After last week's 4th quarter implosion and loss to Arizona State, the Colorado Buffaloes made the walk of shame back to Boulder knowing their season of high promise had denigrated to a season based on delusions of grandeur.
Chatter on the fan boards ground to a halt this week, as fans (including this writer) sought out new ways to spend their Saturdays. Ways that involve more enjoyment and less disappointment than way too many of the Saturdays of the 2017 season in Boulder.
Tomorrow's game against USC represents the last home game of the year for the Buffaloes, and the last home game ever for the seniors on the roster. Final thoughts on some of these young men:
Michael Adkins - RB
The heart goes out for Adkins. From early on in his career, he has showed flashes of brilliance. Unfortunately, the injury bug was a persistent hindrance that kept the young man from ever really reaching his potential on the gridiron.
Bryce Bobo - WR
Bobo's nickname should be "Amazing!" No Buff fan will ever forget his unforgettable one handed catch against Oregon in the 2016 season. The young man's big hands made spectacular catches seem easy during his time in Boulder. Sadly, Colorado's woes during his stay have kept Bryce largely out of the national spotlight. Fortunately for Bobo, his skill set should play well at the next level.
Shay Fields - WR
Shay earned the nickname "Big Play Shay" due to his speed and ability to get in the open from early in his Colorado career. Even when the Buffaloes were struggling during his tenure, Fields could be counted on for a number of big yardage plays every season. He also struggled at times, making fans wonder if there were some unreported physical issues hindering his play.
George Frazier - TE/DT
Frazier is one of those guys who make us older fans yearn for the olden days. He's a guy who gives his all every play he's on the field, and also a guy who plays both offense and defense. If that seems strange, it's because only a handful of FBS players play both sides of the ball in the specialized world of college football.
Jeromy Irwin - OL
Irwin has been in Boulder for longer than the typical college football player. Sadly, that extended stay was due to several severe injuries that kept him off the field despite his tenacity and talent.
The final three players listed have a special place in the writer's heart.
Derek McCartney - OLB
Anyone with any sense of history knows that Derek is the grandson of the greatest coach in Colorado history, Bill McCartney. He grew up with football in his blood. His NFL father Shannon Clavelle was an all-time great at CU. But as good as his football bloodlines are, Derek is a world class student as well. He finished his pre-med degree in three years and will earn his masters degree next month. Barring a stint in the NFL, Derek will soon take his prodigious intellectual talents to medical school.
Ryan Moeller - DB
Most people have never heard of Rifle, Colorado. That is the small town where Ryan Moeller grew up and became a Colorado high school football legend. Ryan's senior year in high school was what most players would call a career. He rushed for more than 3,000 yards and scored 50 touchdowns in one year. Really.
Despite those gaudy stats, Moeller had to walk on at Colorado instead of being given a scholarship. Back in the days when we could still watch practice, Moeller stood out to the serious football followers. Soon enough, the young man from Rifle had earned a place on the field and also earned a scholarship. Watching the young man go down to injury against Arizona State was one of the lowest points of a disappointing season. Like the last player on this list, Ryan Moeller gave his all every play during his time at Colorado. His influence will be missed.
Phillip Lindsay - RB
Lindsay was such a force of nature during practice for Colorado that he quickly earned the nickname "The Tasmanian Devil" for his intensity. Not everyone remember the roots. Phillip grew up and Colorado Buffaloes fan and surprised many when he committed to Colorado following the disastrous 1-11 season in 2012. He proclaimed that he intended to help Colorado return to winning ways.
Even during his redshirt year, Lindsay stood out and was selected scout player of the year by the Colorado coaches. Over the next four years he became one of the best to ever line up at tailback in Colorado. He is the first running back to ever run for back to back 1,000 yard seasons at CU. Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam didn't do it. And all-time leading rusher Eric Bieniemy didn't do it either. Only Lindsay can make that claim.
Sadly, Lindsay will likely fall short of the all-time rushing record. He's close, but it's a tougher row to hoe than some of his predecessors. Both Salaam and Bieniemy had a stable of future NFL offensive linemen leading their way. Lindsay never had that luxury. His yards were earned the hard way.
