You know the score, much as you’d like to ignore it. You know the context, much as you’d like to forget it.
But did you know that the building that Coach Prime’s CU Buffs players the lakefront stadium that hosted one of the worst games of the Deion Sanders Era at CU …
, the Wildcats’ now-former temporary football home field, was so dubbed in honor of J. Landis “Lanny” Martin and his wife, Sharon. The former is a Northwestern alum and ex-Denver attorney who was The Martins once donated $25 million to revitalize the Denver Art Museum, gave more than $3 million to the Clyfford Still Museum in 2011, and were one of the engines that powered for nearly three decades.
So, yeah. Awkward.
Buffs profanely rip field with Colorado ties — D
Lanny Martin founded Cherry Creek’s Platte River Ventures in 2005 following a 16-year stint as chairman and CEO of Titanium Metals Corporation. Platte River, a Colorado private equity firm named for the Nebraska river that flows just south of where Martin was born, has more Wildcat football ties, too.
Lanny served as the chair of Northwestern’s board of trustees from 2017-2022 and had given the university almost $45 million at the time of his passing.
The Grading The Week staff couldn’t make this stuff up, folks. Not even if we tried. A facility Deion Sanders’ players were heard openly and profanely denigrating was paid for, and named for, a bunch of Coloradans.
“This place sucks!” a Buffs player could be heard shouting on a video posted to X.com as CU was about to enter Martin Stadium last weekend. “(Expletive) smells like a (expletive) library.”
Lanny Martin 41, Coach Prime 7.
You know what? The Buffs had to know they were never going to beat Northwestern students in a library.
And they were never going to beat the Wildcats in Lanny’s house, either. Not after language like that.
Finneseth’s Buffs apology — A
The Durango kids on the GTW crew are pretty sure that didn’t know about Martin Field’s deep Denver ties, either, leading up to the game. But we’d bet you a hot dog at Mustard’s Last Stand — or — that No. 28 in gold knows now.
It takes a big man to admit they’re wrong, let alone admit it in front of a sea of cameras and microphones. Finneseth fessed up this past Tuesday that he was one of the voices shouting obscenities about Northwestern’s facilities. Points for that. Standing behind his coach during Sanders’ weekly news conference, the Buffs safety apologized to Northwestern, to CU, to his teammates, coaches and attending media. Points for that, too.
“It was childish. It was a stupid thing that I said,” the Durango native offered. “It won’t happen again. The way I handled it was horrible and I promise you guys it will not happen again and (I) will be much more mature going forward. I apologize.”
CSU students mocking BYU’s faith — F
To anyone at Canvas Stadium who chanted an obscenity before the word “Mormons” during the Rams loss to No. 9 BYU last weekend, Team GTW has six little words: Come on. You’re better than that.
Although after last Saturday night, we’re starting to have our doubts.
Rockies attendance woes — B
For only the second time since 2007, and the first time not related to a global pandemic, the Rockies averaged fewer than 28,000 at Coors Field this season. Their average attendance of 27,721 was the lowest per-game mark since 2021 (23,934), a season impacted by coronavirus capacity guidelines, and the lowest for a non-COVID campaign since 2006 (25,980). That’s the kind of economic message from a fed-up fan base that even the Monforts can understand.
