ATHLETICS SHINE
CSU readies to join Pac-12 conference
May 22, 2025
INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS ARE in the spotlight at Colorado State University as the school anticipates joining the Pac-12 in July 2026 – a move that will rebuild the storied conference and offer new visibility for the university.
“This move elevates CSU in a way that benefits all our students, bolsters our core mission, and strengthens our reputation for academic and research excellence,” said CSU President Amy Parsons, a Rams fan often seen cheering alongside students and community members.
“CSU is honored to be among the universities asked to help carry on the history and tradition of the Pac-12 as a highly competitive conference with some of the nation’s leading research institutions,” she said.
Nique Clifford (left) led the CSU men’s basketball team to the 2025 Mountain West Conference championship and on to the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament. Photography: Colorado State University.
Nique Clifford (top) led the CSU men’s basketball team to the 2025 Mountain West Conference championship and on to the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament. Photography: Colorado State University.
To help usher in the new era, Parsons and CSU Director of Athletics John Weber hosted NCAA President Charlie Baker and Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould during a campus visit in March.
The visit came shortly before the CSU men’s basketball team won the Mountain West Tournament for the first time in 22 years, triggering an automatic bid to play in the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament. With ecstatic Rams fans cheering them on, the Mountain West champions made it to the Round of 32, then fell to the University of Maryland in a buzzer beater.
On the heels of that excitement, CSU named Ali Farokhmanesh as the new head coach of men’s basketball after the departure of Niko Medved, former head coach, who left CSU for the University of Minnesota. Farokhmanesh spent seven seasons in Fort Collins as an assistant and, most recently, was associate head coach under Medved. For CSU, it was a March Madness to remember.
About a month earlier, the NCAA’s Baker joined Parsons on a Lory Student Center stage for a wide-ranging discussion. It touched on hot topics in college sports and underscored the role of athletics in preparing students for success in a democratic society. The event was part of CSU’s second Democracy Summit.
In a politically polarized nation, collegiate sports have the unique ability to unite fans across divides and to equip student-athletes for civic leadership, Parsons and Baker said.
“Nothing cuts across our divides and our differences like sports and a united fan base,” Parsons noted.
Clockwise from top left: CSU soccer player Kacie Laurie helps inaugurate a new soccer field during a match in August 2024 against California Baptist University. Daniel Baroumbaye competes in track and field. Kyra Smith competes in softball. The women’s volleyball team celebrates as they become the 2024 Mountain West champions. Photo at top left: John Eisele / CSU Photography. All other photography: Colorado State University.
Top to bottom: CSU soccer player Kacie Laurie helps inaugurate a new soccer field during a match in August 2024 against California Baptist University. Daniel Baroumbaye competes in track and field. Kyra Smith competes in softball. The women’s volleyball team celebrates as they become the 2024 Mountain West champions. Photo at top: John Eisele / CSU Photography. All other photography: Colorado State University.
Baker, a former Harvard basketball player and two-time Republican governor of Massachusetts, said collegiate sports help ready students for public service and professional life.
“We appreciate the skills and the camaraderie and the noise and the pageantry that come with sports,” he said. “I think sometimes we underestimate the lessons that people learn about how to be a great teammate, a leader, and how much of that can be developed through athletics.”
During the conversation, Baker advised students to make a habit of listening – especially to those with different experiences – as the best route to learning.
“You’ve got to start with the proposition that every engagement on a political or public issue is not a fight. It’s an inquiry. If you can treat it as an inquiry, there’s a big opportunity for growth. Growth, at the end of the day, should be your end game,” he said.
Left: CSU President Amy Parsons hosts NCAA President Charlie Baker during the university’s 2025 Democracy Summit. Right: Former Denver Broncos great Terrell Davis, in his role as a CSU Rambassador, greets fans during last fall’s Homecoming and Family Weekend. Photography: Colorado State University.
Top: CSU President Amy Parsons hosts NCAA President Charlie Baker during the university’s 2025 Democracy Summit. Bottom: Former Denver Broncos great Terrell Davis, in his role as a CSU Rambassador, greets fans during last fall’s Homecoming and Family Weekend. Photography: Colorado State University.
CSU also has some new star power to help shine a spotlight on intercollegiate athletics: Denver Broncos legend Terrell Davis joined CSU’s Presidential Executive in Residence program. The program launched in 2024 to engage top professionals from a cross-section of industries and disciplines in advisory roles and to provide direct connections for students and the broader campus community.
Through August this year, Davis will formally serve as a CSU Athletics Rambassador. He joined the Rams football team at the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl in late December, the team’s first bowl appearance in seven years. He has worked with student-athletes and coaches across all 16 CSU sports programs, spoken to classes, engaged with media, attended university events, and interacted with donors and stakeholders to secure new sources of support.
“As I’ve come to understand the history and mission of CSU, I recognize a clear set of shared beliefs – this notion that you can change the world, improve your community, and make a difference when you combine talent, creativity, hard work, and determination,” Davis said. “That resonates with me, and I’m honored to serve as CSU’s Athletics Rambassador.”
Photo at top: CSU volleyball player Naeemah Weathers prepares for a match in 2024. Photo: Colorado State University.
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