COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
Colorado State University is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, 55 miles north of Denver in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Skiing, fishing, mountain biking and camping are all nearby. CSU includes eight colleges, broken down into 56 departments of more than 100 different academic programs. The campus is located in the heart of "Fort Fun." Fort Collins is a college town. It is also a vibrant and growing Colorado community.

THE PLAYERS
The Rams' roster in the 1999 season had 30 out of 35 members from the state of Colorado. Most players were from the greater Denver metropolitan area. The percentage of out-of-state players has increased dramatically since then. In 2004/2005 there were players from Virginia, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Missouri, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Michigan to go along with the always-strong Colorado nucleus.

ABOUT CSU LACROSSE
Colorado State University men's lacrosse is a member of the United States Lacrosse Men's Division Intercollegiate Association (USL-MDIA) and has taken home national titles in 1999, 2001 and 2003. Within this national organization there are now 12 conferences and almost 180 teams. The Rams compete in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference. CSU has won RMLC championships in 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004. With two-time MDIA champion Brigham Young, the up-and-coming University of Utah and in-state rival Colorado perrenially in the top 20, the RMLC is one of the most competitive conferences in the country.

THE UNIVERSITY'S COMMITMENT
As a "virtual varsity" program, the lacrosse team needs a solid foundation inside the university. Club Sports recognizes lacrosse as a major sport now, and supplies the team with whatever is possible. Questions and comments can be directed to Karri Smith at CSU. Her direct line is 970-491-2011.

DONATIONS AND FUND RAISING
The CSU High Altitude Lacrosse Camp, held annually in July at Colorado State, has become a large and important fundraiser for CSU lacrosse in the last four years. The camp is staffed largely by CSU players and CSU alumni players.

The CSU Alumni Association is beginning to build a CSU Lacrosse endowment fund. The alums also have created the "Rocky Mountain Showdown", the annual game between MDIA powers CU and CSU. This exciting and important game is held at a neutral site. Last year the game attracted 2500 fans to a high school stadium in a Denver suburb. This year's game will be held in a Denver Metro Area Stadium on Saturday, April 22, 2005 at 7:00 p.m.

Parking cars at athletic events, an annual CSU lacrosse schedule/poster, and selling team apparel are just some of the other fundraising endeavors that the team is involved with to generate cash flow for the program, as well as to help individual players fulfill their financial responsibilities. While the team has some support from the school, outside donations are crucial to keep the program running. High travel costs make fundraising a must for the team as the annual overall team expenses have grown to over $120K, or about 20 times more than the university allocates for men's lacrosse. Tax-free donations are accepted and encouraged.

COSTS
The players for the most part pay ONLY for their own costs for travel and equipment. Costs for a year can range, but $2000-$2500 is about what players are paying in 2005. There are "packages" and pre-payment discounts offered. 2006 will include four out of state trips to be factored into the budget. Two trips to California, the RMLC championships in Logan, UT and the MDIA championships at a location TBA will make up the bulk of the traveling budget for CSU.

The team does get some sponsorship from lacrosse companies, mainly Rock-it Pocket. The players and coaches put on lacrosse clinics and teach lacrosse "classes" in the local junior high schools, which help raise capital for the organization. Activities like these can go to credit the player's "account". Working the High Altitude Summer Camp can earn players credit as well.

COACH FLIP NAUMBURG
In 2005 Coach Naumburg enters his 9th year as head coach at CSU. He graduated from Colorado College in 1975. During his first 8 years at Colorado State, Coach's record is 137-28. As owner of Rock-It Pocket, Flip is well established in the lacrosse community. Naumburg has been a Director of the annual Vail Lacrosse Shootout for the last 34 summers. This is the biggest lacrosse tournament in the world. As a coach, he has endeavored to harness all of the lacrosse experience he has gained throughout the years in an effort to put together the best CSU program in history. At the conclusion of the 1999 campaign, he was named National USLIA Coach of the Year.

PROGRAM HISTORY
The CSU lacrosse club is over 40 years old, but has grown up tremendously in the last 7 years. The team became "Road Warriors" beginning in 1998. Going to other states and playing highly regarded teams has given the Rams opportunity to gain much-needed national exposure and play more highly competitive opponents. It has also evolved into part of what might be called "program Pride". Going to different universities, and the experiences gained by being on the road together are a large part of the overall experience at CSU.
See the CSU Lacrosse Archives for More.