This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Having played football in the era when Utah and Colorado met annually, former Ute end George Boss remembers a spirited rivalry.
Then again, not every player makes arrangements to transfer from one school to the other before changing his mind and staying.
So one afternoon when Boss chased a Colorado player along the opposing sideline and was blindsided by a blocker, the Buffaloes quite enjoyed it.
"They had a few unkind words to say," Boss recalled wryly, more than 50 years later.
As the schools prepare to renew their series as Pac-12 Conference members, Boss looks forward to another rivalry developing. He also recognizes that these things take time to become meaningful. "It's got to be created," he said.
Utah vs. Colorado is something of an arranged marriage between newcomers. These campuses are 500 miles apart, roughly the combined distances between all of the other Pac-12 rivalry pairs.
The Utes and Buffs have been assigned a traditional rivalry date in 2011 — the last game of the regular season, the day after Thanksgiving — but they must learn to dislike one another.
Utah has played only Utah State, BYU, Wyoming and Colorado State more frequently than Colorado, and that's without having faced the Buffaloes since 1962. Yet even with that historical backdrop, a genuine rivalry in football and other sports will not take hold immediately. So when will we know this thing is truly on?
When there's a big upset, such as Utah's 21-12 win in 1961 over a Colorado team that was ranked No. 7 and headed to the Orange Bowl.
When there's a meaningful game, with one team or the other positioned for a Pac-12 South title in late November.
When there's an incident on or off the field that stirs some passion among the players and fans.
And, of course, when Denver Post sports columnist Woody Paige makes fun of Salt Lake City again.
All of the above could happen in time, partly because Colorado needs an emotional replacement for Nebraska on the schedule.
Before joining the Pac-12, Utah and Colorado recently had agreed to a nonconference, home-and-home series beginning in 2012 — 50 years since their last meeting. That deal revived "a rivalry that should have gone on for a long time," said Bruce Woodbury, a former Utah athletic official who arranged the series.
The schools were conference rivals from 1910-47, then continued to play almost annually for 15 years after Colorado joined the Big Seven. The series dissolved because of scheduling issues, including the growth of each school's conference and the launch of the Air Force Academy.
The Utes won the last two meetings in '61 and '62, after Colorado had dominated the previous decade. That included the '57 game, when Boss kicked a field goal to give the Utes a 24-23 lead in the fourth quarter, only to have Colorado score a last-minute touchdown to overcome Lee Grosscup's 248-yard passing day.
"My headlines disappeared," said Boss, the founder and chairman of a private Houston investment and management firm.
The Buffs' winning drive stayed alive when a pass went through the arms of a Ute defender and Boyd Dowler made the catch. Dowler later made a reception on a fourth-and-13 play, leading to the winning touchdown.
Boss wanted to leave Utah after his freshman year and become a Buff, but his father ruled otherwise. So he's a proud Utah alumnus and a member of the president's national advisory council. Boss also has so many friends involved with Colorado that he considers that school "almost my second home."
So nobody will enjoy these games more than Boss as he relives a rivalry of the past and future.
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