Windsor – Dan Hawkins, who spent a stretch of 17 straight days on the road recruiting this summer, is ready to shift gears and start work on his second edition of Colorado football.
The coach said Thursday the Buffaloes’ to-do list for preseason drills, which begin Aug. 6, is extensive and will keep two-a-day sessions full.
“There’s just so many things to work on. When you go 2-10, the list is long,” Hawkins said of his first season in Boulder. “When you have just a top-three list is when you’ve gone 12-1 and just missed winning a BCS bowl.”
At a Thursday gathering at Pelican Lakes Golf Club for the department’s annual golf tournament, CU athletic director Mike Bohn said the football season- ticket base will pass last year’s 20,450. Bohn is “optimistic” the number will reach 23,000, which would be the highest since 2004. In 2002, the base was just above 26,000.
The Buffs’ seven-game home schedule includes Florida State (Sept. 15), Oklahoma (Sept. 29) and Nebraska (Nov. 23), as well as the season opener Sept. 1 against Colorado State at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Bohn added that 39 of the 41 suites at Folsom Field have been sold, and club seating is up 9 percent. Individual game tickets go on sale Aug. 1.
His optimism grew after learning the 2006-07 fiscal year ended with a surplus. He said the final number won’t be known until the end of this week.
“When you consider a year ago we eliminated a sport (men’s tennis) and let 12 staff (members) go, we’re making huge strides,” Bohn said.
Basketball plans
The men’s and women’s nonconference basketball schedules were released Thursday, and first-year men’s coach Jeff Bzdelik tried to work on getting a balance, but there are future tweaks that need to be made.
CU plays on the road at all of the Division I Front Range schools: Denver (Nov. 27), Air Force (Nov. 29), Wyoming (Dec. 8) and CSU (Dec. 22). The Buffs also play at Wisconsin (Nov. 17), and home against New Mexico (Nov. 9) and Stanford (Dec. 2).
Buffs get commitment
Basketball player Trey Eckloff of Cherry Creek High School has given his oral commitment to Colorado, Bruins coach Mike Brookhart said Thursday. The 6-foot-9 Eckloff averaged 10 points and five rebounds last season as a junior.
“He’s going to fit in perfect with their system,” Brookhart said. “And he can really step out and shoot the 3-pointer.”
Brookhart said Eckloff, who can play forward or center, also considered Nebraska, Northwestern and Vanderbilt but will sign with the Buffs during the early signing period this fall.
Footnotes
Bohn said the football practice field bubble will be completed in October. … Bzdelik will take a trip in late August to look at practice facilities across the nation to get an idea of what CU might want. The Buffs’ project is budgeted at $850,000. … Bohn said Florida State has asked for 5,000 tickets.
Staff writer David Krause can be reached at 303-954-1893 or dkrause@denverpost.com.
