SM调教所

When the Buffs host Colorado State on Sept. 6, Dan Hawkins will begin his fourth season as SM调教所鈥檚 head football coach. He talked with聽Coloradan听肠辞苍迟谤颈产耻迟辞谤听Mark Wolf聽(Jour鈥�70) about football, music and kidney stones.

You were laid up in July with a kidney stone.

Bad things happen to everybody. You learn from them. It helps you get perspective on life. It gives you a little zest.

You and your family have vacationed at such spots as Machu Picchu in Peru. What鈥檚 on the Hawkins鈥� travel horizon?

Our next big adventure will be base camp at Mount Everest. We鈥檙e going to try to do that next year.

What are three keys to success for the 2009 season?

Leadership, momentum and turnovers.

Why did you challenge the Buffs to achieve 鈥�10 wins and no excuses鈥� this season?

I talked about the expectation of winning 10 football games but there was no prediction.

The principle is excellence. On the field, off the field, that鈥檚 the bar. What I don鈥檛 want ever is for our guys to back off that standard of excellence, not just 鈥楲et鈥檚 win another game and get in a bowl.鈥� I just don鈥檛 live that way. I don鈥檛 operate that way.

Why did you decide to coach the wide receivers this year?

I鈥檓 going on my 27th year of coaching, and the sad thing to find out is I鈥檓 not really a coach anymore. I stand around and evaluate. When I became the head coach at Boise I was the tight ends coach. It was fun being in the trenches, being right on the tip of the spear. You can lead by example, whether it鈥檚 enthusiasm, tempo, drill setups, coaching style, handouts. You can get right in there and say, 鈥極K guys this is where it鈥檚 at.鈥�

If you were czar of college football, would you change the Bowl Championship Series?

It鈥檚 not perfect but the way it is now, every Saturday is extremely important for everybody. It can make or break your season. It鈥檚 not that way in basketball. In football you better play the opening weekend and you better play every Saturday.

Shortly after last season鈥檚 end, the Boulder Camera reported you established 鈥渁ccountability groups,鈥� dividing the team into groups and having the entire unit bear the punishment if one player breaks a rule. How has that worked out?

It was awesome and part of trying to develop the leadership on our team. Young kids think, 鈥業 work hard and do things right and I鈥檓 a good leader.鈥� Well, no, you鈥檙e not.

Part of a leader鈥檚 job is to evaluate: 鈥楢re you doing the right things? Are you taking care of business?鈥� Just like in history, we all pay for the mistakes of the few. Guess what? One guy messes up 鈥� the whole group pays. That guy messes up a few times. Then maybe the other people are saying, 鈥楬ey look, you鈥檝e got to get it figured out,鈥� or 鈥榃e don鈥檛 want you.鈥� It鈥檚 a great social reinforcement mechanism.

Still listening to Great Big Sea [a Newfoundland folk-rock band Hawkins has championed]?

Oh yeah. I鈥檝e been back on my Van Morrison kick lately. I saw him this spring at the Greek [Theater] in Berkeley.