Tired or wired: CU Buffs fans frequently rush the field
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CU quarterback Cody Hawkins is picked up by fans after a win over West Virginia in 2008. Photo: Cliff Grassmick/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images
Fans rushing the field after a big college football win is one of the most iconic traditions in all of sports. But have fans, and University of Colorado faithful in particular, diluted this once-hallowed tradition?
Why it matters: We are officially in college football offseason, and sports media law dictates we must fill it with SPIRITED DEBATE.
- And few things get sports fans as heated today as the notion that (old man yelling at cloud voice) "Young people and their cellphones are ruining everything."
Driving the news: Rushing the field has been a controversial topic for several years, but discussion got especially heated last year following a game between Virginia and Florida State where fans were on the playing surface almost before the clock struck zero.
- The chaotic scene made the rounds on highlight shows and has already been dubbed one of the greatest field stormings ever — though both coaches voiced concerns about player safety.
Zoom in: Even though CU won just three games this season, fans found a chance to rush the field in 2025 after an upset over then-No. 22 Iowa State.
- Video then surfaced of a Boulder fan trapped under the goalpost and another trying to take a helmet away from an Iowa State player.
Friction point: Buffs head coach Deion Sanders told the media after the Iowa State game that he approved of fans storming: "I want to see the kids rush the field ... I absolutely love it."
- The Buffs avoided a penalty from the Big 12 on this occasion, but the university has been heavily fined in the past for students rushing the field.
- "We want our fans to have a great time at CU football games, but when they rush the field, it creates a dangerous situation for both teams," CU athletics spokesman Steve Hurlbert told us. "It is our preference that fans create a tough environment for our opponents while staying in the stands."
Yes, but: Fans at CU seem particularly inclined to rush the field. While some programs save storming for big upsets, history shows Buff fans will occasionally lower the bar to hop the railings.
By the numbers: There isn't exactly a database on these incidents, but FiveThirtyEight at one point did construct a "What're you doing?" metric for ranking the worthiness or silliness of a field storming.
- The original formula gave points for close games, upsets over ranked opponents and rivalries and deducted points for non-upsets or unranked matchups.
- I did away with half-points (the math hurt my head) and points for televised games (they're all televised now) and added points for games that clinched postseason berths.
- Caveat: Because there is no database, games on this list are based on media reports, crowdsourcing and my own recollection as a student and reporter here since 2007.
As you can see, CU has a few epic instances like the 2007 walk-off Oklahoma upset and the following year's overtime thriller against West Virginia.
- But fans also rushed the field after beating a 2-8 Arizona team in 2011 and after the Buffs' sole win of the 2022 season.
- Buffs faithful in 2016 rushed the field THREE TIMES, including back-to-back games in November.
💬 My thought bubble: I'm truly torn on the topic. As a student at that Oklahoma game, rushing the field remains the greatest sports memory of my life.
- But I have also seen in person how chaotic these stampedes get. And yes, it makes me cringe watching fans storm the field against an unranked team in mid-October.
The bottom line: While some media really don't like the look, the reality is every new wave of CU students will want their chance on the field.