Colorado University Athletics
MacIntyre Welcomes Buffs For Beginning Of Fall Camp
August 03, 2016 | Football, Buff Club, Neill Woelk
AD George says he is "excited" about this team
BOULDER — Colorado football coach Mike MacIntyre welcomed 105 players to the opening day of fall camp Wednesday, with the first practice of camp set for Thursday morning.
The group included veterans, incoming freshmen and transfers, and invited walk-ons as MacIntyre gears for his fourth season at the Buffs' helm.
CU Athletic Director Rick George spoke to players at their first meeting of the day, saying, "I'm excited about this group. What I like about this team is what I've seen this summer … You have the chance to accomplish great things."
The team also heard from Boulder Police Chief Greg Testa, CU Police Chief Melissa Zak and Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett, as well as John Aitken of the CU Office of Student Conduct, Valerie Simons of the CU Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance and David Plati of CU Sports Information.
Along with hearing from the various officials, the team watched an NFL-produced video on how to work and cooperate with the media that the Broncos graciously allow Plati to show the Buffaloes annually.
This will be the first year the team has had the use of the entire Champions Center for all of fall camp. Last year, the Buffs moved into the new building midway through camp, but did not have access to the indoor practice facility until spring ball.
The availability of the IPF means that practices that were once cut short because of lightning in the area — a normal occurrence in August — can now simply be moved indoors and the team will not lose any practice time.
The Buffs will hit the field for the first time Thursday morning with a 7 a.m. practice. There are four days of two-a-day practices scheduled — Aug. 10, 12, 15 and 17 — with the first day in pads scheduled Tuesday, Aug. 9.
The team's annual Media Day will be Friday, when CU will also host Media Day for the Buffs' fall Olympic sports: cross country, soccer and volleyball.
Three fall camp football practices will be open to the public and media: Friday, Saturday and Aug. 13. Friday's practice will open up to the public at 7:30 a.m. and Saturday's at 9:45 a.m., about half an hour into each session. A scrimmage is tentatively scheduled for the Aug. 13 practice, scheduled to begin at 9:05 a.m. Otherwise, practices are closed.
All fall camp practices will be held on the lower practice field (weather permitting) until Colorado State game week, when the Buffs will move to the new Franklin Field practice fields.
The Buffs open the season Friday, Sept. 2, vs. in-state rival CSU in a 6 p.m. nationally televised game (ESPN) at Denver's Sports Authority Field.
Their first home game is Sept. 10 vs. Idaho State (3:30 p.m.), followed by CU's nonconference finale, a Sept. 17 game at Michigan (1:30 p.m.).
CU opens the Pac-12 season on the road with a Sept. 24 game at Oregon before hosting Oregon State the following weekend for the Buffs' conference home opener Oct. 1.
Times and television for most of the Pac-12 games have yet to be announced. The Nov. 3 game vs. UCLA will begin at 7 p.m. and broadcast on Fox Sports 1, with the rest of the conference schedule times and television still to be determined. Most times and TV arrangements will be announced up to 12 days in advance of the games.
FAMILIAR NAMES: Buffs fans will see two very familiar names when they scan the current roster, as the sons of two former Buffs offensive linemen will join the team this year as invited walk-ons.
One is linebacker Jacob Stoltenberg, son of the late Bryan Stoltenberg, a four-year starter (1992-95) and consensus 1995 All-American center. The other is offensive lineman Kolter Smith, whose father, Kyle Smith, was a two-year starter for the Buffs and started alongside Bryan Stoltenberg in 1995.
Bryan Stoltenberg, who went on to enjoy a five-year career in the NFL, died at the age of 40 in 2013 from complications stemming from an automobile accident. Jacob Stoltenberg played at Fort Bend Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas.
The Smith family now lives in Edmond, Okla., where they are recovering from a tragedy suffered earlier this summer. Lightning hit their home and burned the structure virtually to the ground.
Kolter Smith played at Deer Creek High School in Edmonds.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu