They have a combined 136 birthdays, 37 seasons at their institutions, 275 wins, 161 losses and seven grandchildren.
Every August at the Mountain West Conference kickoff luncheon, Sonny Lubick and Fisher DeBerry play a gridiron vaudeville act. DeBerry’s Southern-fried cornball humor usually wins.
They chat and laugh over lunch like two grade-school boys.
Every fall they face off across the sidelines in Colorado Springs or Fort Collins to wage the “other” battle for state supremacy. The luncheon pals are as competitive as any two coaches in America.
Game faces replace the summer jokes Thursday night when Colorado State (3-1, 1-0 MWC) travels to Air Force (2-2, 2-0).
“I don’t like Fisher. He always talks to me so nice, then he wants to kick my butt,” Lubick said Saturday. “It goes both ways.”
But in the past year, the duo’s friendship has strengthened after events in their lives.
DeBerry got heat last year for comments he made about recruiting more black players because of their speed; Lubick came to his defense, noting DeBerry’s loyalty and commitment to the academy. And when Lubick’s son Marc was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and underwent chemotherapy, DeBerry called and wrote the Lubicks to lend his support.
“I love Sonny Lubick, and I admire so much what he has done,” DeBerry said Sunday. “This is a tough time for him. Sometimes coaching can be a lonely profession. You need to encourage people you care about.”
Lubick’s first conference win at CSU came at Air Force’s expense, an 8-5 win in 1993. Except for the Falcons’ 24-0 win in 1997, the matchups are usually high-scoring. Routs are rare in the series, which Lubick leads 9-4.
They are tied in classics. In 1996, CSU rallied from a 41-14 third-quarter deficit to win 42-41. During a 2000 blizzard with sub-zero temperatures, Air Force prevailed 44-40 in a game with 1,042 combined yards.
DeBerry’s ultimate jab came in 2003 after the Hughes Stadium field was named in Lubick’s honor. It’s a foregone conclusion DeBerry’s name will at the least be on the Falcon Stadium’s field when, and if, he retires. But DeBerry got the dig in first, saying: “I thought you had to be really old or really dead to get a field named after you.”
When LaVell Edwards retired from BYU after the 2000 season, DeBerry, now in his 23rd season, became the dean of MWC coaches. He sent a message to Lubick via the media: “I might be the dean but tell Sonny he’s still older than me.”
Although both revolve their lives around family, faith and football (with an occasional golf game thrown in), the coaches and their teams could not be more different.
DeBerry says “dadgum” a lot. Lubick’s off-the-cuff comments often have to be edited before they make the newspaper.
DeBerry has an offensive mind-set for running the ball. Air Force ranks fourth nationally in rushing at 265.8 yards a game. CSU is 107th at 82.4 yards. Lubick’s priority is defense, which has made a comeback this season to rank sixth nationally.
Lubick insists the Rams throw the ball. Meanwhile, the CSU coach has joked so often about waiting for the Falcons’ one pass a game and never seeing another one that Wyoming’s Joe Glenn has started quoting him.
Every summer, DeBerry and the college football coaches in Colorado appear at a Colorado Spring sports luncheon. The date usually coincides with Lubick’s vacation, and in past years DeBerry and former CU coach Gary Barnett told “Where’s Sonny?” jokes about their mutual rival.
This summer DeBerry opened with his usual “Where’s Sonny?” line but asked for everyone’s prayers for the CSU coach and his son.
“I know (Marc) has gone through a tough ordeal,” DeBerry said Sunday. “We enjoy playing against each other, but we all have feelings and human emotions as everybody else.”
But for three hours Thursday night, they will go back to being adversaries, just like everyone else in Falcon Stadium.
Staff writer Irv Moss contributed to this report.
Staff writer Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
EYE ON … The Falcons
CSU AT AIR FORCE: 6 p.m. Thursday
For the record: Air Force 2-2, 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference
Streaking: When Travis Dekker caught a 5-yard touchdown pass Saturday against Navy, it was the first scoring catch by an Air Force tight end in 13 games.
Who’s hot: Kicker Zach Sasser is 3-for-3 in field-goal attempts and 12-for-12 on extra point kicks.
Who’s not: Air Force wide receivers haven’t caught a touchdown pass this season. Wide receivers had 10 touchdown catches in 2005.
Key stat: Of Navy’s 23 first downs Saturday, none were by passing. However, Air Force’s opponents have 31 first downs through the air out of 74.
FYI: CSU has won four of the past five meetings with its Front Range rival.
Injury report: No report.
Coachspeak: “Naturally you could sense that they’re still disappointed. We have them refocused. They understand what we have to do. The best thing for us is to put that game behind us and be looking at another opponent in the eyes in four days.” – Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry, on the mind-set of the Falcons’ players
– Irv Moss
