1937 Colorado Buffaloes football team

The 1937 Colorado Buffaloes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Colorado as a member of the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) during the 1937 college football season. Led by third-year head coach Bunny Oakes, the Buffaloes won all eight games in the regular season, with a 7–0 mark in conference play, winning the RMC title. Ranked seventeenth, undefeated Colorado was invited to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on New Year's Day, but lost to No. 18 Rice to finish at 8–1.^[1][2] This was the CU program's final year in the RMC, as they moved to the Mountain States Conference the following year.^[3]

1937 Colorado Buffaloes football
RMC champion
Cotton Bowl, L 14–28 vs. Rice
Conference	Rocky Mountain Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 17
Record	8–1 (7–0 RMC)
Head coach	Bunny Oakes (3rd season)
Captain	Game captains
Home stadium	Colorado Stadium
Seasons ← 1936 1938 →

1937 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 17 Colorado $	7	–	0	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
BYU	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Denver	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Utah	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Western State (CO)	3	–	1	–	0			5	–	3	–	0
Colorado College	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Utah State	2	–	4	–	1			2	–	4	–	2
Wyoming	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Colorado State–Greeley	2	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
Montana State	0	–	3	–	1			3	–	4	–	1
Colorado Mines	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	5	–	0
Colorado A&M	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Senior back Byron "Whizzer" White, a Rhodes scholar and future justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was a consensus All-American, the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, and the fourth overall pick of the 1938 NFL draft.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
October 2	Missouri*		Colorado Stadium Boulder, CO	W 14–6
October 9	Utah State		Colorado Stadium Boulder, CO	W 33–0
October 16	BYU		Colorado Stadium Boulder, CO	W 14–0		^[4]^[5]
October 23	Colorado A&M		Colorado Stadium Boulder, CO (rivalry)	W 47–0
October 30	Colorado Mines		Colorado Stadium Boulder, CO	W 54–0		^[6]
November 6	at Utah		Ute Stadium Salt Lake City, UT (rivalry)	W 17–7		^[7]^[8]
November 13	Colorado College	No. 16	Colorado Stadium Boulder, CO	W 35–6		^[9]^[10]
November 25	at Denver	No. 16	Hilltop Stadium Denver, CO	W 34–7		^[11]^[12]
January 1, 1938	vs. No. 18 Rice*	No. 17	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	L 14–28	37,000–38,000	^[1]^[2]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13][14][15]

After the season

NFL Draft

The following Buffaloes were selected in the 1938 NFL Draft following the season.^[16]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
1	4	Byron White	Back	Pittsburgh Panthers
4	28	Gene Moore	Center	Brooklyn Dodgers
8	65	Leon Lavington	End	Chicago Cardinals

References

1. Wells, Jay (January 2, 1938). "'Whiz' White stands out, but Rice triumphs 28-14". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. p. 1, sports.
2. "Colorado gets away in lead, but Rice Institute blasts way to victory". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 2, 1938. p. 2B.
3. "2015 Media Guide" (PDF). CUBuffs.com. Colorado Athletic Department. 2015. pp. 128–130. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
4. Kelly, Loudon (October 18, 1937). "Buffaloes down B.Y.U. by 14-0 count". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. p. 12.
5. "Cougars Bow To Colorado; Score 14-0". The Sunday Herald. October 17, 1937. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "'By' White leads C.U. to 54-0 victory". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. November 1, 1937. p. 12.
7. Corbett, Mack (November 5, 1937). "Boulder Bisons arrive for Utah homecoming gridfest". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. 14.
8. Corbett, Mack (November 8, 1937). "Colorado virtually clinches title by victory". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. 10.
9. "Bisons get going when the Whizzer enters game". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. November 15, 1937. p. 10.
10. "Whizzer tops nation's scorers with 100 points". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. November 15, 1937. p. 10.
11. Kelly, Loudon (November 26, 1937). "Whizzer White routs Denver eleven and Buffs win R.M.C. championship". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. p. 14.
12. "Whizzer sets R.M.C. record". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. November 26, 1937. p. 14.
13. "1937 Colorado Buffaloes Schedule and Results". College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
14. "1937 Football Schedule". University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
15. "Colorado Football 2023 Record Book" (PDF). University of Colorado Boulder. p. 13. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
16. "1938 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2023.