Folsom Field
Encyclopedia
Folsom Field is an outdoor football
stadium
on the campus of the University of Colorado
, at Boulder
, Colorado
. Opened in 1924, it is the home field of the Colorado Buffaloes
of the Pacific-12 Conference; until July 2011, Colorado was a member of the Big 12 Conference
. The horseshoe
-shaped stadium runs in the traditional north-south configuration, opening to the north. The CU athletic administration center, named after 1950s head coach Dal Ward
, is located at the north end.
The playing field returned to natural grass in 1999 and sits at an elevation
of 5360 feet (1,633.7 m), more than a mile above sea level. Folsom Field is the third highest stadium in major college football
, behind only Wyoming
and Air Force
of the Mountain West Conference
.
ever since. Through the 2007
football season, the Buffs have a home record of 286–139–14, a winning percentage of .667. Prior to the opening of Folsom Field, CU played its games at Gamble Field for two decades, where the seating capacity
of 9,000 was limited to temporary bleachers.
Originally known as Colorado Stadium for its first twenty years, it was renamed in 1944, following the death of legendary CU coach Fred Folsom
. He coached the Buffs from 1895–1902 and 1908–15, compiling a 78–24–2 (.760) overall record.
In 2008, Folsom Field become the first "zero-waste" stadium in the NCAA by instituting a rigorous recycling and composting program.
raised the height of the stadium and increased its capacity to 45,000; in 1967
6,000 more seats were added with the removal of the running track (the track & field team relocated to Potts Field on the East Campus). In 1968
a huge, six-level press box was added to the top of the west side grandstand, directly in front of Balch Fieldhouse
, the former home of the basketball
team. Renovations continued in 1976
when the old, rickety wooden bleachers were replaced with aluminum ones, raising the capacity to 52,005. In 2003
, suites and club seating were added to the east side of the stadium, raising the capacity to 53,750. Since the renovation of 2003 137 seats with obstructed views have been removed lowering the seating capacity to 53,613.
From 1924-70
, the playing surface at Folsom Field was natural grass. In 1971
, AstroTurf
was installed and the first game played on the new surface was on against Wyoming
on September 18. (The Buffs finished third in the national AP
poll in 1971, behind Nebraska and Oklahoma, for a national sweep for the Big Eight
conference.) The synthetic turf was replaced in 1978
and again in 1989
, with "Astroturf-8.".
After 28 years of AstroTurf, Folsom Field returned to natural grass in the spring of 1999
. The project, which included bio-thermal heating, drainage, and a sub-air system, cost $1.2 million.
, a popular 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) road race.
The south end zone was featured in the opening and closing credits of the late 1970s television show Mork and Mindy
which was set in Boulder.
The first Promise Keepers
stadium conference was held at Folsom in June 1992.
on September 3, 2005. Since 1998
, the early season non-conference rivalry game with CSU is usually played in neutral Denver
.
The top crowd ever at Folsom Field was for a rock concert
on May 1, 1977, for one of the popular Colorado Sun Day concert series. The attendance was an estimated 61,500 (exceeding the largest football crowd by about 9,000) for a show featuring Fleetwood Mac
, Bob Seger
, Firefall
, and John Sebastian
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
on the campus of the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, at Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Opened in 1924, it is the home field of the Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
of the Pacific-12 Conference; until July 2011, Colorado was a member of the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
. The horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
-shaped stadium runs in the traditional north-south configuration, opening to the north. The CU athletic administration center, named after 1950s head coach Dal Ward
Dallas Ward
-External links:...
, is located at the north end.
The playing field returned to natural grass in 1999 and sits at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 5360 feet (1,633.7 m), more than a mile above sea level. Folsom Field is the third highest stadium in major college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, behind only Wyoming
War Memorial Stadium (Wyoming)
Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the University of Wyoming in Laramie. It is the home field of the Wyoming Cowboys of the Mountain West Conference. It is the highest Division I FBS college football stadium in the nation; the playing field sits at...
and Air Force
Falcon Stadium
Falcon Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is the home field of the Air Force Falcons of the Mountain West Conference...
of the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
.
