For half of his 24 years in coaching, Dan Hammerschmidt gave rousing speeches to Colorado State football players before the Rams’ annual game against Wyoming.
Before he became a coach, he spent four years as a CSU defensive back listening to all the Border War speeches.
Now his former coaching colleague and teammate, CSU football operations director Tom Ehlers, would love to be a fly on the wall to hear Hammerschmidt’s new spin. Hammerschmidt, a first-year receivers coach with the Cowboys, will no doubt talk about the CSU vantage point.
“I’ve heard his speech for about 20 years,” Ehlers said.
Hammerschmidt was the offensive coordinator for most of the current CSU seniors. There were memories of conference championships. He raised his two children and, tragically, he lost his wife, Karen, to a decade-long battle with breast cancer while they lived in Fort Collins.
Last season, Hammerschmidt coached at Rice, and the Owls had one of the top passing attacks in the country.
He knew he had to return to the West and do something good for his daughter, Holly.
“She’s at the age when she’s figuring out what boys are and that her dad has no clue in life,” he said.
For all the bad things he said about Wyoming during bygone rivalries, he loves his new school. “We have the money here,” he said. “We have the facilities.”
He said his wardrobe is full of the Cowboys’ logo. Not one to usually review opposing team attire, CSU coach Steve Fairchild joked it will be “weird and unattractive” seeing Hammerschmidt in Wyoming colors Friday when the teams meet.
“I know he’s 100 percent Wyoming now,” Cowboys coach Dave Christensen said Sunday. “We’re the ones taking care of him. They’re the ones who got rid of him.”
Fairchild retained only two members of Sonny Lubick’s last staff, Ehlers and tight ends coach Marc Lubick.
“Dan is a tremendous coach and a good friend of mine,” Fairchild said. “I have all the respect in the world for him. He’s a tough guy with great football knowledge.”
Bulletin-board fodder.
Wyoming’s website has a bowl ticket request form with the disclaimer that the Cowboys need a win Friday for bowl eligibility. The form is being circulated among CSU players.
The Mountain West Conference’s formal bowl invitations won’t go out until Dec. 6, after the BCS lineup is released. CSU did not promote tickets sales on its website last year until after the Rams were officially bowl-eligible.
Stucker update.
Fairchild said Tuesday that CSU’s starting QB will be a game-day decision. Grant Stucker, a senior who has started all season, remained in street clothes with a shoulder-area injury.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
