Dan Hawkins Lights it Up Big Time - Heard also on Mike and Mike

[Wesley]

Updated: Feb. 15, 2007, 9:52 AM ET
Buffs too tough? Go play intramurals, brother


ESPN.com news services






And you thought Ralphie the Buffalo running onto Folsom Field was intimidating.


At a news conference last week, Colorado coach Dan Hawkins, trying to turn around a Buffaloes team that went 2-10 overall and 2-6 in the Big 12, had what sounded like a loud and clear message for players who think his training regime is too tough: Go play intramurals.

And the way he delivered that message, it might still be echoing through the Front Range.

Hawkins let fly with the loud rant when discussing the kind of toughness that he wanted to bring to the Buffaloes -- and acknowledging that it might not be for everyone. For example, he said, an anonymous parent sent him a letter protesting the players getting only a two-week break in their offseason conditioning program when they normally had three weeks off. "Well we gave them a week at the start of the semester rather than at the end but here's my point, OK," Hawkins said in a calm, quiet voice.

Then he let fly.

"It's Division I football! It's the Big 12! It ain't intramurals!" he roared.

"You've got two weeks after finals, you've got a week of July Fourth and you get a week before camp starts," Hawkins continued, still shouting at the top of his voice. "That's a month that's probably more vacation then you [reporters] get. And we're a little bummed out that we don't get three weeks?"


"Go play intramurals, brother … go play intramurals," he said, calming down.

Thursday, on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning , Hawkins said he did not intend to make a point to his players via a sound bite. He said he tends to speak from the heart and gets more animated around the local media that cover the Buffs on a regular basis.

Hawkins said his players are more than willing to do what it takes to turn the Buffaloes around.

"They’re fully on board, they know what's going on," he said. "They certainly want that level of intensity ... no one wants to lose five in a row in 2005 and no one wants to go 2-10 [last season].

"We're not going to get back to the glory years if we just show up."
As for the rant? Hawkins said his friends in the coaching community told him they thought it was "hilarious."


Hawkins arrived at Colorado from Boise State, where he went 53-10, to turn around a program embroiled in controversy over recruiting practices and rape allegations by former female placekicker Katie Hnida. He succeeded Gary Barnett, who ignited a firestorm in 2004 when he reacted to Hnida's claims with criticism of her kicking ability.
Barnett stepped down in 2005 after reaching a financial settlement with the university.

[cyclonefan15]

Is there video of this?

[isucyclone4]

I caught him on Mike And Mike in the Morning this morn. (course it was only Greeney cuz Golic was sick) but just sounds like a whole lotta nothing...he's a decent coach, but it will take him awhile to turn around Barnett's ungodly mess, that's what I think is so hopeful about ISU's situation, Chizik has a lotta work to do, but at least he didn't have a complete mess and completely bare cupboard like CU did when Hawkings took over. He needs to get those guys worked about something, I like him alright, but because it wouldn' help ISU if he did, I hope he doesn't. :)

[Wesley]

Sounds like one of the people taped it or came thropgh a cell phone. When he yelled" it's big 12 football" he was hysterical with rage. The kid whose parent sent the letter is probably in for it now. The coach was outright obnoxious when you heard it on Mike and Mike. They said since it was only Dan hawkins it did not get as much coverage like a TO doing something like that. Yet it has resonated that Big 12 is Big Buck Sports to all.

[Michael Lastuvka]

I don't think he was hysterical with rage at all. He told Mike this morning that he knows all those local reporters that were there, and they know his style. He's a vibrant guy who expresses his opinion. He said that the people who truly knew him thought it was hilarious.

[Wesley]

It did not sound hilaroius to outsiders. It sounded crass.

[jdoggivjc]

I saw it on SportsCenter earlier today. I thought he had a great point. If your son plays Big XII football you're playing w/ the big boys - you don't go asking for extra time off.

[Nick]

Here's the audio from ESPN:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G-EqpT-HG8

[pulse]

How dare him! He never went through our intramural 2-a-days at People's.

[JJ4ISU]

I thought it was stupid...he's a dork! One parent writes a letter, so he goes off to local reporters...dork!

[loboclone]

Originally Posted by Nick

Here's the audio from ESPN:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G-EqpT-HG8

ThanKs for link!!! You get rep..................Hawkins is a driven, conditionoing minded coach.......remember Boise State and OU game.......you don't play the Big 12 and not leave it on the field. I for one think Hawkins is fighting an uphill battle with attidudes in Boulder...........

[businesscyman]

I think laying down the gaunlet is a great thing for a caoch to do. I hope our new staff has a similar attitude.

[jparker22]

Not hilarious or crass, or a dork. This is what we expect out of our football team isn't it? Wouldn't we all be chatting away at how great it is that Gene is getting tough with out FB players if this were his sound bite? If anyone on the site says no to color me surprised.

Hawkins makes a great point. After finals they got 2 weeks off! One week for the 4th of July, and a week before camp starts. It is Big XII football. Do you think OU, Texas, and NU aren't on the same type of schedule? That is a month of vacation! They also get some time for other holidays during the year as well, and they weren't in a bowl so they got time during the bowl season. I would be pissed as the head coach too. That parent should have had the guts to send the letter with thier name on it! That is who looks like the idiot in the situation.

[Wesley]

Agree above, yet why turn it on to impress the press? If he plans to do it everytime the Colorado Skier shows up, he wastes his breath. At least he should be consistent with his players and the press.

Now, just for a thought, how would McC have handled the press? He would play up to the press and politely answer their questions.

Dan Hawkins flails away to drive a point home while press watches. Personally, I like the McC approach if press is watching. Otherwise it looks like HC is treating the players like twerps. IMO. Good discussion so far. How tough do you want to be on the players and do you treat them like kids or adults....

[cycloneworld]

That ranks right up there with Denny Green's "The Bears who were we thought they were" press conference and almost reaches Jim Mora's "Playoffs?!".

I like how he is all somber and then his voice goes up about 3 octives.