CSU turns out lights on Hughes Stadium, final game played Saturday night

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- It was the end of an era at Colorado State University. The Rams played their final game ever at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins Saturday night.

“If any game this season, we had to be at this one,” said lifelong Rams fan, Ryan Dibble. “Just growing up here – my dad and I came here most of my life.”

Next year, the Rams will move to a new on-campus stadium.

“Hughes was built when I was a youngster,” said Kittie Hook. “In fact, my dad was a contractor. A concrete contractor on that.”

Hook started attending games at Hughes in the ‘60’s.

“It was like a dollar for kids to go to watch the game. And then the parents sat at the 50 yard line, but we were in the cheap seats,” said Hook, laughing.

Mike Lude was the first-ever CSU head coach at Hughes Stadium.

“It just doesn’t seem like almost 50 years ago that we kicked off the first game in 1968,” said Lude on what would be an emotional night for him. “Well, I’m not going to cry, but I’m going to be darn near close to it.”

And once the final ball was snapped and the lights went out at Hughes, a new era of CSU football began.

“I think the on-campus stadium is the best thing they have going for the future of CSU,” said Hook.

“Having it on-campus, that’s gonna be a new vibe,” said Dibble. “Hopefully we grow the following, the school and the program.”