More important even than the numbers, however, was the leadership that Lindsay gave the team. He gave his heart and soul every play and every practice, and also on the sideline. A great coach in Colorado's past once talked about they type of player that Lindsay represents. He said those types of players were the key. Give him 20 of those guys and he could beat anyone.
I will be on hand to give these guys my final salute tomorrow. I hope that both the serious and casual fan of Colorado football will appreciate the sacrifice and dedication these young men gave to dear old CU.
Showing posts with label Rashaan Salaam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rashaan Salaam. Show all posts
Friday, November 10, 2017
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Rest In Peace Rashaan Salaam 1974-2016
- Rashaan Salaam -- October 8, 1974 - December 5, 2016
- 1994 Heisman Trophy Winner & Consensus All-American
- 4th Player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season
- Rushed for 3,057 yards on 486 carries for his Colorado career (6.29 yards per carry)
- 1st Round NFL draft pick (1995)
- NFC Rookie of the Year (Chicago Bears)
- Youngest player in NFL history to rush for 1000 yards in a season
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
When Yin Meets Yang: Lindgren and Chiaverini Form A Perfect Offensive Union for the Colorado Buffaloes
Brian Lindgren
The offensive coordinator at the University of Colorado since arriving with head coach Mike MacIntyre from San Jose State before the 2013 season. Although his planning and play-calling have led to numerous records for Buffs QB Sefo Liufau, Colorado's Pac-12 won-loss record from his arrival to this year was a paltry 2-25.
Darrin Chiaverini
Played his college football at the University of Colorado from 1995-98 as a wide receiver before playing professionally for 7 years (NFL and AFL). He has been working his way up the ladder as a college coach since he retired as a player. He has been involved in spectacular turnaround projects numerous times with both offensive and special teams. Prior to this year, his last stop was at Texas Tech, where he coached special teams and outside wide receivers. He was hired as Co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Colorado following 2015 season.
Many speculated that the pairing of Lindgren and Chiaverini would not work out. Some opined that Lindgren would not react well to being "demoted" to sharing the coordinator position, and others felt that the personality types were too disparate to effectively lead together. Lindgren is known as a quiet and cerebral type of individual while Chiaverini is known for his fire and passion and toughness, along with his ability to fire up his team. Many wondered about how well they would work together.
It turns out that Lindgren and Chiaverini have formed a perfect example of Yin and Yang, and the combination has led to Colorado's offensive production this year being their highest ever. If this year's Buffs continue to rack up yards at the same pace for the rest of the season, they will break the record set by Bill McCartney's last team in 1994. That team featured Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam and Kordell Stewart and a total of NINE players which were drafted into the NFL the following spring.
Through five games, this team has averaged 531.2 yards per game. That's more than 134 yards per game more than last year, and almost 36 yards per game more than the record setting 1994 squad.
But more importantly than just total yards, the Buffs have been rushing the ball far better in 2016. Their average of 218.6 yards per game is the highest since 2002, when Chris Brown and Bobby Purify helped the Buffs average 251.2 yards per game on the ground.
The improved ground attack has been helped along by a more more dangerous air game for the Buffs. This year Colorado has been averaging 14.6 yards per reception, which is the highest since Koy Detmer led the 1996 Buffs to 15.1 yards per completion.
This year, behind Sefo Liufau and Steven Montez, Colorado has averaged 9.77 yards per attempted pass. Last year, the Buffs averaged only 6.71 YPA. You have to go all the way back to the undefeated 1989 regular season to find a Buffs team that averaged more YPA on their passes. That year, Darian Hagan averaged an unworldly 11.8 YPA and almost 21 yards per completion.
What's the moral of this story? Sometimes Yin and Yang combine to form a perfect union. From two conference wins in three years to 2-0 so far this year and first place in the Pac-12 South.
The offensive coordinator at the University of Colorado since arriving with head coach Mike MacIntyre from San Jose State before the 2013 season. Although his planning and play-calling have led to numerous records for Buffs QB Sefo Liufau, Colorado's Pac-12 won-loss record from his arrival to this year was a paltry 2-25.
