Colorado State Rams

Colorado State Rams

Colorado State University competes in 16 sponsored intercollegiate sports, including 10 for women (cross country, indoor track, outdoor track, volleyball, basketball, golf, tennis, swimming, softball, and water polo) and six for men (football, cross country, indoor track, outdoor track, basketball, and golf). Colorado State's athletic teams compete along with 8 other institutions in the Mountain West Conference, which is an NCAA Division I conference and sponsors Division I FBS football. The Conference was formed in 1999, splitting from the former 16-member Western Athletic Conference. CSU has won 9 MWC tournament championships and won or shared 11 regular season titles. Rams football teams won or shared the Mountain West title in 1999, 2000 and 2002.

Before 1957, Colorado State University was referred to as Colorado Agriculture and Mechanical College or "Colorado A&M", and athletic teams were referred to as "Aggies". In 1924, an "A" was whitewashed onto the western hillside of Fort Collins in support of the Aggies. The hillside where the "A" is painted is directly adjacent to Hughes Stadium and below Horsetooth Rock. Hughes Stadium (2006 capacity: 34,000) is the current home of Rams football. The field at Hughes Stadium, named "Sonny Lubick Field" after the Rams' well-known coach, underwent a $15.2 million renovation for the fall 2005 season. Moby Arena, originally constructed in 1966 and remodeled in 1996, is home to the men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the CSU Rams volleyball team. Moby seats 9,000 people.

The ram was named the official mascot of Colorado State in 1946. "CAM the Ram" is the current representation of the official mascot. CAM is the 21st official Ram mascot. The first school mascot was introduced in 1947. There have been both live and costumed versions of the mascot. The 2006 version of CAM was a Rambouillet sheep and the 21st ram to represent the university. CAM was named using an acronym for the former university title "Colorado Agriculture and Mechanical College". CAM runs at the beginning and at half time during home football games. Currently, there are eight Ram Handlers that take care of CAM the Ram. Colorado State University became known as the Rams on May 1, 1957. The official school colors are green (usually hunter shade) and gold. The CSU fight song and Fum's song are two popular school songs.

Colorado State has three major rivalries. The Rams' football team plays the University of Colorado, often at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, in a game called the "Rocky Mountain Showdown." Within the Mountain West, Colorado State has a big rivalry with Air Force. The winner of the CSU-Air Force football game receives the Ram-Falcon Trophy. Colorado State also has a conference rivalry with Wyoming (the Border War), with the winner of the annual football game receiving the Bronze Boot. Played since 1899, the CSU-Wyoming rivalry is the second oldest interstate rivalry west of the Mississippi, behind only the "Border Showdown" (formerly "Border War") of Missouri and Kansas and just ahead of the "Red River Rivalry" (formerly "Red River Shootout") of Texas and Oklahoma played since 1900.