1989 Colorado Buffaloes football team

1989 Colorado Buffaloes football
Big 8 champion
Orange Bowl, L 6–21 vs. Notre Dame
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 4
AP	No. 4
Record	11–1 (7–0 Big 8)
Head coach	Bill McCartney (8th season)
Offensive coordinator	Gerry DiNardo (6th season)
Offensive scheme	I-Bone option
Defensive coordinator	Mike Hankwitz (2nd season)
Base defense	5–2
MVP	Darian Hagan
Captains	Sal Aunese (honorary) Bill Coleman Mike Jones Erich Kissick Bruce Young
Home stadium	Folsom Field
Seasons ←  1988 1990  →

1989 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Colorado $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 11 Nebraska	6	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Oklahoma	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Iowa State	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Oklahoma State	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kansas	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Missouri	1	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
Kansas State	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	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]

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

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	5:30 pm	Texas *	No. 14	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	ESPN	W 27–6	47,269	[8]
September 9	1:30 pm	Colorado State *	No. 9	Folsom Field Boulder, CO (rivalry)	KCNC	W 45–20	44,921	[9]
September 16	1:30 pm	No. 10 Illinois *	No. 8	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	CBS	W 38–7	46,747	[10]
September 30	2:00 pm	at No. 21 Washington *	No. 5	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	KCNC	W 45–28	69,152	[11] [12]
October 7	1:30 pm	Missouri	No. 3	Folsom Field Boulder, CO		W 49–3	51,855	[13]
October 14	1:00 pm	at Iowa State	No. 3	Cyclone Stadium Ames, IA	KCNC	W 52–17	41,515	[14]
October 21	1:30 pm	Kansas	No. 3	Folsom Field Boulder, CO		W 49–17	50,057	[15]
October 28	12:30 pm	at Oklahoma	No. 3	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	KWGN	W 20–3	75,004	[16]
November 4	12:30 pm	No. 3 Nebraska	No. 2	Folsom Field Boulder, CO (rivalry)	CBS	W 27–21	52,877	[17]
November 11	12:30 pm	at Oklahoma State	No. 2	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	KCNC	W 41–17	41,500	[18]
November 18	11:10 am	at Kansas State	No. 2	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS (rivalry)	KCNC	W 59–11	20,117	[19]
January 1, 1990	6:00 pm	vs. No. 4 Notre Dame *	No. 1	Orange Bowl Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)	NBC	L 6–21	81,191	[20]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

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Rankings

Further information: 1989 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	14	9	8	6	5	3	3 (2)	3 (3)	3 (1)	2 (2)	2 (4)	2 (3)	2 (3)	1 (53)	1 (55)	1 (51)	4
Coaches	14	11	7	5	5	4	4 (1)	3 (1)	3 (1)	2 (2)	2 (5)	2 (4)	2 (4)	1 (39)	1 (42)	—	4

Game summaries

Texas

See also: 1989 Texas Longhorns football team

Colorado State

See also: Colorado State Rams football and Rocky Mountain Showdown

Illinois

See also: 1989 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

At Washington

See also: 1989 Washington Huskies football team

Missouri

See also: 1989 Missouri Tigers football team

At Iowa State

See also: 1989 Iowa State Cyclones football team

Kansas

See also: 1989 Kansas Jayhawks football team

At Oklahoma

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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Colorado	0	10	0	10	20
Oklahoma	0	0	0	3	3

at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma

• Date: October 28
• Game attendance: 75,004
• TV: KWGN
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter CU – Ken Culbertson 30-yard field goal. Colorado 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards. CU – J.J. Flannigan 1-yard run (Ken Culbertson kick). Colorado 10–0. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter OU – R.D. Lashar 33-yard field goal. Colorado 10–3. CU – Ken Culbertson 27-yard field goal, 9:49. Colorado 13–3. Drive: 9 plays. CU – Darian Hagan 8-yard run (Ken Culbertson kick). Colorado 20–3. Top rushers CU –Darian Hagan – 21 rushes, 107 yards, TD

• 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)

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Nebraska

#3 Nebraska at #2 Colorado

1 2 3 4 Total Cornhuskers 7 7 7 0 21 •Buffaloes 14 3 7 3 27 Date: November 4 Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado Game attendance: 52,877 TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Pat Haden

