Folsom's Greatest Games #12 - Colorado vs. Oregon 1985

September 14, 1985 – Colorado 21, Oregon 17

This was one of the most emotional days Folsom Field has ever seen. Former CU tight end Ed Reinhardt returned to Folsom for the first time since suffering a life-threatening brain injury against the Ducks in Eugene the previous season. He was comatose for two months and had to re-learn how to do almost everything. Still unable to walk, he was wheeled out to the 50 yard-line at halftime with his parents. When he stood up and waved to the crowd, Folsom gave him a raucous ovation.

Decades later, on the 30th anniversary of his injury, I saw Reinhardt walk onto Folsom Field under his own power and throw a ceremonial touchdown pass during a timeout. His perseverance remains inspirational, and it’s easy to imagine how meaningful it must have been for his teammates to see him back on the field that day.

But this game is ranked so highly on the list not just for sentimental reasons, but because it formally marked the end of a dark time in CU football history and the beginning of a golden era. After six abysmal seasons, including a 1-10 mark in 1984, the Buffs had a chance to go 2-0 for the first time since 1978. 

Clinging to a four-point lead with under ten seconds to go, and with Oregon knocking on the door of the CU end zone, safety Mickey Pruitt came up with a huge game-ending sack on an all-out, go-for-broke, seven-man blitz. The crowd of just over 30,000 true believers let loose a roar that sounded like 300,000, and the team piled onto Pruitt in a wild celebration. 

After the game, head coach Bill McCartney, who entered the afternoon with a record of 8-25-1 as CU head coach, said “I think that could be a turning point for our program.” He couldn’t have been more right. It was the beginning of a run of twelve consecutive winning seasons, including one of the nation’s longest-ever streaks of AP Top 25 appearances.

While there would be many games of greater national importance played at Folsom Field over the ensuing seasons, everyone who lived through the preceding years of ineptitude will readily point to this game as one of the biggest of Bill McCartney’s tenure. It’s rare that an inflection point can be instantly identified, but it was clear to everyone on that day that a new era was beginning in Boulder.

Links:
CU at the Game recap