Editor’s note: In the Colorado Classics series, The Denver Post takes a weekly look at individuals who made their mark on the Colorado sports landscape and what they are doing now.
While this year’s University of Colorado football team had its black eye with Montana State, Stan Brock’s Buffaloes team of 27 years ago absorbed some hard knocks as well.
Brock, an experienced and highly proficient offensive tackle, was playing his senior season for the Buffaloes. The coaching staff had changed from Bill Mallory’s to Chuck Fairbanks’. The Buffaloes were coming off their fourth straight winning season and were three years removed from the 1976 Big Eight Conference championship.
But the 1979 season didn’t get off to a good start with losses of 33-19 to Oregon and 44-0 to LSU. The third game was against Drake, a team with little football reputation, and the Buffaloes lost 13-9.
“Yes, I was part of that,” Brock said from his coaching office at Army. “But I also was part of the Big Eight Conference championship. It was like going from the top of the mountain to the lowest part of a valley.”
The Buffaloes finished 3-8 in 1979 and were 1-10 the next season, including a 41-22 loss to Drake, the two setbacks that became known to CU partisans as the Drake Wake.
Brock had moved on to the NFL in 1980 after the New Orleans Saints selected him 12th overall in the first round. He played 13 years for the Saints, playing 186 games and making 67 consecutive starts at one point. He completed his 16-year NFL career with the San Diego Chargers for the final three seasons.
Brock credited his time at CU and the teachings of Mallory and offensive coordinator and line coach George Belu with preparing him for his professional career. Fairbanks said Brock was the best blocker in college football. He started at right tackle in every game during his last two years and was an all-conference selection. He played in the Senior Bowl and the Hula Bowl. However, Brock wonders if the coaching change may have contributed to his senior team’s demise.
“It was different,” Brock said. “They could have brought Vince Lombardi in and it wouldn’t have made any difference. I was hurt by the change. We all liked Mallory and his staff. I really learned how to play on the offensive line from George Belu.”
Although the losses to Drake and Montana State, while more than a quarter-century apart, might be comparable, that could be where any comparisons with CU’s plight today stops.
“I don’t know anything about their team or their program,” Brock said. “I think Dan Hawkins is a good coach.”
Mark Haynes, a defensive back for the Buffaloes and Brock’s four-year CU teammate, remembered the transition of coaches.
“It was a difficult phase for us,” Haynes said. “We had played for Coach Mallory for three years. The new staff changed the schemes on offense and defense. That’s very difficult for college players.”
Haynes, who also played in the NFL, including a stint with the Broncos from 1986-89, had good things to say about his former teammate.
“Stan Brock was a hard worker and committed to the CU program,” Haynes said. “He was a proven commodity and a player you could count on. You don’t hang around the NFL if you can’t play.”
It was while playing for the Chargers that Brock met coach Bobby Ross. With Ross coaching and Brock playing, the Chargers won the AFC championship in 1994 with a 17-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. When Ross became Army’s new head coach in 2004, Brock joined his staff as offensive line coach.
“I’d join up with Bobby Ross anywhere,” Brock said. “I’m happy to be with him here at Army. I’m not sending my résumé out anywhere.”
Army’s opponent on Friday night is the Air Force Academy. It’s the second of three games in the chase for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Navy has the upper hand with a 24-17 victory over the Falcons already in the books. Army beat Air Force last year for the first time in nine years, 27-24 at Falcon Stadium. If the Black Knights defeat Air Force, they would win their first trophy since 1996 by beating Navy on Dec. 2.
Brock sees the same type of players at both institutions. In his three years on the Army staff, he’s learned the secret to coaching at a service academy.
“You know you have limited time each day,” Brock said. “You take advantage of the opportunity to coach, and you get it done in the time you have.”
Brock, 48, looks back on a career in football that has been rewarding. He came to CU from Portland, Ore., and older brothers Pete and Willie also played for CU and were drafted, Pete as a first-rounder by New England. Before joining the Army staff, Stan Brock coached in the Arena Football League.
“The highlight is the camaraderie you feel, win or lose with teammates,” Brock said. “I have no regrets. I loved playing football. I liked everything about it. I liked practice. I liked going to training camp.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
