From 1938 to 1960, DU was a member of the Mountain States/Skyline Conference, winning titles in 1945, 1946 and its sixth and final conference title in 1954, which was DU's only national top-20 team, peaking at number 18.
[2][3] The final season for DU football was in 1960; the program was discontinued in January 1961 for financial reasons.
[4][5][6] The Pioneers were 3–7 in that last season, but won their final game, 21–12, over Colorado State at DU Stadium on Thanksgiving.
[7][8] Denver sent 12 players to the NFL or All-America Football Conference - with three of them becoming famous: John Woudenberg, a 1942 pro-bowl player for the San Francisco 49ers, Sam Etcheverry, a CFL Hall-of-Famer as player and coach who also played for the St. Louis Cardinals of the NFL, and Don Stansauk, a former Green Bay Packers player who became famous as Hard-Boiled Haggerty, a pro-wrestler.
† Co-champions Denver participated in three bowl games, losing all three.