Travis Hunter, CU Buffs football team celebrated at basketball game

It’s not often in recent years that the Colorado football team is still playing late into December. It’s even less often when the Heisman Trophy resides in Boulder.

On Saturday, fans were treated with an opportunity to celebrate Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and the Buffaloes’ football team before and during the men’s basketball game against Bellarmine at the CU Events Center.

Hunter and star quarterback Shedeur Sanders were special guests of the basketball team before the game, participating in warmups, including Hunter putting on a dunking show. The football team’s season was celebrated at halftime.

“It’s great for the university to have a Heisman Trophy winner and to celebrate that with the community and the kids and even the adults that are really excited about that award, as they should be,” CU head basketball coach Tad Boyle said. “We’re proud of Travis. We’re proud of the football team.”

On Dec. 28, the 20th-ranked football team will face No. 17 BYU in the Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio (5:30 p.m. MT, ABC). It’s the first bowl game for CU since 2020 and the first time fans could celebrate in this fashion since 2016. (In 2020, fans weren’t allowed at basketball games because of COVID-19).

“We really wanted the fans to be able to celebrate the Heisman with Travis and with the rest of the team and doing warm ups and all that kind of stuff,” CU athletic director Rick George said. “It’s great to see all the fans come out. It’s a celebration. I mean, we’re all Buffs, and this is great that we can all come together and support these guys.

“All the players coming out today, and doing the stuff with Travis and Shedeur in warmups, we wanted to really thank our fan base for all the support they give us, and this was a great way for us to do that.”

Bowl experience

Earlier this week, head football coach Deion Sanders said he’s glad his players have a chance to experience a bowl game. During his playing career at Florida State (1985-88), Sanders went to four bowl games in four years, winning each time.

“The things that I remember the most about a bowl is the stuff, like we wanted to walk in the room and on our bed, they had a bag full of stuff, and we went through the stuff,” Coach Prime said, specifically mention Walkmans and sweat suits as some of the memorable gifts. “I love that part, and it wasn’t as intense as a game, but you had to win. You wanted to win.”

He also talked about some fun moments during bowl week with his teammates.

“I never forgot those moments,” he said. “But going to those several bowl games that we went to, we went to bowl game every year, it was just a moment that we never forget. And I want to have those moments for our young men, as well.”

Notable

CU has less than 100 tickets available from its allotment of 6,000 for the Alamo Bowl. Fans can purchase tickets at CUBuffs.com. … Sophomore cornerback DJ McKinney is one CU player who has played in a bowl game. He went to the Texas Bowl with Oklahoma State. He said there’s a balance between having fun and staying focused. “It’s a little vacation kind of, but it’s still a business trip at the end of the day,” he said. “You’re still out here with your guys, playing another game that we got to be thankful for. So really, it’s just another business trip.” … There were several members of the football team on hand for the halftime celebration during Saturday’s game. Also on the court was five-star quarterback JuJu Lewis, the top recruit in CU’s 2025 class.