Where I Come From: All-Time Favorite Colorado Buffalo Players
by Bob_Bell on Jul 7, 2010 9:08 PM MDT
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Some absolute great players have come through Colorado during my lifetime, too many to name here but below are a few that stand out from my era.
LB Jordon Dizon - Absolutely loved watching him play and tracking his story. Not the most physically imposing player but boy was he productive. Linebacker coach Brian Cabral, who has mentored some good ones, called Dizon the most complete every down player he has ever coached. That's saying a lot. Many thought he would be a defensive back coming into college but he started at linebacker as a freshman and never looked back. He was a 2007 All American, 2007 All-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and bottom line, one heck of a football player.
QB Kordell Stewart - He is going to be on a lot of people's lists. When he was playing at Colorado, I was 10 and 11 years old. He was the guy that you always tried to emulate in the park playing pick up football. Just a special talent that won a lot of ball games and was on the throwing end of Colorado's great play - "The Miracle at Michigan."
RB Chris Brown/RB Bobby Purify - I always think of these two as a combo just because I remember how nasty they were in 2001-2002 against Colorado State and Nebraska. Chris Brown ran for 6 touchdowns against the Cornhuskers in the 62-36 game while Purify proved to be just as much of a load for the defense. These two made the Buffs offense go the year they went to the Fiesta Bowl against Oregon.
LB Jashon Sykes - I can still hear the PA system when Sykes made a tackle - JAY SHON SYKES on the tackle. He finished his career 10th all-time in tackles (330). Great Buff, now works on the staff up in Boulder.
KR Roman Hollowell/CB-KR Ben Kelly - Electric players who made special teams fun for a fan. Would love to have someone back there now like these two returning kicks and punts. Small in stature but both made some big plays and were absolute fan favorites.
K Mason Crosby - for the same reason I have Hollowell and Kelly on my list, I have Crosby. He annihilated the ball when he kicked (remember the sound of the ball you could hear from the stands?) and his skills are obviously unquestioned. He is still playing for the Green Bay Packers in the NFL and is considered one of the best kickers in the league.
Those are a few of my favorite Buffs, what about yours?
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Favorite Buffs
Darian Hagan: First person I think of when I think of my favorite Buffs. Never lost a Big 8 game.
Charles Johnson (QB): Stepped in when Hagan got hurt. Led Buffs to second half comeback over ND.
Mike Pritchard: Excellent receiver, even though we were an option team. Incredible catch to beat Nebraska in Lincoln.
Charles Johnson (WR): Probably my favorite CU receiver. Seemed to catch everything thrown his way.
Wanted to dislike this pretty boy
but Jeremy Bloom. Its too bad his college career was cut short by the NCAA. Whenever this kid touched the ball something exciting happened.
Also in no particular order:
Rashaan Salaam
Chris Brown
Kordell Stewart
Mason Crosby
Much respect to Jeremy Bloom even though he was "pretty"
Shame on NCAA for cutting his career short.
I'm sure I've said it before
but I’ll say it again, Koy Detmer is my favorite. I don’t think there would be much argument in saying that he is the best “passing QB” CU has ever had, but I liked him for other reasons. He was an extremely skinny guy but he was always running downfield to block for his receivers and he always gave 100% on every snap. He just seemed like a really funny and down to earth guy too. I met him around town a couple of times when I was a kid and he was really nice each time. That definitely added to my good feelings about him. This isn’t about CU… but whenever he got an opportunity to play in the NFL he did really well too. I remember when McNabb got injured and Koy came in to take over and led the Eagles to victory. I think it was MNF and when they were interviewing him after the game the lady asked him what was up with his clothes or something (he was wearing cheap looking jeans and a flannel shirt) and he said before each season he bought one outfit at Walmart that he would wear on all the road trips because he never expected to be interviewed on TV :-)
I remember that interview
Made me really like him even more than I already did. Also, I seem to remember that he traveled with his toothbrush in his breast pocket and didn’t bother bringing a bag with extra clothes or anything. NFL players don’t get more down to earth than that.
by highlandsbuff on Jul 8, 2010 11:16 AM MDT up reply actions
right! I forgot about that until now
I had to look it up to refresh my memory, but that was a bittersweet night. It was week 12 in 2002, Monday night game against SF. Detmer played almost perfect, threw for 2 TDs and ran for another. He looked like a little kid wearing shoulder pads that were way too big for his body. The Eagles won 38-17 but Koy got hurt late in the game. I remember the tears in his eyes as he was being carted off the field. I’m sure the injury hurt a lot but you have to figure he was thinking that he was going to be the starting QB for a good team for the rest of the regular season but it all just went up in smoke. AJ Feely started the rest of the games that season, sad…
In no particular order
Daniel Graham- probably the best all around TE from a program that has a lot of good TE
Michael Lewis- He loved to lay the wood eventhough he wasn’t a huge safety.
Lawerence Vickers- The guy just has so much heart
Roman Hollowell- a great fan favorite
Bobby Pesavento- He was the Trent Dilffer of the big 12 champion team.
