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Apr 18, 2008 6:50 am US/Mountain
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CU Coach Ready To Tackle New Season
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) ―
University of Colorado head football coach Dan Hawkins brings his own brand of toughness, straight talk, warmth, and competition to the team. CBS4's Brooke Wagner sat down with Hawkins in advance of the Buffs' spring game.
New NCAA rules will change how his spring plays out, those rules prohibit him from recruiting off-campus and text-messaging recruits.
"That will not be fun. I'll have to do some of that by phone and obviously our assistants do a great job and I'll just spend some time tooling around Colorado," Hawkins said.
That "tooling around" will include an RV trip around Colorado. Hawkins plans to meet with fans and boosters across the state, and he likely will be joined by university top brass.
"I'm just one of the minions here. Just throw 'em in and let's roll!" Hawkins said.
The coaching staff did recently pull off a major coup by recruiting highly-rated running back Darrell Scott. Hawkins says family appeal was part of that success, as well as his coaching style.
"I'm just trying to develop the relationships with the guys on our team to an even deeper level than we've been before. I really believe everyone's capable of great things...and we're trying to raise the bar across the bar. I coach them all like they're my own kid. I love them. I hug them. At the same time, I'm not afraid to discipline them, because I think that's part of it."
That includes Hawk's son, Cody Hawkins, the team's starting quarterback.
"If Joel Klatt would have been here as a junior, hey, we're good to go. But I think it was an opportunity for him to play and play earlier and we sort of needed him," said Hawkins.
Coach Hawkins says he's never believed in pushing any of his four kids into athletics.
"What I've always wanted them to do is be who they are. My wife is awesome in this whole area, really trying to keep them grounded. I never really pushed on them about sports. I wanted them to do what they wanted to do."
Hawkins also doesn't believe in following media coverage of the Buffs or their coach.
"What I try to do is keep my feet on the ground and not be swayed by public opinion one way or another. Half the people think you're a genius, half of the people think you're an idiot. Neither one of them is right," said Hawkins.
Fans recognize the coach frequently in public. Hawkins says he knows that's all part of the job, but he still finds the experience odd.
"I just came from a very humble background, so it's hard for me to imagine that someone would go 'look, look, look! There's Dan Hawkins! Because, I'm a guy who has bad hair some days and bad breath and got a stain on my shirt. I don't look at myself like that. The other side of that is, for whatever reason, God puts us in a position sometimes, and I do understand the impact I can have and take the responsibility very seriously," Hawkins said.
The spring game is April 19, and Hawkins has challenged fans to fill Folsom with 50,000 Buffs fans.
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