/news/102315_pac_12_adds_womens_lacrosse_for_2018_season Women's lacrosse now competes in the Big 12, following the conference's decision to add the sport starting in the spring 2025 season.
Colorado is one of two Big 12 schools and one of only five Power Four schools that do not sponsor baseball, along with SMU, Syracuse, Wisconsin, and fellow Big 12 member Iowa State. CU does not have a women's softball program, one of five Big 12 members (Cincinnati, Kansas State, TCU, West Virginia) opting not to participate.
Football
The Colorado football program is 32nd on the all-time NCAA Division I win list and 46th in all-time winning percentage (.567). Since Folsom Field was built in 1924, the Buffaloes have been at home. The Nebraska game in 2006 was CU's 1100th football game. Bill McCartney is the most famous head coach, leading Colorado to its only national championship in 1990. Current head coach Deion Sanders was approved by the university's board of regents in December 2022.
Beginning competitive play in 1890, Colorado has enjoyed much success throughout its history. The team has won numerous bowl games (31 appearances in bowl games (12-19), 23rd (tied) all-time prior to 2004 season), 8 Colorado Football Association Championships (1894–97, 1901–08), 1 Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference (1909), 7 RFMAC Championships (1911, 1913, 1923, 1924, 1934, 1935, 1937), 4 Mountain States Conference Championships (1939, 1942–44), 5 Big Eight (Six) conference championships (1961, 1976, 1989, 1990, 1991), 1 Big 12 conference championship (2001), 4 Big 12 North Championships (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005), and an Associated Press national championship in 1990. The team holds rivalries with Nebraska, Colorado State, and Utah.
Colorado football also has two Heisman Trophy winners: Rashaan Salaam (1994) Travis Hunter (2024)
There have also been 6 unanimous First-Team All-Americans: Eric Bieniemy (1990) Joe Garten (1990) Jay Leeuwenburg (1991) Rashaan Salaam (1994) Daniel Graham (2001) Travis Hunter (2024)
There are 10 players and one coach in the College Football Hall of Fame: Byron "Whizzer" White (inducted 1952) Joe Romig (1984) Dick Anderson (1993) Bobby Anderson (2006) Alfred Williams (2010) John Wooten (2012) Bill McCartney (2013) Herb Orvis (2016) Rashaan Salaam (2022) Deon Figures (2024)
Men's basketball
They play at the CU Events Center on campus and are 939–384 (.710) at home, through the 2025-26 season, including 217–52 (.807) in 16 years under coach Tad Boyle.
+ Data through 2025–26 season no coach 1902–1906 5 18 16 .529 5 – – Frank R. Castleman 1907–1912 6 32 22 .592 1 – – John McFadden 1913–1914 2 10 9 .526 2 – – James N. Ashmore 1915–1917 3 16 10 .615 1 – – Melbourne C. Evans 1918 1 9 2 .818 – – – Joe Mills 1919–1924 6 30 24 .556 1 – – Howard Beresford 1925–1933 9 76 52 .594 – – – Henry P. Iba 1934 1 9 8 .529 – – – Earl “Dutch” Clark 1935 1 3 9 .250 – – – Forrest B. Cox 1936– 1950 13 147 89 .623 4 3 2 H. B. Lee 1950–1956 6 63 74 .459 2 2 – Russell “Sox” Walseth 1956– 1976 20 261 245 .516 3 3 – Bill Blair 1976– 1981 5 67 69 .493 – – – Tom Apke 1981– 1986 5 59 81 .421 – – – Tom Miller 1986– 1990 4 35 79 .307 – – – Joe Harrington 1990– 1996 6 72 85 .459 – – 2 Ricardo Patton 1996–2007 12 184 160 .535 – 2 4 Jeff Bzdelik 2007–2010 3 36 58 .383 – – – Tad Boyle 2010–present 16 329 220 .599 1 6 5 Totals 124 1,456 1,312 .526 20 16 13 ¹ Invitations
Women's basketball
Women's Basketball started at Colorado in 1975. The team has had seven coaches and the current coach is JR Payne.
Skiing The CU ski team competes as a member of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association, as CU is one of two members of the Big-12 along with Utah that competes in skiing. Colorado is one of the dominant programs in the NCAA in skiing, winning 21 total national championships, including 20 NCAA Championships, most recently in 2024. The Buffaloes have won 29 RMISA championships, most recently in 2024. The Buffaloes have had 53 individuals connected to the school participate in the Olympics 85 times. Colorado has had 105 individual national champions, including Magnus Bøe men's Nordic titles in 2021 (2), and 2024 (20k), Cassidy Gray winning the women's GS championship in 2021, and Magdalena Luczak sweeping the alpine events in 2024.
Cross country
Boulder's high elevation of adds aerobic stress to distance runners and is known to produce a competitive edge when altitude-trained athletes compete at sea level. The 1998 cross country team was the subject of a book, Running with the Buffaloes, which documents the team's training regimen under long-time coach Mark Wetmore. Colorado has won five NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships (2001, 2004, 2006, 2013, and 2014) and three NCAA Women's Cross Country Championships (2000, 2004, 2018). The men's team also has won four individual titles (Mark Scrutton, Adam Goucher, Jorge Torres, and Dathan Ritzenhein), while the women's side has won two (Kara Goucher, Dani Jones).
The men won the first twelve Big 12 Conference titles in the conference's history and the women won 11 of the first 12 (all but 1998–99), with the two teams combining for 23 of the 32 championships awarded before the Buffs left the Big 12 in 2011 to join the Pac-12. Since joining the Pac-12 Conference, the Colorado men won their first six conference titles (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) and the Colorado women have claimed four conference titles, including three consecutive following a shot lapse (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017).
Baseball The Colorado Buffaloes baseball team was discontinued after the 1980 season. Baseball, wrestling, men's and women's gymnastics, men's and women's swimming, and women's diving comprised the seven programs that were discontinued on June 11, 1980, due to Colorado was the only Pac-12 school and one of only five Power 4 schools that do not sponsor baseball, the other four being Iowa State, SMU, Syracuse and Wisconsin.
Men's golf The men's golf team won three Big Eight Conference championships: 1954, 1955 (co-champions), 1968. Hale Irwin won the 1967 NCAA Championship.
Club sports Colorado has a very active and developed club sports system with over 30 sports.
Baseball Crew Cycling Dance Diving Equestrian Fencing Field hockey Fly fishing Freestyle skiing Men's ice hockey Women's ice hockey Kayaking Men's lacrosse Women's lacrosse Racquetball Roller hockey Men's rugby Women's rugby Running Snowboarding Men's soccer Women's soccer Women's softball Swimming Taekwondo Co-ed tennis CU Triathlon Team Men's ultimate Women's ultimate Men's volleyball Women's volleyball Water polo Men's wrestling
Men's rugby Colorado's rugby program was founded in 1967. The Buffaloes play in the Western Division of Division I-A, where they play against local rivals such as Colorado State and less localized teams like the New Mexico and Utah State.USA Rugby, College Conferences, http://www.usarugby.org/college-directory/#KlJ7VJLE7ELeiezs.97 The Buffaloes are led by head coach Murray Wallace, assisted by John Barkmeier Chris Dyas, Justin Holshuh, Conor Sears, and Steve Brown. Kevin Whitcher coaches the Buffaloes sevens team.CU Men's Rugby, Coaches http://www.colorado.edu/sportsclub/mensrugby/ The Buffaloes have consistently been ranked among the top college rugby teams in the country.