Colorado Buffaloes Baseball To Return? Athletic Director Makes $10 Million Ask

With the Colorado Buffaloes at Big 12 Media Day in Frisco, Texas, there’s been no shortage of storylines surrounding the Buffs, and Colorado athletic director Rick George found a way to get in the mix, too.

On Wednesday, a fan reached out to George on social media, asking, “Any movement yet on Softball and Baseball yet?” George reposted the message with a blunt response: “When we get a $10M gift, we will have some movement. Until then, no movement.”

It was a candid statement, but not a surprising one. Nine months ago, George offered a similar take on the idea of Colorado bringing back baseball.

“I would love to have baseball. If you’re going to have baseball, you’re going to have softball from a Title IX perspective,” George said at the time.

“That’s something I’d love to have at some point in the future, but it’s not something that’s going to happen in the near-term, in my opinion.”

Colorado hasn’t had a varsity baseball program since the early 1980s. Today, the Buffaloes are one of just two Big 12 programs without a baseball team—the other being Iowa State.

When it comes to softball, CU is one of five Big 12 schools that doesn’t sponsor the sport, along with Cincinnati, Kansas State, TCU, and West Virginia.

But the roadblocks in place aren’t just institutional—they’re also financial, tied to the growing costs of modern college athletics and the realities of Title IX compliance.

In June, the NCAA finalized a landmark revenue-sharing settlement that will allow schools to directly distribute up to $20 million annually across their athletes.

With athletic departments preparing for this new financial era, launching two new varsity programs in baseball and softball becomes a far more difficult proposition.

However, George’s background in professional baseball adds depth and a hint of optimism to the conversation.

George previously served as an executive with the Texas Rangers, which gives him a first-hand understanding of what building and maintaining a baseball operation entails, both logistically and financially.

Then there’s coach Deion Sanders, who spent nearly a decade as a Major League Baseball player.

Sanders remains closely tied to the game and has credited baseball with shaping his discipline, vision, and approach to athletics.

With his charisma and potential recruiting reach, it’s easy to imagine how “Coach Prime” could help ignite interest, fundraising, and visibility if Colorado were to make a move toward reintroducing baseball.

However, while the Buffs have leadership with ties to the baseball diamond, that doesn’t mean a baseball or softball program is imminent.

Still, for Colorado fans, the dream lives on.

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The idea of a Friday night baseball game under the lights in Boulder, with the Flatirons forming a postcard-perfect backdrop, remains an enticing vision.

Folsom Field has already shown what nighttime energy in Boulder can look like. A baseball stadium could someday capture that same magic.

And while the idea might not be at the top of George’s priority list in 2025, the growing success of Colorado football could shift the conversation.

If “Coach Prime” continues to elevate the Colorado football program, the resulting revenue might someday fund more than just Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals.

It could help bring America’s pastime back to the Rocky Mountains in Boulder. Until then, Rick George has made it clear: It all starts with $10 million.