Folsom Field

This article is about a football stadium. For other uses, see Folsom Field (disambiguation).
Folsom Field

View to southwest & Flatirons, 2008
Former names Colorado Stadium
(1924–1944)
Location 2400 Colorado Avenue
Boulder, Colorado 80302
Coordinates 40°00′32″N 105°16′01″W / 40.009°N 105.267°W / 40.009; -105.267Coordinates: 40°00′32″N 105°16′01″W / 40.009°N 105.267°W / 40.009; -105.267
Owner University of Colorado
Operator University of Colorado
Capacity 26,000 (1924–1955)
45,000 (1956–1966)
50,516 (1967–1975)
52,005 (1976–1978)
51,463 (1979–1990)
51,748 (1991–1995)
51,808 (1996–1998)
51,655 (1999–2000)
50,942 (2001–2002)
53,750 (2003–2009)
53,613 (2010–2013)
50,183 (2014–present)[1]
Record attendance 54,972
Surface Grass (1924–70, 1999–present)
AstroTurf (1971–1998)
Construction
Broke ground January 14, 1924[1]
Opened October 11, 1924
92 years ago
Renovated 1968, 1976, 2003
Expanded 1956, 1967, 2003
Construction cost $65,000 (1924)
Architect Waldo E. Brockway[2]

Sink Combs Dethlefs (renovations)
Tenants
Colorado Buffaloes football
(NCAA) (1924–present)

Folsom Field is an outdoor football stadium located on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. Opened 92 years ago in 1924, it is the home field of the Colorado Buffaloes of the Pac-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.[3]

The playing field returned to natural grass in 1999 and sits at an elevation of 5,360 feet (1,630 m), more than a mile above sea level.[4] Folsom Field is the third highest stadium in major college football, behind only Wyoming and Air Force of the Mountain West Conference.

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 Colorado Buffaloes football team ever since. Through the 2014 football season, the Buffs had a home record of 302–164–14, a winning percentage of .644. 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 coach Fred Folsom. He coached the Buffs from 1895 to 1902 and 1908 to 1915, compiling a 78–24–2 (.760) overall record.

In 2008, Folsom Field became 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 1956 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 and field team relocated to Potts Field on the East Campus. A huge, six-level press box was added in 1968 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.[5] Since the 2003 renovation 137 seats with obstructed views have been removed lowering the seating capacity to 53,613.[6]

In 2014, construction for a further expansion has started. This expansion includes a new indoor practice facility, a high performance sports center, as well as extra seating on the northeast corner of the stadium.[7][8]

Playing surface

From 1924 through 1970, the playing surface at Folsom Field was natural grass. In the summer of 1971, AstroTurf was installed and the first game played on the new surface was against Wyoming on September 18. The 1971 Buffs finished third in the AP Poll behind Nebraska and Oklahoma, for a sweep of the top three spots by the Big Eight Conference.[9] The synthetic turf was replaced in 1978 and again in 1989, with "Astroturf-8."[10] 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.

Other uses

Folsom Field is also used as the finish line for the Bolder Boulder, a popular 10K run. 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. The stadium played host to a concert, later released on DVD, by the Dave Matthews Band on July 11, 2001.

Attendance records

The largest crowd for a CU football game at Folsom Field was 54,972 when the Buffaloes met in-state rival Colorado State on September 3, 2005. This early-season, non-conference rivalry game, the Rocky Mountain Showdown, is more often played in neutral Denver at Mile High Stadium and it successor Sports Authority Field at Mile High.[1]

The largest 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 seating capacity by about 9,000) for a show featuring Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Firefall, and John Sebastian.

The east side of the stadium with the newer club and suite level suites; "1990 National Champions" noted between the two suite levels
Season Games Sellouts 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 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
2012 6 0-6 273,235 45,539
2013 6 3-3 230,773 38,462
2014 6 1-5 226,670 37,778

Gallery

Texas at Colorado, October 4, 2008

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Folsom Field Home". University of Colorado Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 6, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Historic Building Inventory Record" (PDF). Colorado Historical Society. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  3. ↑ Colorado.edu - CU campus map
  4. ↑ Color aerial view (& topographic map) of CU campus from USGS via Microsoft Research Maps
  5. ↑ "Folsom Field History". University of Colorado Department of Athletics. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Game 2–California" (PDF). University of Colorado Department of Athletics. September 7, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  7. ↑ Whitehair, Stuart (January 2, 2012). "Colorado Daily – January". CU at the Game. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  8. ↑ http://www.ralphiereport.com/videos/2014/4/14/5611642/fly-through-upcoming-colorado-buffaloes-facilities-upgrades
  9. ↑ College FB Data Warehouse 1971 Final AP poll
  10. ↑ CU Buffs.com Folsom Field playing surface

External links

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