1994 Colorado Buffaloes football | |
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Fiesta Bowl champion | |
Fiesta Bowl, W 41–24 vs. Notre Dame | |
Conference | Big Eight Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 3 |
AP | No. 3 |
Record | 11–1 (6–1 Big 8) |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | Elliot Uzelac (2nd season) |
Offensive scheme | Multiple one-back |
Defensive coordinator | Mike Hankwitz (7th season) |
Base defense | 5-2 |
Home stadium | Folsom Field |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 1 Nebraska $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 13 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 3 Colorado % | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 19 Kansas State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oklahoma | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kansas | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Missouri | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oklahoma State | 0 | – | 6 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Iowa State | 0 | – | 6 | – | 1 | 0 | – | 10 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1994 Colorado Buffaloes football team represented the University of Colorado at Boulder in the 1994 college football season. The Buffaloes offense scored 439 points while the defense allowed 235 points. The team was led by head coach Bill McCartney.
The Buffaloes' only loss of the season came on the road against eventual consensus national champion Nebraska. Colorado, ranked #2 at the time, was in line to play for the national title as part of the Bowl Coalition. They were leapfrogged in the polls by the Cornhuskers, who had been ranked #3, and finished the regular season ranked #4.
The Buffaloes competed in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl, which they won 41–24 over unranked Notre Dame.
The problem of scheduling bowl match-ups for top-ranked teams led to the dissolution of the Bowl Coalition and the creation of the Bowl Alliance (#2 ranked Penn State was not eligible as a member of the Big Ten Conference to play the #1 ranked team). Notre Dame, playing as an independent, had its own agreement with the Bowl Coalition, which allowed the Fiesta Bowl to choose them as an at-large opponent over more highly ranked teams.
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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September 3 | 12:00 pm | NE Louisiana * | No. 8 | W 48–13 | 48,114 | ||
September 17 | 7:45 pm | No. 10 Wisconsin * | No. 7 |
| ESPN | W 55–17 | 53,457 |
September 24 | 1:30 pm | at No. 4 Michigan * | No. 7 | ABC | W 27–26 | 106,427 | |
October 1 | 1:30 pm | at No. 16 Texas * | No. 5 | ABC | W 34–31 | 77,809 | |
October 8 | 12:00 pm | at Missouri | No. 5 | PSN | W 38–23 | 38,901 | |
October 15 | 7:30 pm | No. 22 Oklahoma | No. 4 |
| ESPN | W 45–7 | 53,199 |
October 22 | 5:30 pm | No. 19 Kansas State | No. 2 |
| ESPN | W 35–21 | 52,955 |
October 29 | 1:30 pm | at No. 3 Nebraska | No. 2 | ABC | L 7–24 | 76,131 | |
November 5 | 12:00 pm | Oklahoma State ![]() | No. 7 |
| W 17–3 | 51,059 | |
November 12 | 12:00 pm | at Kansas | No. 7 | PSN | W 51–26 | 35,000 | |
November 19 | 12:00 pm | Iowa State | No. 7 |
| PSN | W 41–20 | 46,113 |
January 2 | 2:30 pm | vs. Notre Dame * | No. 4 | NBC | W 41–24 | 73,968 | |
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1994 Colorado Buffaloes football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
| Defense
| Special teams
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Week | |||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
AP | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 (1) | 5 (3) | 4 (4) | 2 (15) | 2 (16) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
Coaches | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 (1) | 5 (1) | 4 (1) | 3 (9) | 3 (9) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
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The Miracle at Michigan refers to the final play that occurred during the game played on September 24, 1994, between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The game was decided on Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart's 64-yard Hail Mary pass to Michael Westbrook, which gave the play its name. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
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Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
Michael Westbrook | Wide receiver | 1 | 4 | Washington Redskins |
Rashaan Salaam | Running back | 1 | 21 | Chicago Bears |
Christian Fauria | Tight end | 2 | 39 | Seattle Seahawks |
Ted Johnson | Linebacker | 2 | 57 | New England Patriots |
Kordell Stewart | Quarterback | 2 | 60 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Darius Holland | Defensive tackle | 3 | 65 | Green Bay Packers |
Chris Hudson | Defensive back | 3 | 71 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
Derek West | Tackle | 5 | 149 | Indianapolis Colts |
Shannon Clavelle | Defensive end | 6 | 185 | Buffalo Bills |
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the intercollegiate football team representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, north of the city of South Bend, Indiana. The team plays its home games at the campus' Notre Dame Stadium, which has a capacity of 77,622. Notre Dame is one of four schools that competes as an Independent at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level; however, they play five games a year against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), of which Notre Dame is a member in all other sports except ice hockey.
Richard James Watters is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Watters played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he played wide receiver on the school's 1988 national champion team. He also won Super Bowl XXIX as a member of the 1994 49ers over the San Diego Chargers. Watters was known throughout his playing career for his outstanding receiving skills and his unique high-step running style, which earned him the nickname Ricky "Running" Watters, from ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman.
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.
Rashaan Iman Salaam was an American professional football running back who played for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s. Salaam played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and won the 1994 Heisman Trophy. He was picked by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Bears and the Cleveland Browns. Salaam committed suicide on December 5, 2016.
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.
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The 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season was the main college football season sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The season began on August 28, 1991, and ended on January 1, 1992. For the second consecutive season, there was a split national championship. Both the Miami Hurricanes and the Washington Huskies finished the season undefeated (12–0) and with the top ranking in a nationally recognized poll.
The 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first year of the Bowl Coalition and concluded with Alabama's first national championship in thirteen years—their first since the departure of Bear Bryant. One of Bryant's former players, Gene Stallings, was the head coach, and he used a style similar to Bryant's, a smashmouth running game combined with a tough defense.
The 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State crowned national champions, in both the AP and Coaches poll.
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The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is a member of the Pac-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference, and will rejoin the Big 12 beginning in the 2024 season. Before joining the Big 12, they were members of the Big Eight Conference. The CU football team has played at Folsom Field since 1924. The Buffs all-time record is 716–520–36 as of the 2022 season. Colorado won the 1990 National Championship. The football program is 27th on the all-time win list and 40th in all-time winning percentage.
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