Hall of Fame
Colorado Mesa enjoyed a dominant stretch in the RMAC during the 1980s, with the peak coming during the 1982 and 1983 campaigns. In back-to-back years, CMU battled all the way to the NAIA National Championship, notching a pair of national runner-up performances. The 1982 team boasted a 9-1-1 overall record, not to mention an RMAC title with a 7-0-1 conference mark. That team also had three All-Americans at season’s end (Dean Haugum, Keith Howard and Jeff Tootle). The next season, the team again recorded a 9-1-1 overall mark on its way to another RMAC title and a 7-0-1 league record. Haugum, Howard and Tootle once again earned All-American honors, with the three joined by teammate Russ Hodgson. In the NAIA National Championship, Kenneth Tyson returned a kick 100-yards for a touchdown, a feat that has been repeated just once since.