Change In Culture Responsible For Colorado Turnaround


Colorado recorded its first winning season since 2005 this season, and head coach Mike MacIntyre says it has to do with a change in the program’s culture.


Mike MacIntyre appeared to be the latest head coach that could not turn around the Colorado program. During his first three seasons in Boulder, the Buffaloes had gone 10-27 and won only two Pac-12 games.

Something clicked this season, though, and Folsom Field was again hopping as Colorado ran up a 10-3 record and won the Pac-12 South. For MacIntyre, the difference between 2015 and this season was the confidence that grew within his team.

“They truly believed in each other and they truly were calm in tense situations where the year before we had so many close games that we did not finish,” MacIntyre told Campus Insiders.

The winning atmosphere that was so much part of the Colorado program during the heydays of the 1990s seemed destined to never return, as Dan Hawkins and Jon Embree came and went and losing seasons racked up like snow mounds during a Boulder winter.

MacIntyre stuck to his beliefs and it finally paid off in spades, including being named the AP Coach of the Year. Past experiences were a big part of that.

“This year they had been there [in close games] so much that the culture of our team changed and they just did their role and made plays when they came their way. They calmed down in the heat of battle but still played intense.”

Winning football is back in Boulder, and MacIntyre is a huge reason why that culture of success has returned.

MORE: Mike MacIntyre Credits Players For AP Coach Of The Year Award