Colorado State University Athletics
This Week in CSU Football History -- Rams snag 10-3 win over Hawai'i in 1984 home opener
9/12/2018 11:17:00 AM | Football
Steve Bartalo, Rams defense top heavily-favored Hawai'i
by John Hirn
CSU Athletics Historian
The 1984 season had promise with All-American Keli McGregor as the team's senior tight end and Steve Bartalo as the bruising fullback on Coach Leon Fuller's powerful offense. Going into the second week of the season, Fuller decided to replace his 5th-year senior quarterback, Tom Thenell, for sophomore quarterback Kelly Stouffer. Stouffer, making his first college start, would do it in front of a cold crowd of 25,754 at Hughes Stadium for the home opener against Hawaii.Â
Although Stouffer would go on to a legendary career for CSU, the story of the day did not rest on him, but rather on the tough play of the Rams defense and on sophomore fullback Bartalo. The defense knew it would be a tough day, especially since Hawaii was not only chosen as the favorites to win the WAC, but because their wide receiver, Walter Murray, who had blazing speed and quarterback, Raphel Cherry, were considered to the best one-two-punch in the conference.Â
The CSU defense held Murray to only 59 receiving yards while Cherry could only muster 165 yards passing and a negative 18 yards on the ground. Rams cornerbacks Hardy Griffin and Tyrone Pope shut Murray down, only allowing him four receptions on the day. Linebackers Dale Carr and Keith Pitts were the keys to the Rainbows' only gaining a total of 202 yards of offense, 37 of those yards on the ground. Pitts' sack of Cherry on a fourth and one play was one of the keys to the Rams successful defensive day.Â
Coach Leon Fuller, who was in his third season at the helm said, "I can't say enough about the play of our defense. I am very proud of the whole unit." Fuller, who had been a defensive coordinator at Texas just prior to taking the CSU head coaching job and played in two bowl games for Alabama as a defensive back for Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, knew good defense when he saw it in action.
On the offensive side of the ball it was the Steve Bartalo Show. Bartalo would not only rush for 170 yards on 36 carries and the game's lone touchdown, but the former quarterback from Colorado Springs who walked on in 1982 also had a 36-yard pass to Brad Kendrick. Bartalo would move up to sixth all-time on the career rushing list with 1,387 and two years later finished with 4,813 career yards as the top rusher in school history where he remains today. He also completed his fifth straight 100-yard rushing game against the Rainbows, breaking the school's record set by Lawrence McCutcheon more than a decade earlier.Â
Although the 1984 season would end up as a big disappointment, both Bartalo and Stouffer would solidify themselves as the next generation of performers in the CSU offense. Both would be stars of the 1986 season that would see victories over Colorado and Wyoming in dramatic fashion and both went on to careers in the NFL.Â
CSU Athletics Historian
The 1984 season had promise with All-American Keli McGregor as the team's senior tight end and Steve Bartalo as the bruising fullback on Coach Leon Fuller's powerful offense. Going into the second week of the season, Fuller decided to replace his 5th-year senior quarterback, Tom Thenell, for sophomore quarterback Kelly Stouffer. Stouffer, making his first college start, would do it in front of a cold crowd of 25,754 at Hughes Stadium for the home opener against Hawaii.Â
Although Stouffer would go on to a legendary career for CSU, the story of the day did not rest on him, but rather on the tough play of the Rams defense and on sophomore fullback Bartalo. The defense knew it would be a tough day, especially since Hawaii was not only chosen as the favorites to win the WAC, but because their wide receiver, Walter Murray, who had blazing speed and quarterback, Raphel Cherry, were considered to the best one-two-punch in the conference.Â
The CSU defense held Murray to only 59 receiving yards while Cherry could only muster 165 yards passing and a negative 18 yards on the ground. Rams cornerbacks Hardy Griffin and Tyrone Pope shut Murray down, only allowing him four receptions on the day. Linebackers Dale Carr and Keith Pitts were the keys to the Rainbows' only gaining a total of 202 yards of offense, 37 of those yards on the ground. Pitts' sack of Cherry on a fourth and one play was one of the keys to the Rams successful defensive day.Â
Coach Leon Fuller, who was in his third season at the helm said, "I can't say enough about the play of our defense. I am very proud of the whole unit." Fuller, who had been a defensive coordinator at Texas just prior to taking the CSU head coaching job and played in two bowl games for Alabama as a defensive back for Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, knew good defense when he saw it in action.
On the offensive side of the ball it was the Steve Bartalo Show. Bartalo would not only rush for 170 yards on 36 carries and the game's lone touchdown, but the former quarterback from Colorado Springs who walked on in 1982 also had a 36-yard pass to Brad Kendrick. Bartalo would move up to sixth all-time on the career rushing list with 1,387 and two years later finished with 4,813 career yards as the top rusher in school history where he remains today. He also completed his fifth straight 100-yard rushing game against the Rainbows, breaking the school's record set by Lawrence McCutcheon more than a decade earlier.Â
Although the 1984 season would end up as a big disappointment, both Bartalo and Stouffer would solidify themselves as the next generation of performers in the CSU offense. Both would be stars of the 1986 season that would see victories over Colorado and Wyoming in dramatic fashion and both went on to careers in the NFL.Â
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