Colorado State Rams Lacrosse

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COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
Colorado State University is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, 55 miles north of Denver in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Skiing, fishing, mountain biking and camping are all nearby. CSU includes eight colleges, broken down into 56 departments of more than 100 different academic programs. The campus is located in the heart of "Fort Fun." Fort Collins is a college town. It is also a vibrant and growing Colorado community.

THE PLAYERS
The Rams' roster in the 1999 season had 30 out of 35 members from the state of Colorado. Most players were from the greater Denver metropolitan area. The percentage of out-of-state players has increased dramatically since then. In 2006/2007 there are players from Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, California, Washington, Illinois, Utah, and Tennessee to go along with the always-strong Colorado nucleus.

ABOUT CSU LACROSSE
Colorado State University men's lacrosse is a member of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA – formerly USLIA and USL-MDIA) and has taken home national titles in 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2006. Within this national organization there are now 9 conferences and almost 180 teams. The Rams compete in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference. CSU has won RMLC championships in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. With two-time MCLA champion Brigham Young, the up-and-coming University of Utah and in-state rival Colorado perennially in the top 20, the RMLC is one of the most competitive conferences in the country.

THE UNIVERSITY'S COMMITMENT
As a "virtual varsity" program, the lacrosse team needs a solid foundation inside the university. Sport Clubs recognizes lacrosse as a major sport now, and supplies the team with whatever is possible. Questions and comments can be directed to CSU’s Sport Clubs department at (970) 491-2116.

DONATIONS AND FUND RAISING
The CSU Men’s Lacrosse Ram Camp, held annually in July at Colorado State, has become a large and important fundraiser for CSU lacrosse in the last four years. The camp is staffed largely by CSU players and Alumni.

The CSU Alumni Association is beginning to build a CSU Lacrosse endowment fund. The alums also have created the "Rocky Mountain Showdown", the annual game between MCLA powers CU and CSU. This exciting and important game is held at a neutral site. In 2007, the Showdown will be held at INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium for the second consecutive season. Last year, nearly 3,500 paying fans attended the Showdown, making it the highest attended game in MCLA history. Building a partnership with the MLL’s Denver Outlaws has been a great way for the program to raise visibility and funds.

Parking cars at athletic events, an annual CSU lacrosse schedule/poster and selling team apparel are just some of the other fundraising endeavors that the team takes on to generate cash flow for the program, as well as to help individual players fulfill their financial responsibilities. While the team has some support from the school, outside donations are crucial to keep the program running. High travel costs make fundraising a must for the team as the annual overall team expenses have grown to over $120K, or about 20 times more than the university allocates for men's lacrosse. Tax-free donations are accepted and encouraged.

COSTS
The players for the most part pay ONLY for their own costs for travel and equipment. Costs for a year can range, but a player can expect to pay approximately $3,000 throughout the course of a school year, including fall, spring and equipment. There are "packages" and pre-payment discounts offered. 2007 will include four out of state trips to be factored into the budget. Trips to Oregon, Utah, Missouri and Dallas highlight the schedule.

The team does get some sponsorship from lacrosse companies, mainly Rock-it Pocket. The players and coaches put on lacrosse clinics and teach lacrosse "classes" in the local junior high schools, which help raise capital for the organization. Activities like these can go to credit the player's "account.” Working the Ram Camp can earn players credit as well. We hope that parents and players do not see dues as anything more than an extension of the university experience and part of the cost of a CSU education.

COACH FLIP NAUMBURG
In 2007 Coach Naumburg enters his 11th year as head coach at CSU. He graduated from Colorado College in 1975. During his first 10 years at Colorado State, Naumburg's record is 170-32 (84.2% winning percentage). CSU has appeared in the national championship game in 7 of 8 national tournament chances. As owner of Rock-It Pocket, Flip is well established in the lacrosse community. Naumburg has been a Director of the annual Vail Lacrosse Shootout for the last 34 summers. This is the biggest lacrosse tournament in the world. As a coach, he has endeavored to harness all of the lacrosse experience he has gained throughout the years in an effort to put together the best CSU program in history. At the conclusion of the 1999 campaign, he was named National USLIA Coach of the Year. CSU lacrosse is considered the premiere club lacrosse program in the country, predominantly because of Naumburg’s work with the team.

PROGRAM HISTORY
The CSU lacrosse club is over 40 years old, but has grown up tremendously in the last 10 years. The team became "Road Warriors" beginning in 1998. Going to other states and playing highly regarded teams has given the Rams opportunity to gain much-needed national exposure and play more highly competitive opponents. It has also evolved into part of what might be called "program pride.” Going to different universities, and the experiences gained by being on the road together are a large part of the overall experience at CSU.

Colorado State has won four national titles, five RMLC championships and holds a 24-4 record in seven national tournament appearances.