The idea for starting a college in Pueblo was initially proposed in 1926, when a bill was put before the state senate to begin a four-year school in the city.

In the years following the Great Depression, the idea for a college in Pueblo was revived through the efforts of a local teacher at Centennial High School, Eric T. Kelly.

Kelly organized a committee that was composed of several local business leaders to discuss the possibility of getting a college started, among them Frank Hoag Jr., publisher of The Pueblo Chieftain and Star-Journal newspapers; C.N.

With land donated by the CF&I and local money from the City Federation of Women's Club and the Works Progress Administration, construction of the college's first building—a 55,000-square-foot (5,100 m2) arts building—began in 1936.

In 1964, Colorado State Senator Vincent Massari led the college's push to become a four-year university.

Also, an independent study of higher education in Colorado recommended to change the university's name to reflect the unique relationship with CSU.

In May 2002, Governor Bill Owens signed legislation changing the institution's mission and name to Colorado State University Pueblo effective July 1, 2003.

Designed to elicit fear and reverence, the original logo contained a detailed head of a ThunderWolf with a mountain range in the background.

In 2011, a multimillion-dollar renovation project was completed on the university's Library and Academic Resources Center (LARC) and a 1.2 megawatt solar array, as well as construction of three new residence halls (Culebra, Crestone, and Greenhorn).

Future plans include expanding the soccer facility to provide for more services and to allow the addition of a lacrosse program.

In 2007, the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System approved to bring back football, wrestling, and women's indoor and outdoor track & field.

The seven-year-old CSU Pueblo football team has won the title of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champions in the 2011–2014 seasons.

In 2014, the football team won the NCAA Division II Championship, beating Minnesota State University, Mankato, 13–0.

CSU Pueblo features a cheerleading squad and dance team, club baseball, racquetball, climbing, rugby, and men's soccer.

Since its establishment in 1996, the CSU Pueblo racquetball team has won 17 NCAA Division I championships (nine straight from 2004 to 2012).

CSU Pueblo has a peripheral role in one of the most enduring urban legends in entertainment, specifically Van Halen's requirement in their technical rider that a bowl of M&M's, with all brown pieces removed, be present in their dressing room.

Notably, media reports in the 1980s often claimed that the band had done more than $85,000 of damage to CSU Pueblo's Massari Arena after discovering brown M&M's backstage.