History
Gamble Field was the home of Colorado football for two decades, through 1923. Folsom Field (originally Colorado Stadium) opened in 1924, and has been the home of the CU football teamColorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
ever since. Through the 2007
2007 Colorado Buffaloes football team
The 2007 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dan Hawkins in his second season at Colorado and played their home games at Folsom Field. Colorado finished 6-7 after losing in the...
football season, the Buffs have a home record of 286–139–14, a winning percentage of .667. Prior to the opening of Folsom Field, CU played its games at Gamble Field for two decades, where the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 9,000 was limited to temporary bleachers.
Originally known as Colorado Stadium for its first twenty years, it was renamed in 1944, following the death of legendary CU coach Fred Folsom
Fred Folsom
Fred Gorham Folsom was an American football player, coach of football and baseball, lawyer, and law professor...
. He coached the Buffs from 1895–1902 and 1908–15, compiling a 78–24–2 (.760) overall record.
In 2008, Folsom Field become the first "zero-waste" stadium in the NCAA by instituting a rigorous recycling and composting program.
Expansions and Renovations
When opened in 1924, the horseshoe-shaped stadium had a capacity of 26,000. A major expansion in 19561956 in sports
1956's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* The men's Olympic Gold Medal:** Downhill: Toni Sailer, Austria** Slalom: Toni Sailer, Austria** Giant Slalom: Toni Sailer, Austria* The women's Olympic Gold Medal:** Downhill: Madeleine Berthod, Switzerland...
raised the height of the stadium and increased its capacity to 45,000; in 1967
1967 in sports
1967 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* The first Alpine Skiing World Cup is organised for the three ski events: Downhill, Slalom and Giant Slalom:** Men's overall champion: Jean-Claude Killy, France...
6,000 more seats were added with the removal of the running track (the track & field team relocated to Potts Field on the East Campus). In 1968
1968 in sports
1968 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup:** Men's overall champion: Jean-Claude Killy, France** Women's overall champion: Nancy Greene, Canada-American football:...
a huge, six-level press box was added to the top of the west side grandstand, directly in front of Balch Fieldhouse
Balch Fieldhouse
Balch Fieldhouse is a 4,000, at one point seating 7,000, seat multi-purpose arena in Boulder, Colorado. It opened in 1937. It was home to the University of Colorado Buffaloes basketball teams until the Coors Events Center opened in 1979....
, the former home of the basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team. Renovations continued in 1976
1976 in sports
1976 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Ingemar Stenmark, Sweden** Women's overall season champion: Rosi Mittermaier, West Germany-American football:...
when the old, rickety wooden bleachers were replaced with aluminum ones, raising the capacity to 52,005. In 2003
2003 in sports
2003 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season championship: Stephan Eberharter, Austria** Women's overall season championship: Janica Kostelić, Croatia-American football:...
, suites and club seating were added to the east side of the stadium, raising the capacity to 53,750. Since the renovation of 2003 137 seats with obstructed views have been removed lowering the seating capacity to 53,613.
Playing surface
From 1924-70
1970 in sports
1970 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion – Karl Schranz, Austria** Women's overall season champion – Michèle Jacot, France-American football:...
, the playing surface at Folsom Field was natural grass. In 1971
1971 in sports
1971 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:...
, AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
was installed and the first game played on the new surface was on against Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
on September 18. (The Buffs finished third in the national AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
poll in 1971, behind Nebraska and Oklahoma, for a national sweep for the Big Eight
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
conference.) The synthetic turf was replaced in 1978
1978 in sports
1978 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Ingemar Stenmark, Sweden** Women's overall season champion: Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein-American football:...
and again in 1989
1989 in sports
1989 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland-American football:...
, with "Astroturf-8.".
After 28 years of AstroTurf, Folsom Field returned to natural grass in the spring of 1999
1999 in sports
1999 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Lasse Kjus, Norway** Women's overall season champion: Alexandra Meissnitzer, Austria-American football:...
. The project, which included bio-thermal heating, drainage, and a sub-air system, cost $1.2 million.
