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OSU football: Altitude is everything
BOULDER, Colo. — While visiting his brother in Denver, Oklahoma State safety T.J. Bell walked up two flights of stairs, and when he got to the top, he was out of breath.
OSU's Patrick Lavine brings down Colorado's Demetrius Sumler during the college football game between Oklahoma State University and the University of Colorado at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008. BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
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OSU’s history
at Colorado
→1961: L, 24-0
→1963: L, 25-0
→1965: L, 34-11
→1967: W, 10-7
→1969: L, 17-14
→1971: L, 40-6
→1973: W, 38-24
→1975: L, 17-7
→1977: L, 29-13
→1979: W, 21-10
→1981: L, 11-10
→1983: W, 40-14
→1985: W, 14-11
→1988: W, 41-21
→1990: L, 41-22
→1992: L, 28-0
→1994: L, 17-3
→1996: L, 35-13
→2000: L, 37-21
→2004: W, 42-14
By Scott Wright
Here are the cities with an elevation over 4,000 feet which are home to NCAA Division I-A football teams:
→7,163: Laramie, Wyo. (Wyoming)
→6,008: Colorado Springs, Colo. (Air Force)
→5,344: Boulder, Colo. (Colorado)
→5,003: Fort Collins, Colo. (Colorado State)
→4,995: Albuquerque, N.M. (New Mexico)
→4,549: Provo, Utah (BYU)
→4,535: Logan, Utah (Utah State)
→4,266: Salt Lake City (Utah)
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That’s when he knew there was something to all this altitude talk.
Tonight at 7, the entire Cowboy football team will be immersed in the thin air of Colorado’s Folsom Field. There are two schools of though in handling the impact of altitude on an athlete’s body: accept it or deny it.
Generally, coaches seem more inclined to deny it, trying to counter any negative impact from players becoming concerned about it.
OSU coach Mike Gundy isn’t in complete denial, but it’s obvious he doesn’t want his players, most of whom are making their first trip to play in Colorado, worrying about the air.
"When I played up there (in 1988), I don’t remember it being much of a factor,” he said. "Now, I never ran around much. But I don’t remember it affecting our team.”
Aside from Bell, OSU quarterback Zac Robinson and defensive tackle Tonga Tea have experienced the affect of altitude first-hand.
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