Loved when Vickers truck sticked that guy to score against CSU
"C-O-L-O-R-A-D-O"
"No Rebounds, No Rings"
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out"
-John Wooden
Favorite Buffs
Eric Bienemy – He was the quintessential sparkplug. It’s funny how the small compact runner is en vogue now in football. I guess he was just ahead of his time. Also, he scored a ton of touchdowns in his days.
Darian Hagan – Along with Bienemy, they were an amazing duo. Hagan really couldn’t throw worth a lick but he ran the option to perfection. He was in the Heisman running for like 3 years in a row.
Kordell Stewart – Just a great college QB. Big time winner as well. Plus, the miracle.
Rashaan Salaam – I was at the game when he broke 2,000 yards. On the play that he broke 2,000, he took the ball down the east sideline for like 50 yards and I have never heard Folsom louder, ever. He turned out to be a bum in the pros but if you saw him play at CU, you know how special he was.
Kanavis McGhee/Alfred Williams – They were two towers that loomed large on each side of the D. It seemed like they were larger than life when I was a kid back then. They just dominated. Arguably CU’s best football duo ever.
I would agree with this list
I would also add Chad Brown and Lawrence Vickers
"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman
"Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun" - Ash from Army of Darkness
"H.I., you're young and you got your health, what you want with a job?" - Evelle from Raising Arizona
"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes." - Agent Rogersz from Repoman
Also my boy Daniel Graham, was so dominate in college
"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman
"Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun" - Ash from Army of Darkness
"H.I., you're young and you got your health, what you want with a job?" - Evelle from Raising Arizona
"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes." - Agent Rogersz from Repoman
What, no Cody??!!
Just kidding. At the risk of losing all credibility- I actually have to give the kid credit, he probably is in one of the toughest no-win position since day one as any Buff to go through the Program. Always maintains a positive attitude and I don’t think anybody would ever accuse him of not giving it his all. Of course no one would ever confuse him with an All American either.
You've got a point
We’ve got to give him some credit because he’s taken more cr*p than anyone else I can think of as a player. Even during his red-shirt year.
Whatever you think of him as a player, you’ve got to be impressed at his ability to let that stuff go and to keep coming back with a great attitude.
Along those same lines, I’ve got to say that Scotty McKnight will probably be on this list for me by the end of the season. He’s worked his butt off to become a very viable receiver for this team.
DAG
by DavidAGerhardt on Jul 8, 2010 9:51 AM MDT up reply actions
what about klatt?
that guy got so much shit and still put up huge numbers. all time leader in yds, TDs and completion %.
I agree with many of the people already listed especially Crosby. He was our best player for several years there. Singlehandedly won several games.
But ones that haven’t been listed I’ll go more recent
-Derek McCoy & DJ Hackett. With Bloom they made one of the most exciting WR trios I’ve ever seen.
-JJ Billingsly – That guy seemed like he had been at CU for 10 years
Still Kordell will always be #1.
good one with Billingsly, forgot about him
but I think Cody is the all-time TD leader now :-)
It’s kind of weird to have guys like Klatt and Cody all over the record book considering how good we used to be, but we’ve become much more of a passing team lately. Kordell or Detmer would of blown away Klatt’s records if they had as many starts as he did. Not to take anything away from him though, I always liked him and cheered for him when he was here. He was a winner too (albeit in a watered down North). I like him as a media guy nowadays as well.
I didn't really come on board until 2003,
So all of mine are from then on. In no particular order:
Joel Klatt (very underappreciated during his time)
Cody Hawkins (for the reasons listed by previous posters)
George Hypolite (gotta include the goldfish)
Mason Crosby
and of course Mr. Bloom:
He gets a lot of crap...
But I would absolutely have Bloom on my list. If I could be bad ass at any two sports I would pick football and mogul skiing without a doubt. Then this kid comes along and gets to do both of them extremely well. Unfair, but totally awesome.
The Ralphie Report - University of Colorado Athletics
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Old School
J.J. Flanagan, O.C. Oliver and anybody remember one of the toughest kids to every wear black and gold…..Jeff Campbell. Not everyone is old enough but I remember a reverse he took against Nebraska in the early 90’s, kid was all heart.
I remember those days!!
I just figured people wouldcall me old for mentioning those guys… :)
I throw out one other from that time period: Art Walker, he didn’t get quite the accolades as McGhee/Williams- but just as nasty.
2 many to choose
biekert for sure great pro also, loved detmer just a good kid from the country,alfred just because he loved to play and loves the school and the state, loved klatt he was a tough ol boy, sal was a great player too and taken way to young, ted johnson great middle linebacker, thats a few i liked but there is more of course.
D. Strickland – small but nasty
K Stewart- My dad went to Michigan. I actually got grounded after that game because I was yelling so much.
L. Vickers – at the very least for giving us the .gif of him punking the CSU player in the end-zone.
J. Sykes – would have been a first round pick if he could have stayed healthy. I think he was the best athlete that Cabral ever had before he got hurt.
Chad Brown – Lights out.
