Few things remain etched in the minds of fans better than fights on the field. The ‘Brawl in Boulder’ is simply one of those moments. Those who witnessed the scenes in 1993 also remember how the cheerleaders ran to safety, and Colorado fans hurled cups of ice onto the field as the Miami Hurricanes’ 35-29 victory sparked chaos at Folsom Field. Warren Sapp was a part of that scuffle.

And now, the former Miami player, who is a Buffaloes coach, has a fresh perspective on the fight. Talking about the incident on the May 16 episode of Drink Champs, he said:

“We had that big a– fight in Colorado. I just figured out what they were doing when we were dancing on their field on Friday. They were in the study hall. I went in that room just before I left the last time. Because my dude, he was working with all the recruits, and I went up there, and I found a little study hall room, and it’s right over the stadium, and we were dancing on the field. We saw him looking at us, right?

“And you remember Minister Society? So, I took the lead to the dance, right? Doing like this. ‘Stop looking at me. ‘Stop looking at me. And put the money in the big bag.’ These [people] came out the next play, and we had a brawl. They came running. One of the biggest fights in college football back in the day, a brawl! We snuck out of that, but I figured it out 30 years later how they saw us. They were in the study hall.”

Back then, the Miami Hurricanes were known as ‘team Tudes’ for their rap sheet of fights on the field. And Colorado was no different. But this brawl ended with seven Miami players and five Colorado players getting ejected.

In fact, several separate fights broke out, and officials needed a couple of minutes to calm the situation.

Just before halftime, Miami scored a touchdown to take a commanding 21-6 lead. The fight broke out between the special teams as they were lining up for the kickoff. As Gene Wojciechowski reported in the LA Times in 1993, despite their history, Miami wasn’t entirely to blame for the brawl. The Colorado players started it, and the Canes retaliated.

Soon, there were six separate fights taking place on the field. The likes of Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, and Dwayne Johnson, who were on the bench, also jumped in to support their teammates. Media reports documented players actively kicking, gouging, stomping, and using helmets to inflict serious injuries. The whole brawl lasted about 11 minutes before things calmed down.

And in hindsight, the fight only helped the home team, who almost won the game despite trailing by 20 points midway through the fourth quarter. The final score read 35-29 in favor of the visitors. Miami QB Frank Costa, who threw 2 touchdown passes in the game, knew that in the aftermath, it wouldn’t matter who started the fight.

“It was not called for, but I’m sure we’ll take the bad end of it,” said Costa. “We have that reputation, regardless. People think we’re hoodlums. I’m sure when it all comes out in the paper tomorrow, it will be about Miami getting into another fight.”

Dennis Erickson, the architect of the Hurricanes back then, had already led them to win two national championships, but even he was helpless.

“It’s a crime,” Erickson said. “I’m not proud of it, and our team isn’t proud of it, either. Unfortunately, it had to happen because it was such a great game.”

Colorado coach Bill McCartney agreed. “It reflects on both teams,” he said. “I hate to see it.”

Fortunately for Warren Sapp, three decades had passed when he came to Colorado again to help Deion Sanders’ defense in 2023.

Fallout after the game

Miami players were blamed for the brawl because of their image at the time. They had already had brawls with Notre Dame in 1988 and Kansas in 1990. Their altercations with San Diego State in 1990 and 1992 also added to their image of a team that got into frequent fights.

So, while Miami was blamed, the officiating crew was not spared either. Colorado AD Bill Marolt called their handling of the game an “embarrassment.” However, the players got away easily because of the lack of multi-game suspensions.

The two teams did not face each other for almost 12 years after that. Both teams decided to tear up their remaining two-game scheduling contract.

The governing body was eventually forced to take action after similar fights broke out. It mandated automatic ejections for players leaving the team bench area. The conferences also laid down stricter rules in terms of fines and suspensions for coaching staff members.