Scoring summary 1 13:30 NEB Bryan Carpenter 51 yard pass from Gerry Gdowski (Gregg Barrios kick) NEB 7–0 1 8:22 COL J.J. Flannigan 70 yard run (Ken Culbertson kick) Tie 7–7 1 5:04 COL Darian Hagan 1 yard run (Ken Culbertson kick) COL 14–7 2 11:33 NEB Morgan Gregory 12 yard pass from Gerry Gdowski (Gregg Barrios kick) Tie 14–14 2 0:12 COL Ken Culbertson 49 yard field goal COL 17–14 3 8:00 COL J.J. Flannigan 2 yard run (Ken Culbertson kick) COL 24–14 3 1:04 NEB Chris Garrett 26 yard pass from Gerry Gdowski (Gregg Barrios kick) COL 24–21 4 8:47 COL Ken Culbertson 28 yard field goal COL 27–21

See also: 1989 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and Colorado–Nebraska football rivalry

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Colorado honored their All-Century team at halftime

At Oklahoma State

See also: 1989 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team

At Kansas State

See also: 1989 Kansas State Wildcats football team

Orange Bowl (vs. Notre Dame)

Main article: 1990 Orange Bowl

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

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	0	14	7	21
Colorado	0	0	6	0	6

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

First quarter No scoring Second quarter No scoring Third quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 2-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 11:48. Notre Dame 7–0. ND – Raghib Ismail 35-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 7:19. Notre Dame 14–0. CU – Darian Hagan 39-yard run (kick failed), 0:01. Notre Dame 14–6. Fourth quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 7-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 1:32. Notre Dame 21–6. Top passers ND – Tony Rice – 5/9, 99 yards CU – Darian Hagan – 4/13, 65 yards Top rushers ND – Anthony Johnson – 15 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD CU – Eric Bieniemy – 11 rushes, 66 yards Top receivers ND – Pat Eilers – 2 receptions, 47 yards CU – Eric Kissick – 2 receptions, 33 yards

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Personnel

1989 Colorado Buffaloes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB Matt Bell RB 1 Eric Bieniemy Jr TE Jon Boman WR 84 Jeff Campbell Sr OT 77 Bill Coleman (C) RB Dennis Collier RB Scott DeGoler RB J.J. Flannigan G 62 Joe Garten Jr QB 3 Darian Hagan So FB George Hemingway WR Mark Henry QB Charles S. Johnson FB Eric Kissick (C) C 52 Jay Leeuwenberg So 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 72 Mark VanderPoel Jr QB Mark Walters	Defense Pos. # Name Class OLB Chad Brown CB David Gibbs DL Gary Howe S Tim James ILB Terry Johnson ILB 59 Michael Jones (C) CB 12 Dave McCloughan Jr DE 96 Kanavis McGhee Jr DT Okland Salavea NG 93 Joel Steed So DT Arthur Walker Sr OLB 94 Alfred Williams S Bruce Young (C)	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K Ken Culbertson P Tom Rouen	Head coach Bill McCartney (8th year) Coordinators/assistant coaches Gary Barnett Mike Barry Gerry DiNardo (OC) Don Frease Mike Hankwitz (DC) Oliver Lucas Bob Simmons Ron Vanderlinden Zaven Yaralian Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

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. "Hagen runs, passes Colorado past Texas". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 5, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "CU downs in-state rivals". The Salina Journal. September 10, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Colorado hopes to climb after scaling Illinois". The Tennessean. September 17, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Buffs win for fallen teammate". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. October 1, 1989. p. 6E. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Google News Archive.
12. "Colorado runs over Huskies". The Olympian. October 1, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Buffaloes trample Missouri". Columbia Daily Tribune. October 8, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
14. "No. 3 Colorado shows ISU why". The Daily Nonpareil. October 15, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
15. "No. 3 Colorado Buffs power past Kansas 49–17". San Angelo Standard-Times. October 22, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
16. "3rd-ranked Colorado rolls past Oklahoma". The Courier-Journal. October 29, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
17. "Colorado Buffaloes way coser to Big Eight crown". Star Tribune. November 5, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
18. "Buffs put record at 10–0". The Billings Gazette. November 12, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
19. "11–0 Colorado ends 28-year title drought". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. November 19, 1989. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
20. "Irish initiate great debate". Wisconsin State Journal. January 2, 1990. Retrieved June 8, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
21. "1989 Colorado Buffaloes Schedule and Results". College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
22. "1989 Football Schedule". University of Colorado Boulder . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
23. "Colorado Football 2024 Record Book" (PDF). University of Colorado Boulder. p. 59. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
24. "Oklahoma – Getting a High Five in the Produce Aisle". CU at the Game. October 28, 1989. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
25. "A look back at Nov. 4, 1989: Colorado 27, Nebraska 21". Denver Post . November 22, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
26. "Nebraska vs. Colorado 1989". Husker Max. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
27. "Lackluster Colorado Leveled by Notre Dame". The New York Times . January 2, 1990. Retrieved January 1, 2019.