FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Steve Fairchild had an endless list of tasks that required his immediate attention.
The newly hired Colorado State football coach needed to touch base with recruits, hire a few more assistants, install an offense and call current players to introduce himself.
So, he took a little break. Just a few days to unwind with his family before turning his unwavering focus toward the Rams.
Fairchild needed the time off after finishing up a grinding season as offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills.
He arrived in town late Thursday night, anxious to begin the work of turning around Colorado State’s program, where he once played quarterback and served as an assistant coach.
Fairchild was hired on Dec. 12 to replace longtime coach Sonny Lubick after the Rams had fallen on lean times.
Lubick was relieved of his duties on Nov. 18 after 15 years in charge. The Rams finished 3-9 last season and saw their home attendance sag to its lowest mark since 1992.
And while the parting was filled with acrimony, the hiring of Fairchild helped soothe some of those bitter feelings.
“I do realize that I’m following a dear and close personal friend of mine in Sonny Lubick, who I have the utmost respect for,” Fairchild said Friday. “In fact, I owe a lot of what I’ve done professionally to him. I hope I can build on the program that he’s established here.”
At the pinnacle of Lubick’s tenure, the Rams won six conference titles and made nine of CSU’s 11 bowl appearances. Fairchild thinks the team can attain that level of success again.
“We’ve done it before. It’s not like we’re trying to fabricate the fact we’re trying to compete,” said Fairchild, who was an assistant under Lubick for eight seasons. “This is a great place. I believe in my heart that I have the passion to make this go.”
Before Fairchild took the job, he consulted with Lubick, hoping to avoid any animosity. He still talks to Lubick on a regular basis.
“I have more respect for Sonny than anyone,” Fairchild said.
Fairchild realizes he doesn’t have Lubick’s magnanimous personality, or the longtime coach’s gift for one-liners.
“I’m not real flashy. I don’t tell a lot of jokes. But I will tell you the truth,” said Fairchild, who signed a five-year deal worth $700,000 annually that’s also loaded with incentives. “I believe in hard work and accountability. We’ll go on and do some great things.”
Fairchild isn’t sure what type of offense he’ll run. But he knows he wants to call the plays—at least for the time being.
“My intent would be to do it the first year,” said Fairchild, who’s been offensive coordinator for the Bills and St. Louis Rams. “We’ll look at the makeup of the staff as we get it (assembled).”
One of Fairchild’s first hires was bringing back defensive coordinator Larry Kerr, who held the same position under Lubick. Fairchild also retained Lubick’s son, Marc, and Tom Ehlers, the director of football operations.
Fairchild hired Scott Brown to serve as defensive line coach, leaving six assistant spots still to fill. He’s hoping to have that process wrapped up soon.
Kerr said he’s been kept quite busy since being brought back.
“It’s been go, go, go,” he said. “But Steve has been great. He’ll be great.”
Kerr said he recently got together with Lubick and said that he’s doing well. Lubick has a standing offer from CSU to return as an ambassador for the school.
“Sonny’s a great man,” Kerr said. “I hope the best for him.”
Fairchild’s life became a lot less hectic when the Bills wrapped up their season with a loss at Philadelphia.
Now, he’s free to focus on just Colorado State. He’s thankful he was allowed to finish up with the Bills, but it was stressful running an offense on top of starting a new program.
“Right when I got on that plane to leave Philadelphia, there was a sense of relief—and a sense of urgency of all the things that needed to be done,” Fairchild said.
Fairchild doesn’t want to make any predictions about Colorado State. However, he knows that Air Force coach Troy Calhoun has set the bar high by guiding the Falcons—the Rams’ in-state Mountain West rival—to a bowl appearance in his first season in charge.
“It’s my job to make it (the program) better every day,” Fairchild said. “When I was with the (St. Louis) Rams, there was a sign that said, ‘Championships are won on a daily basis.’ That’s how I view this job. We’re not just going to come to camp in August, and decide that we’re going to practice hard and beat (Colorado),” he said. Colorado State traditionally opens its season against the Big 12 Buffaloes.
“Things start now,” he said.
“There’s a track record here (for success),” Fairchild added. “It’s not like we’re trying to go down some uncharted course here. It’s been done. I see it very clearly that it can be done again.”