Darrin Chiaverini
Played his college football at the University of Colorado from 1995-98 as a wide receiver before playing professionally for 7 years (NFL and AFL). He has been working his way up the ladder as a college coach since he retired as a player. He has been involved in spectacular turnaround projects numerous times with both offensive and special teams. Prior to this year, his last stop was at Texas Tech, where he coached special teams and outside wide receivers. He was hired as Co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Colorado following 2015 season.
Many speculated that the pairing of Lindgren and Chiaverini would not work out. Some opined that Lindgren would not react well to being "demoted" to sharing the coordinator position, and others felt that the personality types were too disparate to effectively lead together. Lindgren is known as a quiet and cerebral type of individual while Chiaverini is known for his fire and passion and toughness, along with his ability to fire up his team. Many wondered about how well they would work together.
It turns out that Lindgren and Chiaverini have formed a perfect example of Yin and Yang, and the combination has led to Colorado's offensive production this year being their highest ever. If this year's Buffs continue to rack up yards at the same pace for the rest of the season, they will break the record set by Bill McCartney's last team in 1994. That team featured Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam and Kordell Stewart and a total of NINE players which were drafted into the NFL the following spring.
Through five games, this team has averaged 531.2 yards per game. That's more than 134 yards per game more than last year, and almost 36 yards per game more than the record setting 1994 squad.
But more importantly than just total yards, the Buffs have been rushing the ball far better in 2016. Their average of 218.6 yards per game is the highest since 2002, when Chris Brown and Bobby Purify helped the Buffs average 251.2 yards per game on the ground.
The improved ground attack has been helped along by a more more dangerous air game for the Buffs. This year Colorado has been averaging 14.6 yards per reception, which is the highest since Koy Detmer led the 1996 Buffs to 15.1 yards per completion.
This year, behind Sefo Liufau and Steven Montez, Colorado has averaged 9.77 yards per attempted pass. Last year, the Buffs averaged only 6.71 YPA. You have to go all the way back to the undefeated 1989 regular season to find a Buffs team that averaged more YPA on their passes. That year, Darian Hagan averaged an unworldly 11.8 YPA and almost 21 yards per completion.
What's the moral of this story? Sometimes Yin and Yang combine to form a perfect union. From two conference wins in three years to 2-0 so far this year and first place in the Pac-12 South.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
It Was 20 Years Ago Today! The Miracle at Michigan
It was twenty years ago today
Kordell Stewart made a magic play
He threw the ball a football mile
And Westbrook caught the ball with style
Blake Anderson tipped the ball up high
Then Michigan fans began to cry
And Keith Jackson screamed out "Incredible!"
Twenty years later and the play still lives on as one of the greatest game ending Hail-Mary passes in the history of college football. Click the video to relive how Keith Jackson called the play at Michigan's Big House in front of more than 100,000 screaming fans.
It was also one of the greatest comebacks ever for top 10 teams playing one another. Colorado had trailed 26-14 with less than three minutes to play. The Buffs scored a touchdown to pull to within six points with 2:30 remaining. They opted not to go for an onside kick but instead chose to play defense.
Michigan failed to gain a first down and had to punt the ball back to the Buffs. They began the drive at their own 15. On first down Stewart completed a 21 yard pass to Westbrook. With only six seconds left in the game, the Buffaloes had only one choice, the Hail-Mary.
Usually these kind of last ditch passes only work within 50 yards. Stewart had a big arm, for sure, but no one on the the Michigan sideline or the stands thought he could throw the ball 70 yards. In fact, he threw the ball 73 yards to the goal line, where it was tipped by Blake Anderson and pulled down by Michael Westbrook.
The play was well covered, with Michigan All-American Ty Law wrapped around Westbrook's legs. The Colorado receiver's hands were free, though, and they grabbed the ball for the touchdown and the win.
It was one of the greatest wins in Colorado history, and the play continues to hold a place of honor in the pantheons of college football.
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Apologies to John Lennon and Paul McCartney for the mangling of the lyrics to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Enjoy the video below.
