Out of the Tunnel

The Dan Hawkins' tenure has begun. The games haven't.

They will.

Soon.

Montana State is a game that may not excite those outside of BuffCity, but to the legions of devoted followers of the program, it is big...as in HIGHLY ANTICIPATED.

Yes, the beginning of any new season gets the blood pumping on a fall day but it's also because hope springs eternal with the arrival of Hawkins, his sparkling resume, high-scoring offense, and masterful salesmanship of himself and the program.

The man gets it.

He combines the charm of the great Bobby Bowden of Florida State, & notorious recruiter and coach of the national champion Texas Longhorns, Mack Brown, the energy and charisma of USC's Pete Carroll, and Buff fans hope, the recruiting and coaching prowess of a program builder and future star amongst the coaching ranks, ala Bob Stoops of Oklahoma or former LSU head man and current Miami Dolphins leader, Nick Saban.

Fans want to believe in the worst way, and will buy into anything, drink any Kool Aid, to do so, but Hawkins also appears to have the goods, as his record in coaching shows significantly more successes than failures.

One other strength Hawkins impresses with is what former coach Bill McCartney described as "humilty." Hawkins doesn't claim to know all or remind you he knows all. In fact, he has reconnected the past with McCartney, the most successful coach in school history, and Eddie Crowder, who's service and commitment to the school makes him synonomous with CU football.

Only time will tell with athletic director Mike Bohn's hire. That's obvious. But the money here is on the new coach, with his energy, passion, people skills, and strategic accumen, becoming a success in a conference loaded with tradition, top resources, and much more talent.

It won't come overnight as many envision and dream of, but it will likely come.


TheTruth