BOULDER — Offensive linemen spend a lot of time looking down, and usually the view isn't very appealing. Colorado Buffaloes center Alex Kelley got a much wider perspective in July when he took a three-week course in vegetation ecology while living at CU's Mountain Research Station, located at 9,500 feet in the mountains near Nederland.
"We would hike to different areas, sometimes to 12,000-plus feet," said Kelley, a junior who started all 12 games last season. "We would take a bunch of samples of plants using different techniques, learning plants and seeing cool sights."
It was a welcome respite from the pressures of college football, not to mention a program in rebuilding mode.