Columbine football wins state title months after tragedy | Dec. 4, 1999 | Colorado’s Top 150 Sports Moments
Happy birthday, Colorado — and Colorado sports.
Leading into the state’s 150th birthday Aug. 1, The Denver Gazette has partnered with the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame to publicize the definitive list of Colorado’s top 150 sports moments.
For Nos. 50 to 1, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame historian Dave Plati coordinated a 19-member committee to rank in order what they considered the top moments. The No. 1 moment will be revealed July 31. Plati and Broncos icon Jim Saccomano will unveil the list weekly on a Colorado Sports Hall of Fame podcast at coloradosports.org/podcast/.
No. 27 — Dec. 4, 1999
Less than eight months after tragedy struck Columbine High School on April 20, where 12 students and a teacher were killed in the worst school shooting in state history, the Rebels defeated Cherry Creek on the Bruins’ home field, 21-14, to win the state’s 5A football championship. Creek took an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but was shut out the rest of the way, with Columbine tying the game in the second and going ahead two plays into the fourth. The game was played before an overflow crowd of 8,000-plus, with the matchup televised and national media in town to witness the Rebels win and finish with a 13-1 record.
— Dave Plati, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame historian