American Football and Facilities at the University of Colorado

Abstract

The present study sought to understand more about which individuals or groups influenced the development of the University of Colorado’s (CU) football grounds (i.e., American football) and to determine how their evolving complexity (e.g., increasing size, services, technology, and capacities) shaped the image of an elite institution and the cultural ascension of the Rocky Mountain region in the Western United States. More specifically, the current research showcases how football and early playing grounds served as institutional social anchors and influenced or addressed enrollment growth, cultivated alumni relationships, produced or rallied financial support, and promoted the school. Next, the present study determines whether the various construction projects and renovations of CU football athletic grounds match the larger pattern practiced by other institutions of higher education, both regionally and nationally. Finally, the current research demonstrated that CU used football and its stadia, like other institutions of higher education, as a strategic social anchor for students, alumni, local (i.e., Boulder) community members, and businesses to interact or engage one another. As a social anchor, CU football, and its related facilities, helped the institution create and maintain a unique institutional identity among its competitors.