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CU will have problems keeping Hawkins

BuckinFuffs

Club Member
Club Member
This is the kind of crap coming out of Fort Collins. Knudsen is the main 'homer' of the CSU faithful.

Early this year he made reference to Hawkins 2-10 record and how crappy the program was, now you would think Hawkins was the second coming of Vince Lombardi. He takes whatever side he can to build up his fan base and put down the evil horde from Boulder.

Try not to get to wound up when he makes reference to CU being 'middle of the pack', its just his smalljohnsoninsecurity speaking. I think you could make the logical jump that if CU is 'middle of the pack' CSU is firmly entrenched in the 'bottom of the pack'.

Couldn't get link to work: here's the text.

=========================================
Buffs may have trouble keeping Hawkins around
Mark Knudson
SportsNews@coloradoan.com


Just over two years ago, those closely following the University of Colorado were talking about a "cloud hanging over the future" of the CU football program. Today, that future looks far, far different, complete with an entirely different potential problem.

The scoreboard doesn't always tell the story. Yes, the Buffs lost to Alabama in the Independence Bowl. But here's a newsflash: Dan Hawkins is every bit as good a football coach as 'Bama's $4-million man, Nick Saban. Anyone watching that game could see Hawkins certainly didn't take a back seat to his more celebrated rival. Already, Hawkins is a better football coach than guys like Mike Leach or Mike Gundy. He's A LOT better than guys like Bill Callahan or Dennis Franchione. He's even a better football coach than some other guys he lost to this year, like Ron Prince, Gary Pinkel and Mark Mangino.

How long did it take those guys to lift their programs out of the doldrums? How many of them were left with almost nothing to work with, and made a bowl game in their second season? That's right. None. Among Big 12 coaches, Hawkins probably ranks right below Bob Stoops and maybe Mack Brown, but not by a lot. In just year two, Hawkins is already one of the conference's best coaches - a better college football coach, right now - than Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden.

That's because coaching, REAL coaching, involves getting the most out of what you have to work with. While recruiting is the life blood of any college football program, the best football coaches are the guys who take that accumulated talent and IMPROVE it. They take a skinny high school kid and turn him into a collegiate standout. Better yet, they take a roster that lacks in raw talent and create a competitive football team. With the dearth of talent that the Buffaloes had to work with this season, to get his team to a .500 regular-season record - including the amazing win over Oklahoma - proved that Dan Hawkins can do all the things great football coaches need to do. Mangino and Pinkel had big seasons, sure, but it's taken both a very long time to get a team into the national rankings. Even though the Buffaloes lose their best players to graduation after this season, no one is going to bet against Hawkins taking a 2008 team that will still be lacking in pure talent and making them a legit contender to win the Big 12 North.

One of the moments that CU fans should remember most from this season happened early in the year in a loss to Florida State. Running back Hugh Charles, who had been very much a middling type of ball carrier for his entire career to that point, took a handoff and scooted around the right side for a nice gain before going out of bounds. When Charles got to the CU sideline, Hawkins was there to greet him - not with any congratulations for a nice play - but with a major tongue lashing for going out of bounds on his own.

Hawkins wanted the running back to take on the oncoming Seminoles defender and fight for additional yardage. It didn't matter that it might only be a yard or so, it was the attitude, the message that would be sent. We don't run out of bounds. Franco Harris could have never played for Dan Hawkins.

Charles took the message to heart, and went on to have a very solid senior season. The running back owes any chance he gets in pro football to the coach that got him to lift his play to that proverbial 'next level.'

So what's there to worry about now if you're a Buffs fan? How about Hawkins being too good? The fact is, Hawkins will become, sooner rather than later - one of those "hot coaching commodities" that more prominent programs covet. Odds are good that he'll be offered a chance to move up to a bigger and better program within the next couple years. Much like former CU head coach Rick Neuheisel years ago, and more recently key members of the coaching staff, he will very likely have to jump at the opportunity.

For all the boasting some of you do about the glories of Colorado football, the fact remains that CU is not close to being an elite coaching job. It's not even a very good one. By BCS standards, CU is very much a middle of the pack type job. Neuheisel said it best when he left CU to take the job at the University of Washington. He said that he was leaving because Washington was "a have" while CU was "a have not" among college football programs.

ESPN.com recently listed the top ten things that make a coaching job attractive. Among them, "#3, Conference appeal" would be CU's only real strength. In other areas listed, like tradition (No. 2), stability of administration (No. 5), and campus feel (No. 8), CU would rate only average at best. In areas like financial commitment (No. 1), facilities (No. 6), recruiting base (No. 4), admissions flexibility (No. 7), fan sanity (No. 9) and even climate (No. 10), CU gets very low marks. The fact is that CU is a middle of the pack gig at best. If a coach will bolt a top 10 program like West Virginia to move up, Colorado has no chance to keep someone with big time aspirations

Dan Hawkins is destined for bigger and better things. Don't be shocked if by the time QB Cody Hawkins is a senior at CU, he's the only Hawkins residing in Boulder. Such is life in the middle of the pack.