Monday, August 25, 2014
It's Time for Colorado Buff Fans to Get Over Paul Richardson
With less than four days before the start of the 2014 Colorado Football season, some Buff fans are doing some serious hand-wringing and fretting over the fact that Paul Richardson has moved on to the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. They need to stop worrying.
The 2014 CU Buffs will be a better TEAM without Richardson.
While reading the stories and blogs (and their comments) about CU football, a common theme is that the Buffs will be unable to overcome the loss of Paul Richardson. Many of the comments by younger folks than myself give the impression that they think that Paul Richardson was the best player ever to don the Black and Gold. These people need to listen to their elders when we tell them that is not the case. In reality...
Richardson was the best player on some of the worst Colorado teams ever.
Colorado's record while he was in Boulder was 13 wins and 36 losses, and many of those were some of the worst losses in CU history. Although Paul stood out as a shining light in some very dark times for Colorado football, the fact remains that he was not enough of an impact player to make CU a winning team.
His stats from 2013 were impressive:
Compare Richardson's season with that of Mike Pritchard in 1990.
His stats from CU's National Championship team were amazing:
The moral of the story is that Pritchard was a great player on a great team.
A winning team is not made by lots of passes to just one guy.
In addition to the National Champion team in 1990, every Buff fans should know about the 1989 and 1994 teams.
The '89 team went undefeated in the regular season and lost in the Orange Bowl as the #1 team. That 1989 team threw a grand total of only 102 passes the entire year. But they had 4 receivers who averaged more than 24 yards per catch. They also rushed for 4,090 yards as a team.
The 1994 team may have been the most talented in Colorado history.
Quarterback Kordell Stewart threw for 2071 yards and rushed for 639. His top 5 receivers that year were:
(Those numbers do not reflect the bowl game -- Salaam rushed for 3 touchdowns, while Stewart took the Offensive MVP with 205 yards passing and 143 rushing.)
The team blew one game to arch-rival Nebraska to be denied the National Championship game. I watched from the stands as they destroyed Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl 41-24 to finish the season ranked #3.
The 2013 Buffs threw lots of passes. They had to. The were one of the worst teams in the country at rushing the ball.
Last year, the Buffs threw four times as many passes as the 1989 team that played for the National Championship.
They threw twice as many as the team that won the National title in 1990.
They threw 155 more passes than the 1994 team.
The 2014 Buffs must be able to run the ball and control the field.
Last year, the Buffs were the worst in the Pac-12 at getting into the red-zone and also into the end zone for touchdowns on their way to a four win season.
This year, if they want to be competitive in the best conference in the country, they need to change that. They need to compete in the trenches. If they continue to get manhandled on the lines, a great talent like Paul Richardson cannot make them a winning team.
Football is a TEAM sport, and great numbers for one guy don't mean squat.
The 2014 CU Buffs will be a better TEAM without Richardson.
While reading the stories and blogs (and their comments) about CU football, a common theme is that the Buffs will be unable to overcome the loss of Paul Richardson. Many of the comments by younger folks than myself give the impression that they think that Paul Richardson was the best player ever to don the Black and Gold. These people need to listen to their elders when we tell them that is not the case. In reality...
Richardson was the best player on some of the worst Colorado teams ever.
Colorado's record while he was in Boulder was 13 wins and 36 losses, and many of those were some of the worst losses in CU history. Although Paul stood out as a shining light in some very dark times for Colorado football, the fact remains that he was not enough of an impact player to make CU a winning team.
His stats from 2013 were impressive:
- 83 catches for 1,343 yards.
- 1 rush for 7 yards.
- 10 touchdowns.
- Total all purpose yards -- 1,350 on 84 touches.
- An average just over 16 yards every time he touched the ball.
Compare Richardson's season with that of Mike Pritchard in 1990.
His stats from CU's National Championship team were amazing:
- 28 catches for 733 yards.
- 29 rushes for 450 yards.
- 16 kickoff returns for 331 yards.
- 11 touchdowns.
- Total all purpose yards -- 1,514 yards on 73 touches.
- More than 20.7 yards every time he touched the ball.
The moral of the story is that Pritchard was a great player on a great team.
