Let’s GO Buffs!
Listening via satellite radio in Israel — to KOA Denver’s broadcast of the Rocky Mountain Showdown from Denver’s Mile High Stadium — brought back poignant memories involving Dad. Not only did he hold season tickets at Folsom Field for over 50 years, he held the same seats! Sec. 118, Row R aisle seats on the home team’s east side 35 yard line. We used to joke it was the busiest aisle in the stadium as an endless stream of fans made their way past us going both up and down either to seats or for refreshments, especially during those sunny early fall Saturday afternoons. Occasionally, as he held the aisle seat, Dad would elbow myself or my brother as a particularly cute coed made her way up the aisle.
Dad loved his Buffs! He loved Boulder and Folsom Field, finding parking in someone’s driveway close to the stadium, attending the pre-game activities south of the stadium on the beautifully maintained CU-Boulder campus, seeing the cheerleaders and flag team up close performing with the Golden Buffalo Marching Band always remarking how the student/performers kept looking even younger each year.
As each new season got underway, Dad was typically optimistic (most years) that the new coach, or new quarterback were going to be a difference maker, leading the team back to halcyon years of the late 1980s early 1990s. But he’d also seen any number of CU Buffalo football teams give up big leads, or get outplayed at home in the highly competitive Division 1 college football. Whether it was BIG 8 opponents like Nebraska or Oklahoma, Big 12 opponents like Texas and Texas A&M, PAC 12 opponents like USC, Stanford, Oregon or non-division opponents like Michigan and Notre Dame Dad soaked up the Folsom Field experience every time.
In typical Warren Toltz fashion he also made some fast and deep friendships. Most notably with longtime neighboring fans Ernie (the attorney) and Barb Earnest — Boulderites and Republicans! Of course there’s Republican and then there’s Boulder Republican. Ernie actually ran for CU Board of Regents unsuccessfully in the 1970s and Barb served the CU Foundation in key positions for many years. A friendship which lasted a lifetime for both my parents and the Earnests as well.
Way back in the 1960s Dad and his best friend/first cousin Pacey Barron owned 8 season tickets seats in Row R. One of Dad’s most favorite stories, retold countless times, was from the early Folsom Field days when everything was much more informal, relaxed and less structured. Pacey, Dad both wives and at least 6 children between them came to a ticket-taker handing him a stack of tickets, which were never actually counted.
Those were the days. Homecoming rituals were observed as old time convertible autos were brought onto the track surrounding the field at halftime, holding past and present prom queens and royalty waving dutifully to the crowd. And of course, the highlight for all children attending a CU Buffs game was watching Ralphie lead the team and drag his/her handlers as the huge animal charged down the field and back right into his trailer, almost every time! Once or twice Ralphie simply kept running for another lap around the field.
And then the slow ride back to Denver, bellies full of soda, hot dogs, peanuts on top of the earlier lunch, inevitable reminders that once again the kids overdid it in service of Saturday afternoon in Boulder with Dad. Let’s Go Buffs!
