Saturday鈥檚 football game between the University of Colorado and Fresno State has been postponed, university officials decided Friday morning.
After careful consideration, CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano has decided that the university will not hold a football game on Saturday, Sept. 14, and that school officials will discuss a possible make-up date for the game.
鈥淓ven though the weather is improving, Boulder is still designated as a national emergency site,鈥� the chancellor said. 鈥淥ur community is hurting. Many of our students are displaced from their homes, including many of our student-athletes. This is not an appropriate time for us to hold a game that would put pressure on the community, both in terms of security/emergency personnel, but also in diverting attention from people in need.鈥�
DiStefano also said that 鈥渆nsuring the safety of CU affiliates and fans has always been the No. 1 priority.鈥�
Athletic Director Rick George said the decision was made with fans鈥� opinions in mind.
鈥淎t the end of the day, our decision was 鈥榳hat is the appropriate, what is the best thing in light of the devastation that we鈥檝e had in this area?鈥� and we鈥檙e very confident that we made the absolute appropriate and right decision.鈥澨�
CU head football coach Mike Macintyre said his players are supportive of the decision.
鈥淥ur players have a strong desire to compete, but many of them and many of their friends have personally been affected and I know they support this decision to postpone as well,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is bigger than a football game, and I think it鈥檚 a great life lesson for young people. They鈥檒l recover from it, they鈥檒l bounce back and we鈥檒l practice well and be ready to play whenever we play next.鈥�
The Athletic Department will be communicating details as soon as possible with tickets holders regarding how they will be able to utilize the tickets for the make-up date.
This is the third game in CU history that has been postponed; in 1963, the CU-Air Force game in Colorado Springs was delayed two weeks after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; and in 2001,听CU was set to travel to Pullman to play Washington State on Sept. 15 but all college games were called off after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. That game was made up in the 2004 season but was played in Seattle.
