Cal Poly Mustangs Head to Colorado — Despite Flooding

Cal Poly’s non-conference football game Saturday afternoon at Colorado State in Hughes Stadium will be played as scheduled.

Eric Burdick, Associate Director of Athletics Communications Cal Poly, put the word out Friday afternoon.

On Thursday several counties, including Boulder, were inundated with cascades of water rushing down from the Colorado Rockies.

By Friday, authorities confirmed the deaths of four people.

The football game between Fresno State and Colorado was postponed because of the flooding devastating the state. Chancellor Philip DiStefano said the community is hurting and it’s not a good time to put pressure on the community and divert attention away from people in need. No make-up date has been announced.

However, after consultation with city and county public safety officials in Ft. Collins, Cal Poly University and athletics officials determined it is possible to stage the game with reduced law enforcement and emergency personnel, allowing for those resources to be deployed elsewhere in the region.

“Our first concern is for the welfare of the community,” said Colorado State Director of Athletics Jack Graham. “We were very concerned about pulling resources away from areas in need, but we determined that we have the staff available primarily through our campus law enforcement to manage the event.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as necessary,” Graham added. “We would not proceed if we did not have assurances that going forward would not cause stress on community resources or jeopardize people’s safety. We do urge those attending the game to use safety when traveling and adhere to all warnings and caution about safe travel routes.”

In making their decision, officials took into consideration the flood damage and street closures in the area. While Fort Collins, like the rest of the Front Range has been severely impacted, the impact near and around the stadium and campus areas has been relatively minimal.

The Mustang football team arrived in Denver on Thursday at 2 p.m. and practiced at Windsor High School on its way north to Fort Collins. The Mustangs also held their traditional walk-through Friday afternoon at Hughes Stadium.

Kickoff for Saturday’s Cal Poly (1-1) vs. Colorado State (0-2) game is set for 12:30 p.m. Pacific. The game will be broadcast by ESPN Radio 1280 and also will be available via audio and video streams as well as live stats. Links are provided at www.GoPoly.com .