A winning team is not made by lots of passes to just one guy.
In addition to the National Champion team in 1990, every Buff fans should know about the 1989 and 1994 teams.
The '89 team went undefeated in the regular season and lost in the Orange Bowl as the #1 team. That 1989 team threw a grand total of only 102 passes the entire year. But they had 4 receivers who averaged more than 24 yards per catch. They also rushed for 4,090 yards as a team.
The 1994 team may have been the most talented in Colorado history.
Quarterback Kordell Stewart threw for 2071 yards and rushed for 639. His top 5 receivers that year were:
- Michael Westbrook -- 36 catches for 689 yards.
- Christian Fauria -- 35 catches for 356 yards.
- Rashaan Salaam -- 24 catches for 294 yards.
- Phil Savoy -- 17 catches for 283 yards.
- Rae Carruth -- 14 catches for 255 yards.
(Those numbers do not reflect the bowl game -- Salaam rushed for 3 touchdowns, while Stewart took the Offensive MVP with 205 yards passing and 143 rushing.)
The team blew one game to arch-rival Nebraska to be denied the National Championship game. I watched from the stands as they destroyed Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl 41-24 to finish the season ranked #3.
The 2013 Buffs threw lots of passes. They had to. The were one of the worst teams in the country at rushing the ball.
Last year, the Buffs threw four times as many passes as the 1989 team that played for the National Championship.
They threw twice as many as the team that won the National title in 1990.
They threw 155 more passes than the 1994 team.
The 2014 Buffs must be able to run the ball and control the field.
Last year, the Buffs were the worst in the Pac-12 at getting into the red-zone and also into the end zone for touchdowns on their way to a four win season.
This year, if they want to be competitive in the best conference in the country, they need to change that. They need to compete in the trenches. If they continue to get manhandled on the lines, a great talent like Paul Richardson cannot make them a winning team.
Football is a TEAM sport, and great numbers for one guy don't mean squat.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Colorado Quarteback Sefo Liufau's Fine Ability to Convert on 3rd Downs A Key to the Buffs' Second Half
If 3rd down conversions are the key to an offense's ability to hold onto the ball and keep opposing teams from getting their hands on the pigskin, then Mike MacIntyre's decision to promote Sefo Liufau to starting quarterback may very well be one of the best decisions he has made this year.
If one goes back and looks at the stats to the two games against Oregon State and Oregon, one sees that the Buffs converted only 2 of 15 third downs against the Beavers in Corvallis and converted 0 of 15 against the Ducks. Before Sefo Liufau entered the game in Tempe against Arizona State, the Buffs were 0 for 3 against the Sun Devils. That means that before Liufau entered the game, the CU Buffs had converted only 2 of their prior 33 third downs. It doesn't take a PhD in statistics to know that those kinds of numbers would make it difficult for any team to win.
How did Sefo do when thrust into the spotlight when his team was already trailing by 25 points? All things considered, he did marvellous. Liufau consistently led Colorado down the field. He did throw two interceptions and fumbled a snap, leading to more scores by the ASU, but he was extremely efficient at converting 3rd downs into first downs or better.
How good was he at converting? Seven of 10 (70%) of CU's third down tries with Liufau at the helm ended with either a first down or a touchdown. That not only kept the Sun Devil offense off the field, but also managed to give the Buff defense a rest. Rest for the defense has been in short supply since kickoff at Oregon State.
If Colorado and Liufau can drastically cut turnovers and continue to convert 3rd downs at a high rate, the Buffs could literally turn their season around on a dime.
The 1989 Buffs ended the regular season undefeated and played for the national championship against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. That team dominated almost every team they played that year. For the season, that great team converted 53.9% of their 3rd downs. The 1990 team which won the national championship (also against ND) converted 48.9% of their 3rd downs. The 1994 team which featured Heisman Trophy Winner Rashaan Salaam and a plethora of NFL draft picks converted 43.8% of their 3rd downs.
Make no mistake, the ability to hold onto the ball when facing 3rd down is an extremely important statistic. In the first two games of this year, Colorado converted 40% of their 3rd downs and won both games. In the games where the rate of conversion dropped into the single digits, the Buffs were blown out.
