Folsom Field Folsom Field is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the University of Colorado , at Boulder , Colorado . Opened in 1924 , it is the home field of the Colorado Buffaloes of the Pacific - 12 Conference ; until July 2011 , Colorado was a member of the Big 12 Conference . The horseshoe - shaped stadium runs in the traditional north - south configuration , opening to the north . The CU athletic administration center , named after 1950s head coach Dal Ward , is located at the north end . The playing field returned to natural grass in 1999 and sits at an elevation of , more than a mile above sea level . Folsom Field is the third highest stadium in major college football , behind only Wyoming and Air Force of the Mountain West Conference . History . Gamble Field was the home of Colorado football for two decades , through 1923 . Folsom Field ( originally Colorado Stadium ) opened in 1924 , and has been the home of the Colorado Buffaloes football team ever since . Through the 2007 football season , the Buffs have a home record of 286 – 139 – 14 , a winning percentage of . 667 . Prior to the opening of Folsom Field , CU played its games at Gamble Field for two decades , where the seating capacity of 9 , 000 was limited to temporary bleachers . Originally known as Colorado Stadium for its first twenty years , it was renamed in 1944 , following the death of coach Fred Folsom . He coached the Buffs from 1895 to 1902 and 1908 to 1915 , compiling a 78 – 24 – 2 ( . 760 ) overall record . In 2008 , Folsom Field become the first " zero - waste " stadium in the NCAA by instituting a rigorous recycling and composting program . Expansions and renovations . When opened in 1924 , the horseshoe - shaped stadium had a capacity of 26 , 000 . A major expansion in 1956 raised the height of the stadium and increased its capacity to 45 , 000 . In 1967 6 , 000 more seats were added with the removal of the running track ; the track and field team relocated to Potts Field on the East Campus . In 1968 a huge , six - level press box was added to the top of the west side grandstand , directly in front of Balch Fieldhouse , the former home of the basketball team . Renovations continued in 1976 when the old , rickety wooden bleachers were replaced with aluminum ones , raising the capacity to 52 , 005 . In 2003 , suites and club seating were added to the east side of the stadium , raising the capacity to 53 , 750 . Since the 2003 renovation 137 seats with obstructed views have been removed lowering the seating capacity to 53 , 613 . There is a possibility for further expansion in upcoming years on the east side of the stadium . The proposal will include a new indoor practice facility with a underground parking garage and a few thousand more seats on the east side near the north end - zone . Playing surface . From 1924 to 1971 , the playing surface at Folsom Field was natural grass . In 1971 , AstroTurf was installed and the first game played on the new surface was against Wyoming on September 18 . The 1971 Buffs finished third in the AP Poll behind Nebraska and Oklahoma , for a sweep of the top three spots by the Big Eight Conference . The synthetic turf was replaced in 1978 and again in 1989 , with " Astroturf - 8 . " After 28 years of AstroTurf , Folsom Field returned to natural grass in the spring of 1999 . The project , which included bio - thermal heating , drainage , and a sub - air system , cost $ 1 . 2 million . Other uses . Folsom Field is also used as the finish line for the Bolder Boulder , a popular road race . The south end zone was featured in the opening and closing credits of the late 1970s television show " Mork and Mindy " which was set in Boulder . The first Promise Keepers stadium conference was held at Folsom in June 1992 . The stadium played host to a concert , later released on DVD , by the Dave Matthews Band on July 11 , 2001 . Attendance records . The largest crowd for a Colorado football game at Folsom Field was 54 , 972 when the Buffaloes played Colorado State on September 3 , 2005 . Since 1998 the early - season , non - conference rivalry game with Colorado State , the Rocky Mountain Showdown , has usually been played in neutral Denver , at Mile High Stadium or Sports Authority Field at Mile High . The largest crowd ever at Folsom Field was for a rock concert on May 1 , 1977 , for one of the popular Colorado " Sun Day " concert series . The attendance was an estimated 61 , 500 ( exceeding the seating capacity by about 9 , 000 ) for a show featuring Fleetwood Mac , Bob Seger , Firefall , and John Sebastian .