1989 Colorado Buffaloes football team

Last updated

1989 Colorado Buffaloes football
Big Eight champion
Orange Bowl, L 6–21 vs. Notre Dame
Conference Big Eight Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 4
Record11–1 (7–0 Big 8)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Gerry DiNardo (6th season)
Offensive scheme I-Bone option
Defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz (2nd season)
Base defense 5-2
MVP Darian Hagan (QB)
Captains
  • Sal Aunese (honorary)
  • Bill Coleman (OT)
  • Mike Jones (LB)
  • Erich Kissick (FB)
  • Bruce Young (S)
Home stadium Folsom Field
Seasons
←  1988
1990  →
1989 Big Eight Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Colorado $ 7 –0 –011 –1 –0
No. 11 Nebraska 6 –1 –010 –2 –0
Oklahoma 5 –2 –07 –4 –0
Iowa State 4 –3 –06 –5 –0
Oklahoma State 3 –4 –04 –7 –0
Kansas 2 –5 –04 –7 –0
Missouri 1 –6 –02 –9 –0
Kansas State 0 –7 –01 –10 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. Colorado finished with the most wins in school history, surpassing the 1971 team, and their first conference championship in thirteen years. The Buffaloes went undefeated in the regular season at 11–0 (7–0 in Big 8) and played for the national title, but lost to fourth-ranked Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. [1]

Contents

The team dedicated the season to senior and former starting quarterback Sal Aunese, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late March, [2] and died at age 21 on September 23 due to complications from the disease. [3] [4] [5]

For the first time in 28 years, Colorado defeated Oklahoma and Nebraska in the same season. [6] [7] In the 27 seasons in between, they had five wins over Oklahoma (1965, 1966, 1968, 1972, 1976) and two over Nebraska (1967, 1986).

In another feel-good story, the team was host to a Make A Wish recipient Chad Henry for the big game against Nebraska in Boulder. Henry was an up-and-coming high school football player from Indiana, Pennsylvania, and the son of college/NFL coach Jack Henry, who began following the Buffaloes after reading about Sal Aunese's battle with cancer while himself battling a very rare and dangerous form of abdominal cancer. After cheering on the Buffs to the biggest win in school history in early November, Henry and his family were also invited to attend the national championship game in Miami as guests of the university. He went on to defeat the disease and did play football for his high school again in 1990. Although his once promising football career was ended following that season due to complications with side effects from the intense chemotherapy he endured, Henry went on to coach football at his high school and became a scout for the NFL's Detroit Lions and is currently with the Indianapolis Colts.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 45:30 pm Texas *No. 14
 ESPN W 27–647,269
September 91:30 pm Colorado State *No. 9
KCNCW 45–2044,921
September 161:30 pmNo. 10 Illinois *No. 8
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, Colorado
 CBS W 38–746,747
September 302:00 pmat No. 21 Washington *No. 5
KCNCW 45–2869,152
October 71:30 pm Missouri No. 3
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, Colorado
W 49–351,855
October 141:00 pmat Iowa State No. 3
KCNCW 52–1741,515
October 211:30 pm Kansas Dagger-14-plain.pngNo. 3
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, Colorado
W 49–1750,057
October 2812:30 pmat Oklahoma No. 3
 KWGN W 20–375,004
November 412:30 pmNo. 3 Nebraska No. 2
  • Folsom Field
  • Boulder, Colorado (rivalry)
CBSW 27–2152,877
November 1112:30 pmat Oklahoma State No. 2
KCNCW 41–1741,000
November 1811:10 amat Kansas State No. 2
KCNCW 59–1120,117
January 1, 19906:00 pmvs. No. 4 Notre Dame *No. 1
 NBC L 6–2181,191
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Mountain time
Source: [8]

