In their third and final year under head coach Sonny Grandelius, the Buffaloes compiled a 9–2 record (7–0 in conference games), won the Big 8 championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 184 to 104.
[14] Senior guard Joe Romig also played linebacker on defense and was the team captain.
[19][20] Six Colorado players were recognized by the AP and/or the United Press International (UPI) on the 1961 All-Big Eight Conference football team: Romig (AP-1, UPI-1), Hillebrand (AP-1, UPI-1), center Walter Klinker (AP-1, UPI-1); quarterback Gale Weidner (AP-2, UPI-1), fullback Loren Schweninger (AP-2); and end Ken Blair (AP-2).
[23][24][25][26] In March 1962, Grandelius was fired by the university regents for recruiting violations, primarily due to the operation of a slush fund for players and families.
[30][32][33] A month later, the NCAA put Colorado's football program on probation for two years; because the university began the investigation and took action, the penalties were relatively light.