It's Official: Mel Tucker Named As Next Head Coach For CU Buffs

BOULDER, CO -- University of Colorado-Boulder athletic director Rick George gave the rumor mill a rest on Wednesday as he announced that Mel Tucker will be the 26th head coach of the CU football team. This will be Tucker's first stint as a head coach, but his resume lacks for neither accolades nor experience. The Buffs will now be led by a man who has helped both coached multiple collegiate teams to national championships and spent seven years as a top-level coach in the National Football League.

"If you go back last month when I talked about what I wanted in our next head coach, you'll find that Mel checks all those boxes," said George in a CU press release. "He has great experience and a terrific pedigree; I like the way he coaches football, his toughness and accountability."

"Colorado has always been a place that I thought should be relevant in the national championship conversation year-in and year-out, because of its tradition and a seemingly endless list of what the school has to offer," said Tucker in the release. "What we have to offer are some of the best facilities in the country, strong academics, and an amazing environment as a whole. Colorado should be a 'no excuse' program. There's absolutely no reason we can't achieve success at an extremely high level."

Tucker also mentioned that he still remembers seeing Ralphie run onto the field as he stood on the sideline as a player for the University of Wisconsin in 1994. The Buffs went on to win that game 55-17.

If the Board of Regents approves the deal proposed by George, Tucker will earn $2.4 million in the first year of his $14.75 million five-year contract – not including bonuses.

Tucker replaces former head coach Mike MacIntyre, who was fired on Nov. 18 with one game left to play in the 2018 season.

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Photo Credit: Steven Limentani/ISI/Shutterstock