Folsom Field is often referred to as the best venue for college football, sitting at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The stadium is one of the most intimate settings in the country, with the second-tightest sideline distance between the playing field and the stands. As a result of that and playing at an elevation of 5,440 feet, Folsom Field gives the Buffs a unique home-field advantage.
CU has an all-time record of 315-175-10 (.640) in Folsom Field with 500 all-time games heading into the 2019 season. The Buffs have won six games in Folsom during a season six different times and won five or more games 22 times. They also have 13 undefeated home seasons and five more where the team did not lose a game, but had a tie.
A timeline of Folsom Field
Groundbreaking for Folsom Field (then named Colorado Stadium) began on Jan. 14, 1924, at a cost of $75,000.
The original capacity of Colorado Stadium was 26,000.
The first game at Colorado Stadium was on Oct. 11, 1924, a 39-0 win over Regis College from nearby Denver.
Game No. 50 in Colorado Stadium was a 33-0 win over Colorado School of Mines on Oct. 17, 1936.
CU's 35-6 win over Colorado College on Nov. 13, 1937, lifted the Buffs to their first 6-0 season at Colorado Stadium, and the Cotton Bowl.
The 50th win in the stadium was a 25-2 victory over BYU on Nov. 16, 1940.
Colorado Stadium was renamed Folsom Field in 1944 after the death of Fred Folsom, who coached the team for three stints from 1895-1915 for a total of 15 years. He had an all-time record of 77-23-2 (.765) with the Buffs, but never actually coached a game in Folsom Field.
CU upset its first ranked opponent in school history, defeating No. 20 Kansas 35-27 on Oct. 6, 1951.
In 1956, a second deck was erected around two-thirds of the stadium, bringing the capacity to 45,000. One year later, 6,000 more seats were added to allow the stadium to seat 51,000 spectators.
CU's 100th win in Folsom Field was a 47-7 victory over Colorado State on Oct. 13, 1956.
Ralphie, CU's live buffalo mascot, ran her first game on Sept. 16, 1967, a 27-7 win over Baylor.
The running track around the stadium was removed in 1967 and a team locker room was constructed in the north end of Folsom Field. In 1968, a six-level press box was added on the west side.
CU ended 4th-ranked Penn State's 31-game winning streak on Sept. 26, 1970, at Folsom Field.
Astroturf was installed at Folsom Field in 1971, and five years later in 1976, wooden bleachers were removed and silver and gold bleachers were added.
Game No. 200 was a 12-8 win over Kansas on Nov. 11, 1967. CU's 150th win in Folsom Field was a 56-14 victory over Cincinnati on Sept. 16, 1972. The 250th game was a 42-0 shutout against Kent State on Sept. 17, 1977.
The 300th game in Folsom Field history was a 23-10 win over Colorado State on Sept. 7, 1985. Two years later on Oct. 17, 1987, the Buffs earned their 200th win in Folsom Field with a 35-10 thrashing of Kansas.
CU reached the national championship game in 1989 after going 6-0 at Folsom Field, including a 27-6 win over Texas, a 38-7 win over No. 10 Illinois, and a 27-21 over No. 3 Nebraska.
CU took down Big Eight rival No. 22 Oklahoma 32-23 on Nov. 27, 1990, to improve to 7-1-1 that season, paving the path for the first national championship in school history.
The Dal Ward Athletic Center was constructed in 1991, providing top-notch football facilities with locker rooms, a weight room and meeting rooms. The facility is now home to the Herbst Academic Center, as well as Olympic sports training facilities. After the completion of this project, Folsom Field's seating capacity was increased to 51,748.
CU shocked No. 10 Wisconsin 55-17 in the second game of the 1994 season at Folsom Field, setting the tone for an 11-1 season and a Heisman Trophy for Rashaan Salaam.
Rashaan Salaam eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark in a 41-20 win over Iowa State on Nov. 19, 1994, vaulting him to the Heisman Trophy that season.