The game against undefeated Charleston Southern this week will give Liufau the chance to lead the Buffs from the opening kick. If they convert at over 50% on third down (and win the turnover battle) the team will walk off Folsom Field with a huge win.
The Buff defense under Kent Baer has been much maligned the last three weeks, but it must be remembered that the Colorado offense did nothing with any consistency during that same time. There were a few big plays, of course, but the Buffs failed miserably to hold onto the ball for any length of time. If Sefo Liufau can help the CU offense control the ball and the clock in the upcoming games, the Colorado defense will almost magically get much better.
Football is a game that is fueled by emotion. Nothing fires up the defense like watching from the sideline as their teammates on offense control the ball and the clock and drive for a touchdown. On the other hand, nothing does more to dishearten a defense than watching their offense go three and out over and over again. Or turning over the ball.
If Colorado can turn those two things around and do it on a weekly basis, they will immediately become competitive once again for the first time in many years.
If one goes back and looks at the stats to the two games against Oregon State and Oregon, one sees that the Buffs converted only 2 of 15 third downs against the Beavers in Corvallis and converted 0 of 15 against the Ducks. Before Sefo Liufau entered the game in Tempe against Arizona State, the Buffs were 0 for 3 against the Sun Devils. That means that before Liufau entered the game, the CU Buffs had converted only 2 of their prior 33 third downs. It doesn't take a PhD in statistics to know that those kinds of numbers would make it difficult for any team to win.
How did Sefo do when thrust into the spotlight when his team was already trailing by 25 points? All things considered, he did marvellous. Liufau consistently led Colorado down the field. He did throw two interceptions and fumbled a snap, leading to more scores by the ASU, but he was extremely efficient at converting 3rd downs into first downs or better.
How good was he at converting? Seven of 10 (70%) of CU's third down tries with Liufau at the helm ended with either a first down or a touchdown. That not only kept the Sun Devil offense off the field, but also managed to give the Buff defense a rest. Rest for the defense has been in short supply since kickoff at Oregon State.
If Colorado and Liufau can drastically cut turnovers and continue to convert 3rd downs at a high rate, the Buffs could literally turn their season around on a dime.
The 1989 Buffs ended the regular season undefeated and played for the national championship against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. That team dominated almost every team they played that year. For the season, that great team converted 53.9% of their 3rd downs. The 1990 team which won the national championship (also against ND) converted 48.9% of their 3rd downs. The 1994 team which featured Heisman Trophy Winner Rashaan Salaam and a plethora of NFL draft picks converted 43.8% of their 3rd downs.
Make no mistake, the ability to hold onto the ball when facing 3rd down is an extremely important statistic. In the first two games of this year, Colorado converted 40% of their 3rd downs and won both games. In the games where the rate of conversion dropped into the single digits, the Buffs were blown out.
The game against undefeated Charleston Southern this week will give Liufau the chance to lead the Buffs from the opening kick. If they convert at over 50% on third down (and win the turnover battle) the team will walk off Folsom Field with a huge win.
The Buff defense under Kent Baer has been much maligned the last three weeks, but it must be remembered that the Colorado offense did nothing with any consistency during that same time. There were a few big plays, of course, but the Buffs failed miserably to hold onto the ball for any length of time. If Sefo Liufau can help the CU offense control the ball and the clock in the upcoming games, the Colorado defense will almost magically get much better.
Football is a game that is fueled by emotion. Nothing fires up the defense like watching from the sideline as their teammates on offense control the ball and the clock and drive for a touchdown. On the other hand, nothing does more to dishearten a defense than watching their offense go three and out over and over again. Or turning over the ball.
If Colorado can turn those two things around and do it on a weekly basis, they will immediately become competitive once again for the first time in many years.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Colorado Buffaloes 2013 Opinion: Please Spare us the Musings of Slick Rick Neuheisel
The University of Colorado Buffaloes continued fall camp on Thursday and played host to the Pac-12 Network and their resident weasel "Slick Rick" Neuheisel. As a horrible past head football coach to no less than 25% of the teams in the new Pac-12, the weasely-one now returns as an "analyst" and "media celebrity." This apparently impressed the local media enough to have a plethora of articles written about whatever drivel leached out of his lips about the state of CU football, the University of Colorado, and Boulder.
