Buffs Report For Fall Camp, Practice Starts Wednesday

BOULDER — While practice begins Wednesday for the Colorado Buffaloes, the never-ending educational process for players ramped back up full speed on Tuesday.

Players reported for a team meeting at 7:30 a.m. that included visits from Chancellor Phil DiStefano and other university officials, representatives of the campus and Boulder police departments, and District Attorney Stan Garnett; plus an hour-long media training session. Evening meetings included updates on equipment policies, sports medicine, academic updates, a session on team policies and the team behavior contract, and even some basic financial training.

The day was long but the message was simple: Colorado football players are public figures and will be held to a high standard as representatives of their university.

“We truly believe we should always be building the person, not just the player,” head coach Mike MacIntyre said. “We want to teach them life skills, not just football. That's what coaching really is.”

Tuesday's training covered topics ranging from public behavior to social media.

“We want them to realize they are public figures,” MacIntyre said. “We want them to know what's expected of them and what they represent.”

Practice begins Wednesday morning with an 8:35 a.m. session that will be open to the media and public. Other camp practices open to the public will be Thursday (8:35 a.m.), Friday (8:35 a.m.), Saturday (7:35 p.m.), Aug. 15 (8:35 a.m.) and Aug. 21 (8:50 a.m.)

Two-a-day practices begin Aug. 11, with the Buffs scheduled to have five days with two full practices. Most other days will include either an evening or morning walk-through.

The Buffs open the season Sept. 3 (Thursday) with an 11 p.m. game vs. Hawai'i at Aloha Stadium (7 p.m. Hawai'i time). The game will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.