Other uses
Folsom Field is also used as the finish line for the Bolder BoulderBolder Boulder
The Bolder Boulder is an annual 10-kilometer road race in Boulder, Colorado. The origin of the name is unknown. The most recent race featured over 54,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it the largest race in the US in which all participants are timed and the fifth largest road race...
, a popular 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) road race.
The south end zone was featured in the opening and closing credits of the late 1970s television show Mork and Mindy
Mork and Mindy
Mork & Mindy is an American science fiction sitcom broadcast from 1978 until 1982 on ABC. The series starred Robin Williams as Mork, an alien who comes to Earth from the planet Ork in a small, one-man egg-shaped spaceship. Pam Dawber co-starred as Mindy McConnell, his human friend and roommate...
which was set in Boulder.
The first Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers
Promise Keepers is an international conservative Christian organization for men. While it originated in the United States, it is now world-wide...
stadium conference was held at Folsom in June 1992.
Attendance Records
The largest crowd for a CU football game at Folsom Field was 54,972, when the Buffs played Colorado StateColorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
on September 3, 2005. Since 1998
1998 in sports
1998 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Katja Seizinger, Germany-American football:...
, the early season non-conference rivalry game with CSU is usually played in neutral Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
The top crowd ever at Folsom Field was for a rock concert
Rock concert
The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by "rock and roll" music. While a variety of vocal and instrumental styles can constitute a rock concert, this phenomenon is typically characterized by bands playing at least one electric guitar,...
on May 1, 1977, for one of the popular Colorado Sun Day concert series. The attendance was an estimated 61,500 (exceeding the largest football crowd by about 9,000) for a show featuring Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
, Firefall
Firefall
Firefall is a rock band that formed in Boulder, Colorado in 1974. It was founded by Rick Roberts, who had been in the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jock Bartley, who had been Tommy Bolin's replacement in Zephyr. The band's biggest hit single, "You Are the Woman", peaked at #9 on the Billboard charts...
, and John Sebastian
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
.
| Season | Games | Sold Out | W-L-T | Attendance | Average |
| 1937 | 6 | 6-0-0 | 46,826 | 7,804 | |
| 1942 | 4 | 4-0-0 | 15,796 | 3,949 | |
| 1946 | 5 | 4-0-1 | 53,000 | 10,600 | |
| 1947 | 4 | 2-2-0 | 54,000 | 13,500 | |
| 1948 | 5 | 3-2-0 | 79,479 | 15,896 | |
| 1949 | 5 | 2-3-0 | 98,776 | 19,755 | |
| 1950 | 5 | 4-1-0 | 97,748 | 19,550 | |
| 1951 | 5 | 5-0-0 | 107,121 | 21,424 | |
