University of Colorado and Colorado State University have met 81 times in their history, but the first 70 took place on their respective campuses.
College football in Denver had a rich tradition; the University of Denver had a program until 1960, and for most of the first half of the last century, the CU-DU clash was an annual Thanksgiving Day affair, with half the games played in the Mile High City.
When DU discontinued football and tore down its football stadium in 1961, college football would take a 37-year hiatus in the confines of the city. Then on February 9, 1988 the now-defunct Denver Organizing Committee (DOC) in conjunction with CU and CSU, announced that the sport would return to the city as the two rivals would play the 70th game in their series in Denver, after meeting 38 times in Boulder and 31 times in Fort Collins.
DOC chairman Joe Talty and athletic directors Dick Tharp (CU) and Tom Jurich (CSU) set the game in motion, starting discussions in 1996. When Tim Weiser replaced Jurish at CSU early in 1998, he worked with Talty and Tharp to seal the deal.
INVESCO came on board as the game's sponsor that July, and the match-up was coined as the "Rocky Mountain Showdown." The tag remained for all six games that would be played in Denver, as well for the 2004 and 2005 games at Folsom Field in Boulder.
The relocation discussions resumed in 2005, facilitated by the Metro Denver Sports Commission. On March 1, 2006, the universities announced a three-year agreement to play the game in Denver. Soon thereafter, Qwest become title sponsor of the event for the duration.
In August of 2009, Paul Kowalczyk and Mike Bohn, the athletic directors at CU and CSU, agreed on a 10 year extension of their football rivalry. The announcement was made in conjunction with the Metro Denver Sports Commission and Stadium Management Company.
As part of the agreement, Rocky Mountain Showdown will move to Denver in 2010 and remain there until 2019. In 2020, the contest will move to the home of the Rams in Fort Collins.
