Folsom Field

Folsom Field is an outdoor football stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder. It is the home field of the Colorado Buffaloes of the Pac-12 Conference.

This article is about a football stadium. For other uses, see Folsom Field (disambiguation).
Folsom Field
View to southwest & Flatirons, 2008
Folsom Field
Location in Colorado
Folsom Field
Location in the United States
Former namesColorado Stadium (1924–1944)
Location2400 Colorado Avenue
Boulder, Colorado
Coordinates40.009°N 105.267°W / 40.009; -105.267
OwnerUniversity of Colorado
OperatorUniversity of Colorado
Capacity26,000 (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 attendance54,972
SurfaceGrass (1924–70, 1999–present)
AstroTurf (1971–98)
Construction
Broke groundJanuary 14, 1924[1]
OpenedOctober 11, 1924
97 years ago
Renovated1968, 1976, 2003
Expanded1956, 1967, 2003
Construction cost$65,000 (1924)
ArchitectWaldo E. Brockway[2]

Sink Combs Dethlefs (renovations)
Tenants
Colorado Buffaloes (NCAA) (1924–present)
Folsom
Field
Location in the United States

Opened in 1924, 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 1924 mid-season. Opened as Colorado Stadium, Folsom Field has been the home of Colorado Buffaloes football since. Through the 2016 season, the Buffs have a home record of 308–169–14, a winning percentage of .642.

Colorado Stadium was renamed Folsom Field 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.[5][6]

A sizable, 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.[7] Since the 2003 renovation 137 seats with obstructed views have been removed lowering the seating capacity to 53,613.[8]

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.[9][10]

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.[11] The synthetic turf was replaced in 1978 and again in 1989, with "Astroturf-8."[12] After 28 years of AstroTurf, Folsom Field returned to natural grass in the spring of 1999.[13] The project, which included bio-thermal heating, drainage, and a sub-air system, cost $1.2 million.

Other uses

Concerts

The Grateful Dead played at Folsom as part of their 15th anniversary June 7 & 8, 1980 and The Rolling Stones October 3 & 4, 1981. The stadium played host to a concert, later released on DVD, by the Dave Matthews Band on July 11, 2001. More recently, in keeping with the decision to bring back live music to Folsom Field, the stadium hosted Dead & Co. for two-night stands during their 2016, 2017 and 2018 summer tours.

Date Artist Opening act(s) Tour / Concert name Attendance Revenue Notes
September 3, 1972Grateful Dead—Summer '72 Tour--Rained during show. Officially released on Dick's Picks Volume 36.
July 16, 1978 The Rolling Stones US Tour 1978 60,000 / 60,000 $690,000
June 7, 1980 Grateful DeadWarren ZevonSummer '80 Tour-/-
June 8, 1980
October 3, 1981 The Rolling Stones — American Tour 1981 120,000 / 120,000 $1,920,000
October 4, 1981
July 12, 1986Colorado Sun Day FestivalVan Halen
Loverboy
Dio
Bachman-Turner Overdrive		5150 Tour-/-
May 26, 1993Paul McCartney—The New World Tour37,245 / 39,137$1,210,463
July 11, 2001Dave Matthews BandAngelique Kidjo
Wyclef Jean		Summer 2001 Tour43,041 / 43,041$2,130,593This show was recorded for the album and DVD entitled, Live at Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado.[14]
July 2, 2016Dead & CompanyN/ADead & Company Summer Tour 201649,166 / 85,582$4,179,233[15]
July 3, 2016
June 9, 2017Dead & Company Summer Tour 201755,882 / 86,982$4,365,860
June 10, 2017
July 13, 2018Dead & Company Summer Tour 201862,904 / 86,982$5,369,669
July 14, 2018
July 5, 2019Dead & Company Summer Tour 201967,835 / 86,982$6,512,990
July 6, 2019
July 10, 2020Dead & Company Summer Tour 2020
July 11, 2020

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.

Other events

Folsom Field is also used as the finish line for the Bolder Boulder, a popular 10K run.

The first Promise Keepers stadium conference was held at Folsom in June 1992.

Attendance records

The largest crowd for a CU football game at Folsom Field was 54,972 in 2005, against in-state rival Colorado State on September 3, in which Colorado Buffaloes won thanks to a 47 yard field goal kicked by Mason Crosby with four seconds remaining.[16] This early-season, non-conference rivalry game, the Rocky Mountain Showdown, is more often played in neutral Denver at Mile High Stadium and its successor Empower Field at Mile High.[1]

