Crowder on Patton, coaching, future of Hawkins

Not many people have seen more, been involved more or made as big an impact on Colorado football than Eddie Crowder.

He coached the Buffaloes from 1963-73, was the athletic director from 1965-86 and is woven into who CU has been and will be, as new coach Dan Hawkins has sought his and former coach Bill McCartney's wisdom since his hiring.

An All-American at Oklahoma playing quarterback and safety, a part of the Sooners' first national championship team in 1950, and an assistant under Hall-of-Fame coaches Red Blaik at Army and Bud Wilkinson at OU, Crowder has credentials that give him instant credibility in any football discussion.

While coaching at CU, he won 67 games, the second-most in school history behind Fred Folsom until McCartney, whom Crowder hired, surpassed him.

The Black and Gold Breakdown had a chance to talk to Crowder about the basketball and football programs and where those teams are and are headed.

BGB: Some very surprising news this week about Ricardo Patton -- how surprised are you that he announces he's leaving CU at the end of the season, before it even begins?

Crowder: I'm a little surprised at the timing of the announcement. I've observed the innuendos towards the university, around campus and have the impression there is unrest with the basketball program. When you're paying him around $ 700,000 a year, that makes him like the second-highest paid public official in the state.

As an outside observer, I also see playing alto of non-conference games against unranked teams and that led to unrest. All that does is pad your record.

My impression is it was rare during coach Patton's time here that he worked on establishing relationships. The public's response was something doesn't feel right. I think that of all sports, football and basketball are relationship-responsible jobs.

I think that is where coach Hawkins is doing such a great job. The public response has been outstanding.

Coach Patton seems very pleasant but I think there has always been that feeling of unrest.

BGB: You've been a coach and an athletic director -- was Patton justified in wanting an extension, deserving maybe at this time?

Crowder: My opinion, no. Do you take a $ 700, 000 a-year guy who's performance has been marginal and give him an extension? That's not a sound business decision.

What I didn't like was he complained publicly about the support for the program and the attendance. That's the responsibility of the coach to make (basketball) an appealing product. That's blaming the public and the administration for the shortcomings of the coach.

What he's done now is give an indefiniteness to the program. It pollutes the environment surrounding it.

BGB: The basketball program -- many say there isn't enough local talent, the facility the team plays in is nothing special, that the school has too many obstacles and will always be a middle-of-the-road program when competing against KU, Texas, Oklahoma State and others. Is there truth to that or do those theories lack validity?

Crowder: That's hogwash. There is no truth to that. It's a great academic school. A great school. There is no flaw here except maybe in local talent. Here, for example, you might have two or three top prospects in football while elsewhere you might have six to eight.

It's all excuse making. You do whatever it takes.

BGB: The biggest challenges for the next head coach of the basketball program and what have you looked for in men when hiring coaches?

Crowder: You have to find the right kind of person. Attitude is the most underlying and important quality for leadership. You need character. And the number one thing beyond that is a this person has to have great hunger to build a program. You have all that, then victory will be the byproduct.

BGB: How do you determine if an applicant has all those qualities, especially the hunger?

Crowder: You ask people he's coached with. Not against, but coached with. When we hired McCartney, I talked at great length with Bo Schembechler. (Coaches) will tell you the truth. Mac's only shortcoming was his lack of collegiate head coaching experience and that probably delayed success by two or three years. It took him that long to work his way from being a sergeant to a general.

BGB: Coach, some big news all over campus this week regarding football, too. The Buffs get the best player in the state, Columbine's Ryan Miller, to verbal to the school. How important was that for Dan Hawkins to get such a premier local talent to agree to come to Boulder?

Crowder: It's the most important thing that has happened since he and his staff have come here. Colorado has not been good at retaining the best talent in the state in recent years. They've decided to go elsewhere. A fella of his stature (Miller) makes a commitment, what he's done is raise the bar.

BGB: How does a coach, like yourself, like McCartney, like Hawkins, recruit top talents to a program that is struggling?

Crowder: The number one thing you have to do is represent a university that is attractive in all areas. This university has Rhodes Scholars; the academic quality of the university, the geographic location, all has to have appeal.

Coaching is all a matter of building relationships and that's an area where I think Dan Hawkins has done a brilliant job.

BGB: What motivated you this fall to write a letter in support of Dan Hawkins?

