Some of Brian Cabral's favorite memories from a 35-year association with the Colorado football program have come off the football field, during the offseason and far off campus around a campfire.

About 15 years ago, the longtime CU linebackers coach began leading his players on a wintertime camping trip into the Rocky Mountains. The one-night excursion ends at a cabin where veterans of previous outings are allowed to sleep inside while rookies spend the night sleeping in tents often pitched in snow.

And each year before anyone hits the sleeping bags, the group gathers around a fire pit where stories are told, belly laughs are enjoyed and Cabral really gets to know the young men he is coaching.

"Probably some of the greatest

stories have come out of that trip," Cabral said. "Probably more laughs than anything have come out of those times."

Colorado and Cabral will mark a milestone together on Saturday at Folsom Field when Texas A&M comes to town. It will be the 300th game Cabral has been a part of at CU as both a player and coach. He came to Boulder as a freshman in 1974 and left the school in 1977 as the program's all-time leading tackler to that point.

He went on to play in the National Football League for nine seasons with the Chicago Bears, winning a Super Bowl and doing the Super Bowl Shuffle in 1985. He returned to CU in 1989 as a graduate assistant coach and was hired as a fulltime assistant coach a year later.

He has coached the Buffs in 253 games under four different head coaches. He was associate head coach under former coach Gary Barnett and holds the same title under Dan Hawkins, who this week referred to Cabral as a "soulful guy."

"He's a quality human being, and I think everyone appreciates that about him, that he brings a real genuineness to the program," Hawkins said. "You're not going to find a finer person. He is a very, very good coach."

An elbow injury led Cabral down the path that brought him here. He was recruited to CU out of Hawaii inthe early 1970s and expected to play guard for the CU offense, but when he injured his elbow, he switched to linebacker.

Cabral has played a significant role in many of the best moments in the modern history of the program. He recruited 1994 Heisman Trophy winning running back Rashaan Salaam out of the San Diego area.

He coached Matt Russell to the 1996 Butkus Award, given annually to the nation`s best linebacker and coached Ted Johnson and Jordon Dizon to runner-up finishes for the award. Three of his players earned All-America honors and seven earned All-Conference honors. Ten of his players have been drafted by NFL teams.

But those achievements all began with a work ethic and resiliency Cabral instills in his players during spring, summer and fall practices and in winter camping trips.

"You`ve got kids from Hawaii and from Louisiana who have never experienced anything like that and think they are going to die sleeping outside in a tent in the snow and they live to tell about it," Cabral said. "I just think there is something about it."

Current and former players say Cabral wasn`t always their favorite person during their careers, but they generally complete their time in the program thinking of Cabral as a father figure.

"He`s meant everything," senior Jeff Smart said. "He`s the one who has given me all the opportunities that I`ve had and basically taught me everything that I know."

Current members of the team say Marcus Burton does a spot-on impression of Cabral occasionally in the locker room. Burton, who is married and has fathered two children during his time at CU, called Cabral a pillar of the Colorado program.

"He`s been a strong support system for me and my family, my wife especially," Burton said. "Just reaching out to us spiritually and mentally. He`s done a lot for me personally."

Cabral has remained a Buff all these years by choice. He has passed up multiple opportunities to become a head coach because the timing or the opportunity was right for him at those times.

"I think loyalty has kept me here," Cabral said. "I think just the pride in being able to give back to the university and to the program that has given so much to me. I don`t really know what 300 means, but when I look back on all the players that I`ve seen come through this program and I look back at all the coaches that I`ve seen come through this program and I look back at all the game and the good times and hard times, I count it a privilege to represent a lot of Buffs through the years. I`m honored by that."