Now that we’ve reached a bit of a dead period in the Colorado Buffaloes’ athletic calendar, it’s the perfect time to look back at some of the Buffs’ greatest legends. Recently, the university took part in this themselves, by unveiling the school’s 2023 Hall of Fame class.
This year, the Colorado Buffaloes will be inducting a star-studded class, as Emma Coburn, Karol Damon, Robert Doll, Andre Gurode, Bill Harris, Clark Matis, Laura Munnelly, Nate Solder, and Brittany Spears (not the popstar) are all set to be enshrined.
Coburn was a three-time co-recipient of CU’s Female Athlete of the Year award, a four-time conference champion, and a three-time national champion during her time in Boulder. She also became the first-ever American woman to medal in the steeplechase, as she earned the bronze at the Rio Olympic Games.
Damon also represented the Buffs at the Olympics, as she represented the U.S. as one of the nation’s top high jumpers back in 2000’s Sydney Olympics. She didn’t wind up medaling, but she also managed to be a four-time All-American while with CU, and still owns school records for the indoor and outdoor high jump.
Doll was the first-ever CU graduate to play professional basketball, as he played for the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, and St. Louis Bombers following his playing career with the Buffs. Doll also helped lead the Colorado Buffaloes to one of their all-time tournament runs, as they won the 1940 National Invitation Tournament and Doll was named the nation’s Most Outstanding Player.
Gurode was a monster for Colorado’s offensive front and helped fuel the team’s deadly rushing attack of the early ’00s. He was a consensus first-team All-American his final year with the program and then went on to be a four-time All-Pro at the NFL level.
Harris is being enshrined for his work as a player and as an administrator. In the early ’60s, Harris was an All-Big Eight star running back for the Colorado Buffaloes, who helped the team win a conference title in 1961. Much later on, in the early 2000s, Harris rejoined the school as the Alumni C Club director for nine years — the longest tenure for anyone in that position at CU.
Matis is another Olympian being enshrined in Colorado’s 2023 class. Matis made the U.S. Olympic ski team twice and had a prolific career in Boulder too. He won multiple national championships for CU and also became the first Buff athlete to defend a solo national championship for the school.
Munnelly was a defensive ace for the school’s soccer team. She was named an all-conference player four times, and led the team in minutes played every single season she was with the school. She also led the Colorado Buffaloes to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and their first-ever Sweet-Sixteen appearance in soccer.
Solder is one of the more famous athletes to come out of CU in recent years, as he became a focal point on the dynastic New England Patriot offensive lines. Solder became the first ever Buff to become a consensus All-American at offensive tackle, and was one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy his senior year.
Lastly, Spears was one of Colorado’s best basketball players of the 2000s. She was a four-year starter who made the conference’s all-rookie team her freshman season and made the all-conference team every season after that. She’s also the Buffaloes’ all-time leading scorer.
With Coach Prime, Cody Williams, and now this stellar 2023 Hall of Fame class, this year just continues to be the perfect year for CU athletics.