1953 Colorado Buffaloes football team

The 1953 Colorado Buffaloes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Colorado as a member of the Big Seven Conference during the 1953 college football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Dallas Ward, the Buffaloes compiled an overall record of 6–4 with a mark of 2–4 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the Big 7. The team played its home games on campus at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

1953 Colorado Buffaloes football
Conference	Big Seven Conference
Record	6–4 (2–4 Big 7)
Head coach	Dallas Ward (6th season)
Captain	Game captains
Home stadium	Folsom Field
Seasons ← 1952 1954 →

1953 Big Seven Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 Oklahoma $	6	–	0	–	0			9	–	1	–	1
Missouri	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Kansas State	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	1
Colorado	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Nebraska	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	1
Kansas	2	–	4	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Iowa State	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Colorado responded from four straight losses in the middle of season to finish with four straight victories, including wins over rivals Utah and Colorado A&M.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 19	at Washington*	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	W 21–20	31,792
September 26	Arizona*	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	W 20–14	24,500
October 3	Missouri	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 16–27	23,840
October 10	Kansas	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 21–27	24,300
October 17	at Kansas State	Memorial Stadium Manhattan, KS	L 14–28	14,000
October 24	at No. 9 Oklahoma	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	L 20–27	36,565
October 31	Iowa State	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	W 41–34	22,500
November 7	Utah*	Folsom Field Boulder, CO (rivalry)	W 21–0	18,500
November 14	at Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	W 14–10	36,000
November 28	at Colorado A&M*	Colorado Field Fort Collins, CO (rivalry)	W 13–7	7,549
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[1][2][3]

Awards

• All-Big Seven (AP, UPI, Coaches): E Gary Knafelc^[4]

NFL Draft

Senior end Gary Knafelc was taken in the second round of the 1954 NFL Draft with 14th overall pick by the Chicago Cardinals. He played ten seasons in the NFL, mostly with the Green Bay Packers.

References

1. "1953 Colorado Buffaloes Schedule and Results". College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
2. "1953 Football Schedule". University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
3. "Colorado Football 2023 Record Book" (PDF). University of Colorado Boulder. p. 22. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
4. 2011 Colorado football information guide.

External links

• University of Colorado Athletics – 1953 football roster
• Sports-Reference – 1953 Colorado Buffaloes