LaVell Edwards, Fisher DeBerry, Sonny Lubick.
Three football coaching icons. Three patriarchs embraced by the Mountain West Conference and its WAC roots before 1999.
There is the old coaching career tenet: Never be the guy to succeed a legend. Gary Crowton and Troy Calhoun shattered the rule in 2001 and 2007, respectively, when Crowton succeeded Edwards at BYU and Calhoun took over for DeBerry at Air Force.
The replacements were named MWC coach of the year in their debuts. Now that’s a tough act for Steve Fairchild to follow, taking over for Lubick at CSU.
“It was hard to follow LaVell and I know it will be hard to follow Sonny,” said Crowton, now LSU’s offensive coordinator. “LaVell once told me it was hard for him to live up to himself.”
Three seasons after he was hailed an offensive genius for the 2001 mega-octane team, Crowton was let go by BYU.
“The struggle following someone like LaVell Edwards is things have to be modernized and changes have to be made,” Crowton said.
He and Fairchild were teammates at CSU in the late 1970s. “Steve knows his stuff. He was with Sonny. He can appreciate Sonny. I didn’t have that (coaching time) with LaVell. Give Steve time and he’ll do it.”
Calhoun, like Fairchild, knew he could never duplicate his predecessor’s unique blend of personality and homespun wit. So Calhoun had the crowd roaring by telling stories of DeBerry staff meetings to a Front Range function last August.
“I’m almost in reverence of Sonny,” Fairchild said. “I’m just trying to do a good job behind him. I know for me to be effective I can’t act like him. It would do him an injustice.”
Calhoun’s advice to Fairchild? “You’ve got to be yourself, get to know your players and the people who are the strongest supporters within your program.”