It is truly an indictment of the local media that they chose to waste space that should have been allocated to Mike MacIntyre's Buffaloes by instead writing about the musings of a man who has been disgraced, fired, and frequently accused of being a liar and lawyer. I digress, of course, and must admit that calling anyone a liar and a lawyer would be redundant. But hey, after all, this is 2013 and fame is more important than anything, especially honesty and integrity.
Unfortunately for NewWeasel and the local media, some of us have been around long enough to remember the first go-round. I worked at the Daily Camera Newspaper when the boy wonder first made his way into Boulder in 1994 to work with the great Bill McCartney.
Mac had won one National Championship during his tenure coaching in Boulder, but more importantly, had come within two bad games of winning two more championships (the NC game against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl following the 1989 season, and the 1994 game against Nebraska in Lincoln). If you had been there to see those games and those seasons, then you know what I am talking about.
McCartney shocked everyone by announcing his retirement following the game in which Rashaan Salaam wrapped up his Heisman Trophy by going over 2000 yards in a season during the season ending game with Iowa State. The 1994 team was so good that NINE Buffs were selected in the NFL Draft the following April, including SEVEN in the first three rounds.
Colorado surprised a great many people by choosing a very young Neuheisel over more experienced coaches with at least coordinator experience to become the next head coach of the Buffs for the 1995 season. I have to admit that I was excited that CU was showing rare foresight (or so I thought then) by hiring a guy who was nearly the same age I was. Judith Albino was wrong to hire Ricky Boy then, and I was wrong in thinking that a guy smart enough to get through law school and pass the bar had the dedication to be a great head coach.
As an aside, I realize that the Wikipedia page dedicated to Rick Neuheisel says he was the Offensive Coordinator for the Buffs in 1994, but that is wrong. The OC during Mac's final year was Elliot Uzelac.
Neuheisel inherited a perennial top-5 team built by Mac, and then got way too much credit when the Buffs won 10 games each of his first two seasons. In hindsight, the Buffs would have won 10 games in '95 and '96 no matter who was the coach because of the depth of the program built by McCartney. Once the program was in the hands of players developed by Neuheisel's staff, however, the wheels started to come off the program.
It was bad enough that the Buffs went from their typical 10 wins in a season to only 5 in 1997, more embarrassing still was that CU had to later forfeit their wins because they used an ineligible player. Also came revelations that there were recruiting improprieties from the very top (the big dog, or, in this case, the big weasel). Those things alone had me and other serious Buff fans calling for Ricky's job.
What really pissed me off about the articles written by the local media is that they really don't know anything about the people they are writing about. Several mentioned their incorrect belief that Buff fans were angry with Neuheisel for leaving CU to go to Washington. Nothing could be further from the truth. I became chat room friends with several people at UW fansites during that time. In a much more civilized era of college sporting discussions, I explained my misgivings about Neuheisel.
Several years later, after the general consensus that Neuheisel had embarrassed their school as well, they thanked me for trying to warn them. Years later, we marveled at the warped mentality that led UCLA to hire a man who had twice run afoul of the NCAA, leading to sanctions of his teams, and then successfully sued the NCAA and Washington for doing their own jobs poorly.
One would think that nowadays that any hiring Rick analysis would come with a comprehensive risk analysis. That is, considering his high pay, profile, and position, what does he offer as a benefit compared to potential risks to the prestige and financial health and wellbeing of the program?
All said, like most lawyers, you have to take anything Rick says with a grain of salt. Better yet, in the case of Neuheisel, you should probably add the wedge of lime and shot of tequila to make anything he says palatable. I am sure the local media, in their obsequious desire to pay homage to fame and/or infamy, believe they are entitled to share the opinions of such a man “who is like any other man, only more so.” (Casablanca). I think I share the opinions of many long time Buff fans who have the image of Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men come to mind when we say we “don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.”
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