Colorado has struggled to produce a winning football team for the past decade — with nine consecutive losing seasons — let alone return to its status as one of the nation’s premier college programs. A look:
2004
• A deposition is leaked Jan. 29 in which Boulder County District Attorney Mary Keenan accuses the CU athletic department of using sex and alcohol as recruiting tools.
“That is absolutely a 100 percent, out-and-out lie,” says coach Gary Barnett.
• In late February, former CU kicker Katie Hnida tells Sports Illustrated she was raped by an unnamed CU teammate in 2000. Asked later about Hnida, Barnett said: “It was obvious that Katie was not very good. … Katie was a girl, and not only was she a girl, she was terrible. She couldn’t kick the ball through the uprights.” A day later, CU president Betsy Hoffman places Barnett on paid leave for his comments.
• In March, CU announces widespread changes in its recruiting policies, including a rule that football recruiting visits to campus will occur primarily after the season, not during the season.
• In May, Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar announces he will not file sexual assault charges against CU football players or recruits accused of nine attacks. At month’s end, Barnett is reinstated.
• On Nov. 22, athletic director Dick Tharp resigns under pressure after it is reported a group of boosters had quietly donated money to a football camp run by Barnett with the intent of helping the athletic department.
• On Dec. 29, CU defeats Texas-El Paso 33-28 in the Houston Bowl to finish 8-5. It marks the last time CU wins a bowl game.
2005
• On March 7, Hoffman resigns as president, saying that her leadership has become an issue amid controversies involving the Buffs’ football team and the conduct of professor Ward Churchill.
• On April 13, Mike Bohn is introduced as the fifth full-time athletic director in CU history, replacing Tharp.
After winning another Big 12 North Division title, CU is annihilated by Texas 70-3 on Dec. 3 in the Big 12 championship game. Five days later, Barnett is fired. He leaves with a $3 million settlement.
• On Dec. 16, Dan Hawkins is named CU’s 23rd football coach after a 53-11 record at Boise State.
2006
• The Hawkins era opens Sept. 2 with a 19-10 loss at Folsom Field to Division I-AA Montana State, the Bobcats’ first win over a Division I-A opponent in 22 years.
• On Nov. 24, CU loses 37-14 at Nebraska to finish Hawkins’ first season 2-10.
2007
• A Sept. 29 victory over No. 3 Oklahoma puts the Buffs at 3-2.
• On Nov. 23, the Buffs beat rival Nebraska 65-51 to improve to 6-6 and earn a bowl bid.
• Alabama defeats CU 30-24 in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 30. It is the last bowl appearance for CU, which finishes 6-7.
2008
• On Oct. 25, CU loses 58-0 at No. 16 Missouri, one of the worst losses in school history. The Buffs finish the season with a 40-31 loss at Nebraska, dropping to 5-7.
2009
• The Buffs open Hawkins’ fourth season 0-2 with a 23-17 loss to Colorado State and a 54-38 loss at Toledo. CU loses to Nebraska, this time 28-20, at home to finish 3-9.
2010
• The final straw for Hawkins comes Nov. 6, when CU keeps throwing the ball and blows a 28-point, fourth-quarter lead at Kansas and loses 52-45. Soon after, Hawkins is fired and given a $1.8 million buyout.
• Looking to reconnect to its storied past under Bill McCartney and re-establish the Buffs “family,” CU hires Jon Embree as head coach, giving him a five-year contract. Embree fills his coaching staff with numerous men with CU ties, including Eric Bieniemy, Brian Cabral (a longtime holdover), Kanavis McGhee and Darian Hagan.
2011
Embree’s era opens with a 34-17 loss at Hawaii, CU’s 18th consecutive road defeat. On Sept. 17, CU gives Embree his first victory, an emotional 28-14 win over CSU.
The Buffs finish their first Pac-12 season with a glimmer of hope, beating Utah 17-14 in the season finale.
2012
Embree is fired after a school-worst 1-11 season and a two-year record of 4-21. CU finishes with the worst defense in school history, allowing 46 points per game, and goes winless at home for the first time since 1920.
• CU hires Mike MacIntyre, who led San Jose State to a 10-2 record in 2012, to replace Embree. He vows to improve Colorado’s recruiting and make the Buffs a contender again. “There’s no reason Colorado can’t be at the top of the Pac-12,” he says.
2013
• CU officials unveil a proposal to upgrade the football/athletic facilities. The multiyear proposal will rely on $50 million in private donations.
• The MacIntyre era opens with an impressive 41-27 victory over CSU but the Buffs finish 4-8 overall, 1-8 in the Pac-12.
• In early December, the CU Board of Regents approves a proposal for $143 million in football/athletic facilities upgrades for the Boulder campus.
2014
• The Buffs open their second season under MacIntyre with a 31-17 loss to CSU. The Buffs finish 2-10 overall, 0-9 in the Pac-12, their first winless season in conference play since 1915.