Personnel

1989 Colorado Buffaloes football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
RB Matt Bell
RB 1 Eric Bieniemy Jr
TE Jon Boman
WR 84Jeff CampbellSr
OT 77Bill Coleman (C)
RB Dennis Collier
RB Scott DeGoler
RB J.J. Flannigan
G 62Joe GartenJr
QB 3 Darian Hagan So
FB George Hemingway
WR Mark Henry
QB Charles S. Johnson
FB Eric Kissick (C)
C 52Jay LeeuwenbergSo
G Darren Muilenberg
WR M.J. Nelson
RB O.C. Oliver
TE John Perak
WR 9 Mike Pritchard Jr
RB Tony Senna
RB Michael Simmons
OT 72Mark VanderPoelJr
QB Mark Walters
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
OLB Chad Brown
CB David Gibbs
DL Gary Howe
S Tim James
ILB Terry Johnson
ILB 59Michael Jones (C)
CB 12 Dave McCloughan Jr
DE 96Kanavis McGheeJr
DT Okland Salavea
NG 93 Joel Steed So
DT Arthur WalkerSr
OLB 94Alfred Williams
S Bruce Young (C)
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K Ken Culbertson
P Tom Rouen
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
AP 14986533 (2)3 (3)3 (1)2 (2)2 (4)2 (3)2 (3)1 (53)1 (55)1 (51)4
Coaches 141175544 (1)3 (1)3 (1)2 (2)2 (5)2 (4)2 (4)1 (39)1 (42)—4

Season summary

Texas

Colorado State

Illinois

At Washington

Missouri

At Iowa State

Kansas

At Oklahoma

#3 Colorado Buffaloes (6–0) at Oklahoma Sooners (5–1)
Period1234Total
Colorado 01001020
Oklahoma 00033

at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma

Game information
  • Colorado 8-0 for first time since 1927
  • Culbertson's field goal in second quarter gave Colorado its first lead over Oklahoma in a game since 1976
  • Colorado's first win in Norman since 1965
  • J.J. Flannigan 25 rushes, 103 yards
  • Arthur Walker 8 tackles, sack (Big 8 Defensive Player of Week)

[9]

Nebraska

#3 Nebraska at #2 Colorado
1234Total
Cornhuskers777021
•Buffaloes1437327
Scoring summary
113:30NEBBryan Carpenter 51 yard pass from Gerry Gdowski (Gregg Barrios kick)NEB 7–0
18:22COLJ.J. Flannigan 70 yard run (Ken Culbertson kick)Tie 7–7
15:04COL Darian Hagan 1 yard run (Ken Culbertson kick)COL 14–7
211:33NEBMorgan Gregory 12 yard pass from Gerry Gdowski (Gregg Barrios kick)Tie 14–14
20:12COLKen Culbertson 49 yard field goalCOL 17–14
38:00COLJ.J. Flannigan 2 yard run (Ken Culbertson kick)COL 24–14
31:04NEBChris Garrett 26 yard pass from Gerry Gdowski (Gregg Barrios kick)COL 24–21
48:47COLKen Culbertson 28 yard field goalCOL 27–21

[10] [11]

Colorado honored their All-Century team at halftime

At Oklahoma State

At Kansas State

Orange Bowl (vs. Notre Dame)

#1 Colorado Buffaloes (11–0) vs. #4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11–1)
Period1234Total
Notre Dame 0014721
Colorado 00606

at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

  • Date: January 1, 1990
  • Game attendance: 81,190
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
  • Recap/Box
Game information

[12]

Related Research Articles

William Paul McCartney is a former American football player and coach and the founder of the Promise Keepers men's ministry. He was the head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder for thirteen seasons (1982–1994), compiled a 93–55–5 (.624) record, and won three consecutive Big Eight Conference titles (1989–1991). McCartney's 1990 team was crowned as national champions by the Associated Press, splitting the title with Georgia Tech, first in the final Coaches' Poll.

The 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split national championship and the ensuing controversy helped lead to the creation of the Bowl Coalition, a precursor to the Bowl Championship Series. The national title was split between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Buffaloes (11–1–1) took the AP poll while the Yellow Jackets (11–0–1) took the UPI Coaches poll by one vote over Colorado, 847 to 846. During the season Colorado had a particularly controversial victory over Missouri in what would later be known as the "Fifth Down Game". It was the only time in UPI Coaches poll history that a coach changed his vote against the pre-bowl #1 after that #1 team won their bowl game. Unlike several seasons to come in the 1990's, the two teams that became split national champions could have actually met in a 1 vs. 2 bowl game. Georgia Tech's ACC champion status did not preclude them from taking their #2 ranking to the Orange Bowl to face the automatic Big-8 champion in #1 Colorado for a decisive title game. But the Orange Bowl committee wanted Notre Dame instead of Georgia Tech as the Buffaloes' opponent, because Notre Dame had a larger fan base and would accrue more money and better TV ratings than the Yellow Jackets would have.

The 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its third National Championship during the 1980s, cementing its claim as the decade's top team, winning more titles than any other program.

