9/11 HITS HOME FOR CU’S DORRELL,
Pregame, halftime ceremonies planned during today’s game against Texas A&M at Empower Field 20 years after tragedy
Karl Dorrell was there the night they christened the joint then known as Invesco Field at Mile High. He has returned as a visitor a few times in the 20 years since, but it’s safe to say that night two decades ago looms large in the back story of Dorrell’s coaching career.
For the first time as the leader of his own team, Dorrell returns on Saturday to what’s now called Empower Field at Mile High Stadium when Colorado takes aim at No. 5 Texas A&M (1:30 p.m., FOX).
The stadium was Dorrell’s professional home for three seasons during his stint as the Denver Broncos’ receivers coach, and while there were plenty of big wins to celebrate during those years, none of those memories are quite like the night
of the Broncos’ first regular season game on the new turf on Sept. 10, 2001.
In a Monday night extravaganza, the Broncos hosted the New York Giants, fresh off a Super Bowl appearance, in the stadium’s first official game. Denver prevailed 31-20 but it was a bittersweet victory. Popular starting receiver Ed Mccaffrey, whose collegiate coaching debut at Northern Colorado was ruined by Dorrell’s Buffs last week, suffered a gruesome broken leg that ended his season.
As football fans across Colorado woke up the next morning, a little angst over a sports injury became painfully meaningless. That morning, nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in terrorist attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and Shanksville, Pa., where the last of four hijacked airliners was brought down heroically by passengers before it could reach its target.
Saturday’s Buffs-aggies matchup falls on the 20th anniversary of that unforgettable day, with pregame and halftime ceremonies lined up to honor the moment. The memories of that eventful 12 or so hours between the first official kickoff at Invesco and the planes crashing into the World Trade Center and Pentagon remain vivid to Dorrell.
“I’m glad we’re honoring all the service people — the things that they’ve sacrificed, and the people that have done heroic things in those scenarios,” Dorrell said. “I just remember the day after (the game) when we were watching the newscast, when it was live. We didn’t see the first plane hit the tower, but we were actually looking live when we saw the second plane out of the background came and hit the tower. We’re in our Denver offices and it was like, ‘Did I just see that?’ It was very, very, emotionally, a concern for all of us across the country.
“We all know the ramifications and what happened. But when you see that part of it, particularly the second plane when it hit, we all felt like, ‘Wow, we’re under attack.’ It was very emotional across the country, as we all remember. This is great to continue to bring this forward and not forget all the people who lost their lives, and some who sacrificed themselves trying to save others.”
The pregame and halftime ceremonies on Saturday will be heavy with honors for Boulder first responders. District Attorney Michael Dougherty, who worked in the district attorney’s office in New York City when the attacks occurred, will oversee the opening coin toss and will be part of a halftime ceremony also slated to honor officers from the Boulder Police Department and the CU Police Department. CU this week offered free game tickets to first responders along with discounted tickets for their family members.
That game on Sept. 10, 2001 was the start of the second of Dorrell’s three seasons with the Broncos. While Saturday’s Mile High appearance will be his first as a head coach, Dorrell has returned three previous times during his stops as an NFL assistant. Dorrell’s teams went 2-1 in those games, winning in 2008 with Miami and 2012 with Houston but losing in 2017 with the New York Jets.
“I loved when I was with the Broncos, coaching for that organization — such a great organization — and playing in that stadium. Great fans, all those things,” Dorrell said. “I have a lot of great memories of really great games played in that stadium. It’s going to be great for our players, particularly the new guys that haven’t been in a stadium like that, to play and compete.”