There are lots more, just a few off the top of my head.
My faves
Koy Detmer
Erice Bienemy
Darian Hagan
Alfred Williams
Mike Westbrook
John Hessler (i hope he is better)
I cant put Stewart on my list. I will never forgive him for goin 8/28 againt nebraska at Boulder when they end up losing 21-17. He proved to me he was a crap qb in Pitt.
- Dan Noreen.
by broncfanstuckinsd on Jul 8, 2010 2:04 PM MDT reply actions
Old School
Can’t believe Rashaan Salaam isn’t on more lists? He won the stinkin’ Heisman. I fell in love with the guys who busted their ass and beat the Huskers in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Soup Campbell, JJ Flanagan,(“J………J………..Flanagan!!!!”), Eric Bienemy’s 4 TD’s at Lincoln, Chad Brown, and Hagan. Those were great teams.
More Lately, John Hessler, Hugh Charles, and now Speedy, Solder, Miller, and McKnight. Would love to add Kasa to this list as one of the all time greats when we do this again in 15 years. I think he’s in for a big year if he can stay healthy.
Speaking of laying the wood
How ’bout Chris Hudson
by AlaBuff on Jul 8, 2010 2:48 PM MDT via mobile reply actions
Kordell
I will always remember THE PASS.My wife actually called the pass to Westbrook. As Kord dropped back she keep saying throw it westbrook over and over. When he caught it the look on her face I will never forget. I yelled so much I had to call in sick the next day because I could not talk.
by buffalobeach on Jul 8, 2010 4:30 PM MDT via mobile reply actions
All time fav's, lets not forget our history
tough to hit them all and these posts show just how strong the Buff’s program has been going back decades. At any position on the field, you name it CU has had great college AND later pro players. At WR- Cliff Branch, Dave Logan,Michael Westbrook, Charles Johnson, James Kidd, Carruth,Derek McCoy, DJ Hackett; TB- Bienemy, Chris Brown, Purify, SALAAM, Flanagan,Bo Matthews,Bobby Anderson, Jon Keyworth and Charlie Davis, Vickers; QB- Hagan, KORDELL, Detmer and Pesavento;O-line- Gurode, Joe Garten, Chris Naeole, Lepsis, Leeuenberg, Ashworth and Bedell; TE-JV Cain, Hasselbeck, Embree, Fauria, Klopfenstein, Sypniewski and GRAHAM; KR -Branch, Cullen Bryant,Jeff Campbell, Dave McCloughan,Ben Kelly and BLOOM!
Just scratching the surface and that’s just the offense! Shannon Clavelle, Leonard Renfro,Justin Bannan, Tyler Brayton,Darius Holland, Greg Jones,Joel Steed,Herb Orvis, Abe Wright, Chad Brown, Matt Russell, Greg Biekert,Jashon Sykes, Ted Johnson, Kanavis McGhee, Alfred Williams,Sam Rogers, Hannibal Navies, Brian Iwuh, Sean Tufts, Jordan Dizon, Mark Haynes, Odis McKinney,Mike Davis, Solomon Wilcots, Ronnie Bradford, Deon Figures, Chris Hudson, Donald Strickland, Michael Lewis,Vance Joseph, JJ Billingsley, Rod Perry, Jeff Donaldson,David Tate, Were ALL Defensive stalwarts.
Throw in the special teamers: Mason Crosby, Barry Helton, Mark Mariscal, Tom Rouen, and Mitch Berger.
Now THAT’S a football program to be proud of. Here’s hoping for a return to glory, soon!
by mam2jd on Jul 8, 2010 10:23 PM MDT reply actions 2 recs
DEON FIGURES CHRIS HUDSON DONALD STRICKLAND BEN KELLY JJ BILLENSLY RYAN WALTERS ABE WRIGHT CHAD BROWN ALFRED WILLIAMS DARIUS HOLLAND SHANON CLAVELLE GEORGE HYPOLITE TED JOHNSON JOEY JOHNSON JAYSON SYKES BRIAN IWUH GREG BIEKERT JORDAN DIZON……. KORDELL STEWART DARIAN HAGAN KOY DETMER JON HESSLER JOEL KLATT BOBBY PESAVENTO ERIC BIENEMY RASHAN SALAAM CHRIS BROWN CORTLEN JOHNSON LAWRENCE VICKERS JJ FLANIGAN MICHAEL WESTBROOK MIKE PRITCHARD CHARLES JOHNSON SCOTTY MCKNIGHT ROMAN HOLLOWELL DEION STIGGERS DJ HACKETT DEREK MCCOY JAMES KIDD CHRISTIAN FAURIA DANIEL GRAHAM JOE KLOPENSTEIN QUIN SYPNEWSKI TYSON DEVREE CHRIS NAOLE ANDRE GURODE VICTOR ROGERS BRIAN DANIELS NATE SOLDER JAY LEEUWENBERG MASON CROSBY MARK MARISCHAL MATT TORP TOM ROUEN ITCH BERGER FAVORITE CU COACH IS COACH MAC .
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