The 1971 NCAA University Division football season saw Coach Bob Devaney's Nebraska Cornhuskers repeat as national champions. Ranked a close second behind Notre Dame in the preseason poll, Nebraska moved up to first place the following week, remained there for the rest of 1971, and convincingly won the Orange Bowl 38–6 in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game against Alabama.

The 1973 NCAA Division I football season was the first for the NCAA's current three-division structure. Effective with the 1973–74 academic year, schools formerly in the NCAA "University Division" were classified as Division I. Schools in the former "College Division" were classified into Division II, which allowed fewer athletic scholarships than Division I, and Division III, in which athletic scholarships were prohibited.

The 1991 Orange Bowl was the 57th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday, January 1. Part of the 1990–91 bowl game season, it matched the independent and fifth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the #1 Colorado Buffaloes of the Big Eight Conference.

The 1967 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder as a member of the Big Eight Conference during the 1967 NCAA University Division football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Eddie Crowder, the Buffaloes compiled an overall record of 9–2 with a mark of 5–2 conference play, tying for second place in the Big 8. Colorado was invited to the Bluebonnet Bowl, where they beat the Miami Hurricanes.

The 1971 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. Led by ninth-year head coach Eddie Crowder, the Buffaloes were 9–2 in the regular season, and played their home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

Siasau "Sal" Aunese was a college football player who played for the University of Colorado. Aunese was from Oceanside, California in San Diego County and was of Samoan descent. He died at age 21 from stomach cancer.

The 1986 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Bill McCartney, Colorado opened with four losses, but finished the regular season at 6–5. It was their best conference record in a quarter century, and they were invited to the Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston on New Year's Eve.

The 1990 Orange Bowl was the 56th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Monday, January 1. Part of the 1989–90 bowl game season, it matched the independent and fourth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the undefeated #1 Colorado Buffaloes of the Big Eight Conference.

The 1988 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Bill McCartney, Colorado finished the regular season at 8–3, and played their home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

The 1979 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Chuck Fairbanks, the Buffaloes finished at 3–8, and played home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

The 1984 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by third-year head coach Bill McCartney, the Buffaloes finished at 1–10, their sixth consecutive losing season. Home games were played on campus at sixty-year-old Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

The 1985 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Bill McCartney, the Buffaloes switched to a wishbone offense and finished the regular season at 7–4. Home games were played on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

The 1987 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Big Eight Conference during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Bill McCartney, Colorado finished the regular season at 7–4, but did not receive a bowl invitation.

The 1968 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Eddie Crowder, Colorado finished the regular season at 4–6, and played their home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

The 1961 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder as a member of the Big Eight Conference during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. Led by third-year head coach Sonny Grandelius, Colorado finished the regular season at 9–1, and played home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. Joe Romig was the team's captain.

The 1958 Colorado Buffaloes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Colorado in the Big Seven Conference during the 1958 NCAA University Division football season. Led by 11th-year head coach Dallas Ward, the Buffaloes compiled an overall record of 6–4 with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, placing third in the Big 7. The team played its home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

The 1962 Colorado Buffaloes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Colorado in the Big Eight Conference during the 1962 NCAA University Division football season. Led by William E. Davis in his only season as head coach, the Buffaloes compiled an overall record of 2–8 with a mark of 1–6 in conference play, placing seventh in the Big 8.

References

  1. ↑ "No crown for Buffs". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. January 1, 1990. p. 1B.
  2. ↑ "Colorado quarterback stricken by cancer". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 31, 1989. p. 2B.
  3. ↑ "Colorado mourns quarterback's death". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 25, 1989. p. 2B.
  4. ↑ "2,000 bid farewell to Aunese". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 26, 1989. p. 6D.
  5. ↑ "Colorado tips Washington after memorial". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. October 1, 1989. p. 7B.
  6. ↑ "Colorado ends Oklahoma domination, 20-3". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. October 29, 1989. p. 5B.
  7. ↑ "Colorado nails Nebraska, 27-21". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. November 5, 1989. p. 1B.
  8. ↑ 2011 Colorado football information guide
  9. ↑ "Oklahoma – Getting a High Five in the Produce Aisle". CU at the Game. October 28, 1989. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ "A look back at Nov. 4, 1989: Colorado 27, Nebraska 21". Denver Post . November 22, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Nebraska vs. Colorado 1989". Husker Max. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Lackluster Colorado Leveled by Notre Dame". The New York Times . January 2, 1990. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.