The Colorado Buffaloes football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Colorado Buffaloes football program in various categories,[1][2] including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Buffaloes represent the University of Colorado Boulder in the NCAA Division I FBS Pac-12 Conference.
Although Colorado began competing in intercollegiate football in 1890,[2] the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun in 1930s. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
- Since 1930s, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
- The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
- Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[3] The Buffaloes have played in five bowl games since then, allowing players in those seasons an extra game to accumulate statistics. However, unlike virtually all other FBS programs, Colorado does not include bowl game statistics from any season in career statistics, meaning that players' career totals, and even in some cases the ordering of career leaders, differ between Colorado record books and official NCAA statistics.[1]
- Similarly, the Buffaloes have appeared in the Big 12 Championship Game four times and the Pac-12 Championship Game once, giving players yet another game to accumulate stats.
- Due to COVID-19 disruptions, the NCAA ruled that the 2020 season would not count against any football player's athletic eligibility, giving all players active in that season the opportunity for five years of play instead of the normal four.
These lists are updated through Colorado's game against TCU on September 2, 2023.