Crowder: The letter I wrote, I think that was the only letter that has got published. I did it because this is the first time I've seen someone qualified in all the important areas of leadership, the first time in my 43 years with this university, that I could see such a qualified person.

BGB: Are you surprised at how much the team has struggled with wins and losses?

Crowder: Yeah, I have been.

I think the loss to Montana State led to the loss to Colorado State due to some things outside Hawkins' control but when they lost those two, it put them behind the ball, they lost confidence.

Teams learn to lose and they learn to win and it takes time to build a new state of mind.

BGB: How would you assess the way Hawkins has tried to transform the program in his image and how do you assess the job he's done on the field and overall?

Crowder: I give him a nine on a scale of 1-10.

And I'll tell you why it's a nine and not a 10. Going into a new environment, and having to orchestrate all the subtleties you have to, it would be a miracle to get a 10.

I think the results are showing and we'll see them more and more progressively, with wins in two to three years.

BGB: What are the biggest obstacles or challenges ahead to be a top-20, top-15 program and how long will it take Hawkins to rebuild the program?

Crowder: It depends on what kind of stable of talent is on hand at the start. What this team lacks is playmakers. This team, well, I'll tell you what this team is made up of -- great role players and support players. This team lacks three or four players on offense and defense where one play can win a game.

I don't think this team has one right now. Not one.

BGB: Not one?

Crowder: O.K., maybe one, the placekicker. (Mason) Crosby has won some games.

I used to chart NFL draftees and (college) team victories and over a 10-year period. The last three years, we've had two, zero and two players drafted to play on Sundays. McCartney used to have almost 10 a year. If you don't average seven or eight you're going to have off years.

BGB: Your thoughts on recruiting to Boulder?

Crowder: When I was coaching we did have to make adjustments but every problem has a solution. It's all about attitude. That's what Hawkins brings here.

BGB: In your estimation, what were the strengths of Mac, Rick Neuheisel and Gary Barnett as men, as coaches?

Crowder: With McCartney, his faith was of great importance because it governed all of what he did. It governed with a set of behavioral means that would confine him to doing what was right.

He also had a huge burning desire to get the job done and win.

And all that was appealing to parents. He was a person of faith and unpolluted.

Neuheisel was an enigma -- a fun-loving guy, and that carried over into coaching. They were a fun-loving group and their approach on the field looked slovenly, undisciplined.

The other side of Neuheisel was he coached here for four years and his percentage of victory (66 percent) was no. 1 in the modern era (school history) so that's why I say he's an enigma, so that's why people put up with his frivolity.

Coach Barnett was an enigma, also.

He proved in isolated cases, he has the wherewithal to be a good football coach, and what he did at Northwestern was an accomplishment, but in nine seasons as a coach he only had two winning seasons when he came here.

Hawkins, as a head coach, in 10 years, won the conference title seven times and finished second three times. He won 83 percent of the time (Boise State). Lifetime batting average is a pretty good indicator of success.

BGB: You played quarterback at OU, you know what it takes to play that position and be successful, being an All American. Can you share a scouts-eye-view on Bernard Jackson? How do you evaluate him as a player?

Crowder: The major reason we're seeing such an erratic performance is he didn't play quarterback until this year. They had him playing everywhere else. Playing quarterback is a technically-involved position.

I do have suspicions that coach Hawkins may play two quarterbacks in this game (against Kansas). My guess that this far into season, Hawkins thought Jackson would be a consistent player. I think Hawkins (decision in the newspaper) is forewarning the public that they may interchange them.

BGB: What are your fondest memories as a head coach at Colorado?

Crowder: Enjoyment of coaching guys that were extraordinary.

I saw Bobby Anderson and Cliff Branch lately and I'll say the satisfaction of seeing great young talent hone itself into patterns that has contributed to ongoing success in their life.

BGB: How does Eddie Crowder fill his time these days -- what are his passions?

Crowder: I find myself being very committed in many things. I have time to be reflective and devote time to what appeals to me. We are also people of faith, too.

BGB: What is your feeling about the question of the bowl games, the BCS and a playoff system for the college game like we have for college basketball?

Crowder: I think there must be a playoff. Coaches are not as objective as they should be (in their poll) and the computer poll people are not football people. The BCS, when it works, like last year, it's fine but there has been real controversy.

I think, eventually, it has got to happen, it's just a matter of time.