This story originally appeared in Mile High Sports Magazine. Read the full digital edition here.
For any Rams fans who’s ever held a game ticket that featured the words “Ag Day,” there’s one man to thank: Fum McGraw.
Ag Day, as it’s now known (Fum dubbed it “Beef Day” back in the 1970s when he began the tradition), is the biggest tailgating party Rams fans know. What began with a single beef donated by the Colorado Cattle Feeders Association as a way to raise funds for the CSU Athletic Department is now so much more. It’s not just a big party. It’s a way to showcase more than just high quality beef; now, practically every agricultural product – lamb, pork, produce and dairy – in Colorado is showcased and celebrated. Proceeds don’t go to the football team; they instead fund scholarships for students in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Since 2000, Ag Day has funded more than 200 scholarships totaling over $350,000. This year’s event – the 35th and last at Hughes Stadium (it will move to campus in 2017) – will take place before the game against Northern Colorado on Sept. 17. They’ll look to top last year’s total of $46,000.
But since the legendary Fum McGraw isn’t around to thank – the ol’ rancher passed away at the age of 73 in 2000 – Rams fans and producers alike can express their gratitude to plenty of folks who have since carried on his tradition. One of those people is Fum’s daughter, Debbie Hansen.
“As a member of the Larimer County Cowbelles, I volunteered at the first one,” says Hansen. “We helped pass out plates of beef.”
“It’s just huge now,” says Carl Hansen, her husband.
Both Debbie and Carl are longtime members of the Larimer County Stockgrowers Association, the group that continues to serve up the beef nowadays. Carl currently serves as the organization’s president. Like her father, Debbie and her siblings are still ranching. Carl and Debbie own and operate a commercial cow-calf operation with ranches in Livermore and Grover. Their daughters both graduated from CSU.
So if you’re a Ram, and you hold a ticket that says “Ag Day,” find a Stockgrower and tell ‘em “thanks.” After all, you’ be feasting on the best grub Colorado produces.
Even a Buff or a Bear can appreciate that.
