Greeley – At the University of Northern Colorado, the eras just keep flying by.
Last year marked the end of the Vincent Jackson era. He’s now in San Diego, attempting to become the next great Chargers receiver.
Those NCAA Division II national championships won in 1996 and 1997? Ancient history.
This year, the Bears will put an end to the Great West Conference era, a convenient two-year boost to Division I-AA status. And next year UNC officially moves into the big-time, joining the Big Sky Conference, one of the top I-AA leagues in the country.
How does Kay Dalton, the old coach, do it?
How does that 73-year-old body continue to hold up on all those artificial joints? Heck, how does he even make it through the first two-a-day practice session with only that wide- brimmed plantation hat protecting him from the sun?
“Well, don’t believe what you’re looking at because, boy, it’s rough,” Dalton said. “But you know, I’ve just never really wanted to leave because I keep thinking, ‘Well, I’m an older person, I’m not going anywhere, ain’t nobody knows more football than I do, and I can handle all these growing problems.’
“But I’ll tell you what, there’s more problems than I thought they could come up with. And I mean not only financial problems, but academic problems, logistics problems and all kinds of stuff.”
The move to the Big Sky figures to ease a lot of those problems, with a set schedule and teams UNC fans can start getting familiar with.
“The logistics are good,” Dalton said. “We know where we’re going, when we’re going, and all of that. So I’m looking forward to it. If my joints keep working and they don’t fire me, I’m looking at at least two more years. I love to coach football, and I think I deserve it.”
Dalton already is looking toward 2007, when UNC has a game with Air Force.
“Yeah, I want to be around for that,” Dalton said.
As for this year, Dalton sees improvement from the struggles of last fall and moving from Division II to I-AA. UNC went 2-9 against a brutal schedule that featured nine teams with winning records.
The toughest thing about this year’s schedule is a big blank spot in the middle of it. Back- to-back bye weeks in October, another quirk of piecing together a schedule when in transition.
“We couldn’t get the teams we wanted in here, probably because we just couldn’t offer the big guarantees they want,” Dalton said. “So we’re going to play two Division II teams, Mines and Fort Lewis, but hey, Mines was in the Division II playoffs last year.”
With experience and depth on the offensive line, a solid running game led by all-conference running back Andre Wilson and senior quarterback Nick Hager making a smooth move in replacing Tony Christensen, who is academically ineligible, Dalton’s only major concern on offense is finding somebody to replace the big-play ability of Jackson.
His first candidate is Andy Birkel, a transfer from Nebraska.
“Andy is going to be a big deal for us,” Dalton said. “He’s got great speed, he’s got good hands, (he’s a) good blocker. He’s got everything. I don’t know what the heck happened at Nebraska; the kid’s a terrific athlete.
“He’s not going to replace Vincent because you can’t replace that kind of talent, but he is going to be a big help.”
While the Bears lost their best player on offense, their best player on defense returns, free safety Reed Doughty (6-feet-1, 210 pounds).
“He is just invaluable back there,” Dalton said. “He’s got as good of instincts as anybody I’ve ever seen.
“We’re hurting in the defensive line a little bit right now. But I think we have a very fine group of linebackers, guys that are tough and can run, so I think we’ll be all right.”
So does Doughty.
“When you think about it, we probably couldn’t have a better coach to get us through all these changes,” Doughty said. “He’s been with CFL teams, he’s been with NFL teams, he’s been with college teams.
“He’s done it all, so he’s always been able to adapt to a lot of different situations.”
…
NORTHERN COLORADO
Coach: Kay Dalton (34-24)
2004: 2-9
What’s new: With the departure of star wide receiver Vincent Jackson, now with the San Diego Chargers, the Bears start the season without any returning wide receiver having caught a collegiate touchdown pass. The player who will line up where Jackson used to is 6-foot-2 Andy Birkel, a junior who transferred from the University of Nebraska.
What to look for: With Jackson gone and senior quarterback Tony Christensen ruled academically ineligible, the Bears will need more from their running game. Look for a balanced attack, with senior quarterback Nick Hager giving UNC a running threat it didn’t have with Christensen. Look for all-conference running back Andre Wilson to be given a heavy workload.
2005 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3 Colorado Mines, 3 p.m.
Sept. 8 at Western Ill., 5 p.m., CSTV
Sept. 17 SE Louisiana, 1 p.m.
Sept. 24 at Portland State, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 Cal Poly, 1 p.m.
Oct. 22 at Southern Utah, 6 p.m.
Oct. 29 Fort Lewis, 1 p.m.
Nov. 5 at North Dakota St., noon
Nov. 12 Sam Houston State, noon
Nov. 19 at S. Dakota State, noon
Nov. 26 at UC-Davis, 2 p.m.