| 1952 | 5 | 2 | 3-0-2 | 123,481 | 24,696 |
| 1953 | 5 | 3-2-0 | 113,640 | 22,728 | |
| 1954 | 5 | 2 | 3-2-0 | 129,700 | 25,940 |
| 1955 | 5 | 1 | 4-1-0 | 113,500 | 22,700 |
| 1956 | 5 | 2 | 3-2-0 | 175,000 | 35,000 |
| 1957 | 5 | 3-2-0 | 152,500 | 30,500 | |
| 1958 | 5 | 1 | 2-3-0 | 187,500 | 37,500 |
| 1959 | 6 | 3-3-0 | 177,903 | 29,651 | |
| 1960 | 5 | 1 | 4-1-0 | 185,653 | 37,131 |
| 1961 | 6 | 1 | 5-1-0 | 199,987 | 33,331 |
| 1962 | 4 | 2-2-0 | 116,000 | 29,000 | |
| 1963 | 5 | 1-4-0 | 135,000 | 27,000 | |
| 1964 | 5 | 1-4-0 | 140,600 | 28,120 | |
| 1965 | 5 | 3-1-1 | 129,700 | 25,940 | |
| 1966 | 5 | 1 | 3-2-0 | 196,188 | 39,238 |
| 1967 | 5 | 4-1-0 | 196,817 | 39,363 | |
| 1968 | 5 | 1 | 3-2-0 | 215,574 | 43,115 |
| 1969 | 5 | 5-0-0 | 175,104 | 35,021 | |
| 1970 | 5 | 1 | 3-2-0 | 219,521 | 43,904 |
| 1971 | 5 | 5-0-0 | 220,171 | 44,034 | |
| 1972 | 6 | 3 | 5-1-0 | 307,044 | 51,174 |
| 1973 | 5 | 3-2-0 | 246,521 | 49,304 | |
| 1974 | 5 | 2 | 3-2-0 | 253,762 | 50,752 |
| 1975 | 6 | 6-0-0 | 281,199 | 46,867 | |
| 1976 | 6 | 2 | 5-1-0 | 300,191 | 50,032 |
| 1977 | 6 | 2 | 5-1-0 | 293,483 | 48,914 |
| 1978 | 8 | 2 | 5-3-0 | 383,048 | 47,881 |
| 1979 | 6 | 1-5-0 | 265,956 | 44,326 | |
| 1980 | 6 | 1 | 1-5-0 | 245,868 | 40,978 |
| 1981 | 6 | 3-3-0 | 209,224 | 34,871 | |
| 1982 | 7 | 1 | 1-6-0 | 251,909 | 41,985 |
| 1983 | 6 | 1 | 3-3-0 | 237,674 | 39,612 |
| 1984 | 6 | 1 | 1-5-0 | 235,670 | 39,278 |
| 1985 | 6 | 4-2-0 | 220,734 | 36,789 | |
| 1986 | 6 | 2 | 3-3-0 | 269,546 | 44,924 |
| 1987 | 6 | 1 | 4-2-0 | 268,711 | 44,785 |
| 1988 | 6 | 4-2-0 | 235,142 | 39,190 | |
| 1989 | 6 | 2 | 6-0-0 | 293,726 | 48,954 |
| 1990 | 6 | 4 | 6-0-0 | 310,374 | 51,729 |
| 1991 | 6 | 4 | 4-1-1 | 311,458 | 51,910 |
| 1992 | 6 | 4 | 5-0-1 | 309,900 | 51,650 |
| 1993 | 6 | 5 | 4-2-0 | 311,360 | 51,893 |
| 1994 | 6 | 3 | 6-0-0 | 304,897 | 50,816 |
| 1995 | 6 | 4 | 4-2-0 | 312,958 | 52,160 |
| 1996 | 6 | 4 | 5-1 | 312,586 | 52,098 |
| 1997 | 6 | 2 | 3-3 | 309,947 | 51,658 |
| 1998 | 6 | 5-1 | 284,512 | 47,419 | |
| 1999 | 5 | 1 | 4-1 | 239,313 | 47,863 |
| 2000 | 5 | 1-4 | 249,950 | 49,990 | |
| 2001 | 6 | 1 | 5-1 | 284,848 | 47,475 |
| 2002 | 6 | 2 | 5-1 | 295,286 | 49,214 |
| 2003 | 6 | 2 | 3-3 | 302,588 | 50,431 |
| 2004 | 6 | 1 | 4-2 | 287,368 | 47,895 |
| 2005 | 6 | 2 | 5-1 | 302,452 | 50,409 |
| 2006 | 6 | 2-4 | 276,286 | 46,048 | |
| 2007 | 6 | 3-3 | 303,051 | 50,509 | |
| 2008 | 6 | 1 (Texas) | 4-2 | 296,858 | 49,476 |
| 2009 | 6 | 3-3 | 300,527 | 50,088 | |
| 2010 | 6 | 4-2 | 281,182 | 46,864 | |
| 2011 | 5 | 1-4 | 251,777 | 50,355 |
External links
- Virtual Folsom Field with images from all sections and 360 degree view at selected locations.
- CUBuffs.com - Official Athletics website of the University of Colorado
- BuffZone - Daily Camera newspaper website regarding the Colorado Buffaloes
- CU Buffs.com - Folsom Field - history
- The Ralphie Report - Fan based website for the Colorado Buffaloes
- Color aerial view (& topographic map) of CU campus from USGS via Microsoft Research Maps