Mark Knudson is a former major-league and Colorado State University pitcher who writes a weekly column for the Coloradoan. He can be reached by fax at 224-7899 or send e-mail to SportsNews@coloradoan.com.
 
I think he should worry more about CSU keeping their new coach after he sees what a mess it is and how hard it is to recruit in-state vs. CU.

It's definitely one of those fears that we all have, but I think Hawk is an honorable guy that views our program as a challenge to bring up to prominence.

Knudsen is just a douchebag
 
Holy lord, that has to be the most idiotic sports article I've read in the past decade, and I've read a LOT of Mark Kizla.

I like that someone who spends most of his waking hours in Fort Collins has the 'tard balls to say that CU's "campus feel" is "average at best". Yeah, it'd be a much more charming campus if we had that cloud of Greeley smell suffocating all of our students once or twice a week :lol::lol::lol:
 
He also fails to note that CU will rise in those categories if they have success.
 
What a moron. Who knows, Hawk probably will be a hot candidate in a few years, but Hawk has goals here and I don't see him leaving for a while. He just likes to bring CU down. I can't wait till the BUffs pound his rams in September.
 
What a dill weed; of course Hawk will go someday. CU is the middle of the pack - middle of the big 12. We know it and we are trying to get better. Nice of him to quote Ricky the Dicky as well - like we all know he has cred when it comes to CU sports. If CU is a "have not" and not a good coaching job he might as well mail his sorry as% to anywhere but Fort Fun as they will be forever below CU in the big football picture; maybe that makes them a "have nothing".
 
For all the boasting some of you do about the glories of Colorado football, the fact remains that CU is not close to being an elite coaching job. It's not even a very good one. By BCS standards, CU is very much a middle of the pack type job.

I guess this guy is still upset at being the red-headed step child to CU, and only having the 3rd best college football tradition in the State of Colorado behind CU and Air Force. On the flip side of this, once Fairchild turns things around in Fort Collins(and I believe he will), he'll go on to greener pastures as well. Sure CU isn't the most glamorous job in the country, or Big 12 for that matter, but CSU is a middle of the pack job at best.... in the MWC. Get a clue dude, seriously.
 
What a dill weed; of course Hawk will go someday. CU is the middle of the pack - middle of the big 12. We know it and we are trying to get better. Nice of him to quote Ricky the Dicky as well - like we all know he has cred when it comes to CU sports. If CU is a "have not" and not a good coaching job he might as well mail his sorry as% to anywhere but Fort Fun as they will be forever below CU in the big football picture; maybe that makes them a "have nothing".

I think you're wrong here, I don't think CU is a middle of the pack job at all (may have been before Hawk and Bohn got here, but not anymore :thumbsup:). We'll likely never be on the same level as the football factory schools (USC, Texas, Florida, Michigan, etc), but simply by virtue of the city that the Buffs play in we'll ALWAYS be one of the most desirable 2nd tier jobs in the country.

For the record, 2nd tier is in no way middle of the pack.

Also, if I remember correctly Neuheisel's comment upon leaving CU was that Colorado "has everything you could possibly want off the field" and Washington "has everything you could want on it". To turn that statement into "Washington is a have, Colorado is a have not" is an abuse of paraphrasing.
 
I think you're wrong here, I don't think CU is a middle of the pack job at all (may have been before Hawk and Bohn got here, but not anymore :thumbsup:). We'll likely never be on the same level as the football factory schools (USC, Texas, Florida, Michigan, etc), but simply by virtue of the city that the Buffs play in we'll ALWAYS be one of the most desirable 2nd tier jobs in the country.

For the record, 2nd tier is in no way middle of the pack.

Also, if I remember correctly Neuheisel's comment upon leaving CU was that Colorado "has everything you could possibly want off the field" and Washington "has everything you could want on it". To turn that statement into "Washington is a have, Colorado is a have not" is an abuse of paraphrasing.

A couple of years ago after Barnett was fired, the Ravens were in town to play the Broncos. Neu was interviewed by 950 the fan I believe, and was asked about the situation at CU. He completely agreed with Barnett that it was a gold mine.
 
Well,another rammie shrill spewing his BS.Knudson is a bitter a$$ who should worry about csu and there program returning to the abyss.They all think scuba steve fairchild is the savior:lol:


I think he's hoping hawk leaves,he knows what's coming.He's bitter about sonny and needs something to distract the attention away from csu's horrible program right now.