The Buffs knocked off No. 3 Texas A&M at Folsom Field to improve to 4-0 en route to a 10-2 season in 1995, including a Cotton Bowl win over Oregon.
CU earned its 250th win at Folsom Field on Sept. 19, 1998, a 25-6 victory over Utah State.
Folsom Field's Astroturf was removed in 1999 with SportGrass replacing it to include biothermal heating, drainage and a sub-air system at a cost of $1.2M.
Colorado's 62-36 win over No. 2-ranked Nebraska in the final regular-season game of the 2001 season has proven to be perhaps the most memorable game in CU history. Chris Brown rushed for a school-record six touchdowns and the Buffs knocked their closest rivals out of national title contention with the Folsom Field victory.
CU's 400th game in Folsom Field was a 34-14 win over San Diego State on Sept. 7, 2002.
In 2003, the east side of the stadium was renovated to build suites and club-level seating. The new capacity was increased to 53,750, the all-time high in the stadium's history.
In 2007, Folsom Field received an upgrade to the Flatirons Club, dropping the stadium capacity slightly to 53,613.
The Buffs earned a pair of monumental victories over their closest rivals in 2007 at home, topping No. 3 Oklahoma 27-24 on a last-second field goal, and beating Nebraska 65-51.
CU's 300th win at Folsom Field was a 41-24 pounding of Cal on Nov. 16, 2013. It was also Mike MacIntyre's first Pac-12 Conference win.
The most recent upgrades began with the completion of the Champions Center, featuring state-of-the-art locker rooms, athletic training facilities, offices, and a weight room. The work on the northeast corner of Folsom Field brought it to its current seating capacity of 50,183.
The final piece of the upgrades that began in 2014 was the completion of the Indoor Practice Facility during the 2015-16 winter. Opening up to the weight room and the Champions Center, the Buffs have one of the top indoor facilities in the nation, complete with a field and eight-lane, 300-meter track.
CU captured the Pac-12 South championship in 2016, beating 21st-ranked Utah 27-22 on Nov. 26 in the final game of the regular season. It was the first Pac-12 championship for the Buffs since joining the conference.
Game No. 499 in Folsom Field on Nov. 10, 2018, was one day before Veteran's Day. The stadium has always had a special bond with veterans and first responders.
295
CU's 2019 home opener vs. Nebraska will be the 295th time Ralphie has run prior to kickoff at Folsom Field.
17,000,000
The approximate all-time attendance at Folsom Field
Weather
Since 1949, it has only snowed eight times at Folsom Field during a football game. Most recently was Nov. 17, 2018, against Utah. The Buffs are 6-2 at home when it snows.
Rainfall has only occurred during a game at Folsom Field four times since 1982, most recently against Oregon on Oct. 3, 2015.
Weather
In the history of Folsom Field, only five games have been played in colder temperatures than 20 degrees at kickoff. The coldest game was Nov. 11, 1911 in a 31-0 win over Colorado College as the temperature was just 7 degrees with a windchill of -1. The most recent "cold" game was Nov. 23, 2013, when the temperature at kickoff was 29 degrees against USC.
The warmest game at Folsom Field as on Sept. 24, 1949, when the kickoff temperature was 92 degrees in a 13-12 win over Kansas. The most recent "hot" game was Sept. 15, 2018, when CU defeated New Hampshire 45-14, a game when the temperature started at 90 degrees. It was tied for the fourth-hottest game in Folsom Field history.
Bill McCartney
A total of 17 CU head coaches have coached at Folsom Field. Coach McCartney had 51 wins, the most of any coach. Eddie Crowder is second with 36 wins.
Big Eight Conference
CU has been a part of six different conferences since Folsom Field was built (RMAC, Mountain States, Big Seven, Big Eight, Big 12 and Pac-12). CU won more games in the Big Eight (136 wins) at Folsom Field than any other era.
28
Folsom Field had artificial turf for 28 seasons. CU played 168 games on turf and the 2019 home opener vs. Nebraska will the 333rd game played on grass at Folsom.