In autumn sports lore, Colorado’s high-altitude gridirons have hosted some of the most dramatic finishes, historic milestones, and statistical anomalies in American football history. Renowned Colorado Sports Hall of Fame historian David Plati, who has meticulously cataloged 2,000 distinct moments in the state’s rich sports history, has highlighted an incredible collection of events that all occurred in a single calendar week: November 3 through November 10.
Spanning from the late 19th century to modern-day collegiate and high school showdowns, here is an in-depth retrospective of the legendary moments that shaped football in the Centennial State during this early-November window.
Icons, Hall of Famers, and Tradition
- November 3, 1938: The Colorado Buffaloes officially retired the No. 24 jersey of Byron “Whizzer” White – the university’s very first All-American football player – by placing it in a special university trophy case. White later added supreme legal brilliance to his athletic legacy, serving as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
- November 3, 1951: The newly formed National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame selected its inaugural class in New Brunswick, N.J. Among the 32 historic players chosen was Pueblo Central High graduate and Colorado College All-American Earl “Dutch” Clark.
- November 4, 1995: Adams State retired the No. 0 jersey of legendary placekicker Don Cockroft (a Fountain-Ft. Carson product who went on to star for the Cleveland Browns).
- November 10, 1934: After 44 years of playing under various informal monikers, the University of Colorado officially adopted “Buffaloes” as its permanent school nickname following a public contest, celebrating the christening with a 7-6 homecoming win over Utah.
- November 10, 2007: The Colorado School of Mines retired quarterback Harry Campbell’s No. 48 jersey (who played from 1939–41) during a halftime ceremony at the Orediggers’ season finale.
Unbelievable Comebacks & Riveting Rivalries
- November 3, 1990: In a freezing, wet contest in Lincoln, Nebraska built a 12-0 lead over Colorado after CU’s Eric Bieniemy fumbled four times in the first three quarters. Bieniemy dramatically redeemed himself by rushing for four fourth-quarter touchdowns, rallying the Buffs to a 27-12 victory. CU rocketed up the polls to No. 4 and ultimately captured the national championship.
- November 4, 1989: In one of the greatest chapters of the CU-Nebraska rivalry, No. 2 Colorado defeated No. 3 Nebraska 27-21 at Folsom Field. Trailing early, the Buffs ran one of the most iconic plays in school history: a 70-yard touchdown in which Darian Hagan rushed for the first 40 yards before pitching J. Flannigan for the remaining 30. The win paved the way for Colorado’s first Big Eight title in over a decade.
- November 5, 1994: Trailing Wyoming 24-7 late in the third quarter in freezing Fort Collins, No. 14 Colorado State erupted for four touchdowns in a furious 17-minute span to steal a 35-24 win, propelling the Rams to a program-best No. 10 national ranking.
- November 6, 1937: Byron “Whizzer” White accounted for all of CU’s points in a 17-7 victory over Utah with a 95-yard punt return, a 57-yard rushing TD, a field goal, and two extra points.
- November 6, 1982: Air Force captured its first-ever Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy (the first of 21 through 2025) by defeating Army 27-9 in West Point, securing season sweeps against both service academies for the first time.
- November 8, 2025: 6 CSU Pueblo completed a sensational late-season comeback, erasing a 31-13 third-quarter deficit against Colorado Mines to win 41-34 in overtime, capped by a Peyton Shaw interception.
Record-Breaking Performances & Statistical Marvels
- November 3, 1989: Grand Junction High School senior receiver Ryan Lenderman shattered the state single-game record with 23 receptions for 171 yards and three touchdowns in a 56-0 win over Cortez. His 251 career catches fell just one short of the national record, and his 23-catch single-game mark stood for decades.
- November 3, 1990: Mesa State routed Fort Lewis 79-22 in a game featuring two national records: Mesa’s Richie Hahn converted 11 consecutive extra points, and Johnny Cox returned 12 kickoffs for a staggering 234 yards.
- November 4, 1967: Army defeated Air Force, 10-7, before the largest crowd in state history at the time, as 49,543 crammed into Falcon Stadium.
- November 4, 1989: Air Force senior quarterback Dee Dowis finished his final home game with 141 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in a 29-3 win over Army, cementing his status as one of only five players in NCAA history to rush and pass for 1,000 yards in the same season.
- November 4, 1995: Adams State’s Chris Perry put on a receiving masterclass against Mesa State, hauling in 10 passes for 255 yards and five touchdowns—including a Division II-record four touchdown catches in a single quarter.
- November 4, 2000: Colorado’s defense swarmed Missouri for 14 quarterback sacks in a 28-18 win, coming just one shy of the all-time NCAA single-game record.
- November 4, 2017: Army’s 21-0 win over Air Force in Colorado Springs ended the Falcons’ 306-game scoring streak, dating back to the 1993 season opener. At the time, it was the third-longest active streak and the fifth-longest of all time.
- November 7, 2009: Fort Lewis wide receiver Justin Johnson set a Colorado collegiate single-game record by catching 19 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-21 win over Western New Mexico in Durango.
- November 8, 1969: Air Force wideout Ernie Jennings caught seven passes for 175 yards and five touchdowns against Utah State, tying the NCAA single-game touchdown reception record.
- November 10, 2001: CU’s Cortlen Johnson became the first (and still only) player in Buffaloes history to record 100+ yards rushing and 100+ yards receiving in the same game, racking up 172 yards on the ground and 105 through the air in a 40-27 win at Iowa State.
Early Roots and Milestone State History
- November 3, 2001 – ESPN’s College Game Day returned to Colorado for the first time since 1996, and to Colorado Springs for the first time, featuring both the Air Force and Army, home or road. The Falcons won 34-24 and would host the show two more times in 2002 (Notre Dame) and 2009 (Army).
- November 4, 1944: The wartime naval travel restrictions prompted the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce to host a neutral-site game between Colorado and New Mexico at Pueblo Central High School, where 4,000 fans watched the Buffs roll to a 39-0 win.
- November 7, 1893: Colorado Mines defeated the University of Colorado 24-10 in Golden to capture the very first Colorado Football Association title, powered by a four-touchdown performance from Lester Hartzell.
- November 10, 1984: Under coach Bill Cooke, Fort Lewis College secured its first and only RMAC football championship in dramatic fashion, holding off New Mexico Highlands 30-29 after a two-point conversion pass was knocked down in the dying seconds of the game.
From snowy high school fields in Grand Junction to packed service academy stadiums and legendary Saturdays in Boulder and Fort Collins, early November remains an unforgettable stretch of calendar pages for Colorado football enthusiasts.