I wouldn't mind at all if Knudson,kiszla,Krieger and Henderson find work in another state.
 
If Hawk takes us, or should I say when, he will become a hot commodity, for sure. But you know what? CU will be a hot commodity as well. Hawk may be a guy who looks for a different challenge. Or not. All I care about is that he gets us back to where we should be. After that, it is up to the AD to keep us there. If Hawke becomes a hot commodity, it will because he resurrected the CU program. I'm fine with that. Hell, he may become a Bobby Boweden or Joe Paterno. Who knows? He may also be a Dennis Erikson. But I doubt it.
 
Haha, I love CSU fans. Very comical. If we REALLy want to piss them off let's give them the Nebraska treatment. Say they're NOT a rivalry, even though it it... who's in?

No wait, we will do nothing Nebraska.. Scratch that.
 
What a clown that guy is..Does he really have nothing better to do than bash the Buffs?? His team is in a world of trouble and he should be worrying about that.
 
I think you're wrong here, I don't think CU is a middle of the pack job at all (may have been before Hawk and Bohn got here, but not anymore :thumbsup:). We'll likely never be on the same level as the football factory schools (USC, Texas, Florida, Michigan, etc), but simply by virtue of the city that the Buffs play in we'll ALWAYS be one of the most desirable 2nd tier jobs in the country.

For the record, 2nd tier is in no way middle of the pack.

Also, if I remember correctly Neuheisel's comment upon leaving CU was that Colorado "has everything you could possibly want off the field" and Washington "has everything you could want on it". To turn that statement into "Washington is a have, Colorado is a have not" is an abuse of paraphrasing.
What I meant to say is we finished in the middle of the pack this year - we were 4-4 conference - about in the middle of B12 N. I didn't mean the coaching job is middle of the pack. I don't know enough about all the $$, perks etc involved to decide. Of course I believe Boulder and Colorado are among the best places to live and coach. But others are not influenced by the Colorado location as much as I am - I am a Colorado homer. I would take the CU job over any other caoching job in the country - thankfully the powers that be know I am a football idiot.
 
Hawk is a different kind of guy. He already was a hot commodity during his run at Boise St and had other so called better schools coming to talk to him. He wanted a situation that fit his personality. I know he may not stay forever, but I think he will be here a long time. Like I said, he is a different type of guy who has drums that beat to a very different tune. For now, he is a Buff and I see him being here for quite a long time. Bohn did hit his home run with Hawk! Right guy for the right situation.
 
Hawk has said that money does not drive him. It's of little importance to him. He stays a Buff, mark it down.
 
Knudson should try writing about something he knows about, like baseball maybe. Oh, wait he sucked ass at that too, that 72.00 ERA as a closer in like 2 innings for the Rockies really stands out. He's managed to top that mark with his incredibly ridiculous writing
 
Knudson should try writing about something he knows about, like baseball maybe. Oh, wait he sucked ass at that too, that 72.00 ERA as a closer in like 2 innings for the Rockies really stands out. He's managed to top that mark with his incredibly ridiculous writing
that's worth some rep...
 
I don't think the ND job is as prestigous as it once was. The way they handled the Willingham deal turned off alot of coaches.
 
Hawk may leave someday. So what. IMO he is here for quite a while and CU will rock while he is. Meanwhile Csewe wil be, CSewe. Second tier team in a second tier conference, desperately screaming for someone to notice.
 
I personally thank Knudsen for pointing out the problems with CU. Now Bohn can get to work on resolving them (not that I think he was caught off guard with the Knudsen disclosure).... I think Bohn might be harder to keep around than Hawk, but both will do good work and get the foundation set for the future.

ND should compete for a national championship EVERY YEAR. The year they had this year was pathetic. No excuses.
 
What a moron. Who knows, Hawk probably will be a hot candidate in a few years, but Hawk has goals here and I don't see him leaving for a while. He just likes to bring CU down. I can't wait till the BUffs pound his rams in September.

We already pounded his fuskers in November. That's right, he is a Rammie and a fusker fan. I believe there is one such person on Earth who is not a complete and total douchebag. Knudson is not that person...

I think we may need to unleash HF on Knudson again. Who knows, he may end up with another free subscription to one of Knudson's employers... :smile2:
 
Like it or not Dan Hawkins was a hot property and if he is successful again he will be a hot property once again. That said we should all have it in the back of our minds that Dan Hawkins could, *might* leave us for a USC or a Texas or a Florida State. Don't delude yourselves in thinking he will not ever never ever leave. Don't.
 
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