The largest crowd ever at Folsom Field was in 1977 for a rock concert, one of the popular Colorado Sun Day concert series. The attendance on May 1 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
Folsom Field sold out against Utah in 2016.
Season Coach Games Sellouts W-L-T Attendance Average
1937Oakes66-0-046,8267,804
1942Yeager44-0-015,7963,949
1946Yeager54-0-153,00010,600
1947Yeager42-2-054,00013,500
1948Ward53-2-079,47915,896
1949Ward52-3-098,77619,755
1950Ward54-1-097,74819,550
1951Ward55-0-0107,12121,424
1952Ward523-0-2123,48124,696
1953Ward53-2-0113,64022,728
1954Ward523-2-0129,70025,940
1955Ward514-1-0113,50022,700
1956Ward523-2-0175,00035,000
1957Ward53-2-0152,50030,500
1958Ward512-3-0187,50037,500
1959Grandelius63-3-0177,90329,651
1960Grandelius514-1-0185,65337,131
1961Grandelius615-1-0199,98733,331
1962Davis42-2-0116,00029,000
1963Crowder51-4-0135,00027,000
1964Crowder51-4-0140,60028,120
1965Crowder53-1-1129,70025,940
1966Crowder513-2-0196,18839,238
1967Crowder54-1-0196,81739,363
1968Crowder513-2-0215,57443,115
1969Crowder55-0-0175,10435,021
1970Crowder513-2-0219,52143,904
1971Crowder55-0-0220,17144,034
1972Crowder635-1-0307,04451,174
1973Crowder53-2-0246,52149,304
1974Mallory523-2-0253,76250,752
1975Mallory66-0-0281,19946,867
1976Mallory625-1-0300,19150,032
1977Mallory625-1-0293,48348,914
1978Mallory825-3-0383,04847,881
1979Fairbanks61-5-0265,95644,326
1980Fairbanks611-5-0245,86840,978
1981Fairbanks63-3-0209,22434,871
1982McCartney711-6-0251,90941,985
1983McCartney613-3-0237,67439,612
1984McCartney611-5-0235,67039,278
1985McCartney64-2-0220,73436,789
1986McCartney623-3-0269,54644,924
1987McCartney614-2-0268,71144,785
1988McCartney64-2-0235,14239,190
1989McCartney626-0-0293,72648,954
1990McCartney646-0-0310,37451,729
1991McCartney644-1-1311,45851,910
1992McCartney645-0-1309,90051,650
1993McCartney654-2-0311,36051,893
1994McCartney636-0-0304,89750,816
1995Neuheisel644-2-0312,95852,160
1996Neuheisel645–1312,58652,098
1997Neuheisel623–3309,94751,658
1998Neuheisel65–1284,51247,419
1999Barnett514–1239,31347,863
2000Barnett51–4249,95049,990
2001Barnett615–1284,84847,475
2002Barnett625–1295,28649,214
2003Barnett623–3302,58850,431
2004Barnett614–2287,36847,895
2005Barnett625–1302,45250,409
2006Hawkins62–4276,28646,048
2007Hawkins63–3303,05150,509
2008Hawkins614–2296,85849,476
2009Hawkins63–3300,52750,088
2010Hawkins64–2281,18246,864
2011Embree51–4251,77750,355
2012Embree60–6273,23545,539
2013MacIntyre63–3230,77338,462
2014MacIntyre61–5226,67037,778
2015MacIntyre62–4236,33139,389
2016MacIntyre616–0279,65246,609
2017MacIntyre63–3282,33547,056
2018MacIntyre63–3274,85245,809
2019Tucker623–3297,43549,573
2020Dorrell32–1——
  • The Colorado Buffaloes play at Colorado Stadium sometime in the 1920s.
  • Folsom Field between 1933 and 1950. The team is practicing in the North end of the field.
  • Folsom Field 135th commencement on June 9, 1967. 1,836 degrees were awarded.
  • Club and box seats built prior to 2003 season on July 13, 2006
  • Facade built prior to 2003 season on July 13, 2006
  • View from the club level seats before the football Spring Game on April 14, 2007
  • View to the southwest of the Flatirons in 2016
  • A view of the north side of the stadium in 2016.
  • New video boards were added before the 2012 season.
  • Folsom Field's east side as it looked in 2016 after the addition of the Champions Center.

See also

References
  1. "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 track goes". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. June 24, 1966. p. 26.
  6. "New track ready for Colorado meet". Lawrence Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. April 28, 1967. p. 15.
  7. "Folsom Field History". University of Colorado Department of Athletics. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  8. "Game 2–California" (PDF). University of Colorado Department of Athletics. September 7, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 16, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  9. Whitehair, Stuart (January 2, 2012). "Colorado Daily – January". CU at the Game. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  10. http://www.ralphiereport.com/videos/2014/4/14/5611642/fly-through-upcoming-colorado-buffaloes-facilities-upgrades
  11. College FB Data Warehouse 1971 Final AP poll
  12. CU Buffs.com Folsom Field playing surface
  13. "Colorado stadium changing to grass". Victoria Advocate. (Texas). Associated Press. December 4, 1998. p. 2B.
  14. "DMBAlmanac entry for 7.11.01". Retrieved 2009-07-12.
  15. http://theknow.denverpost.com/2017/06/11/dead-company-boulder-folsom-field-2017/147558/
  16. http://www.cuatthegame.com/2005/colorado-state-2/
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