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Hawkinses get Florida close-up
Coach, son watch Gators' drills during spring break
Colorado football coach Dan Hawkins and quarterback Cody Hawkins spent three days during spring break last week visiting the national champion Florida Gators and watching spring drills.
The Hawkins family took a vacation to Florida, which allowed Cody to have a little fun at Disney World when he wasn't comparing notes with Florida quarterback Tim Tebow or dining at Florida coach Urban Meyer's house.
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Dan Hawkins said he always tries to visit other programs during spring break. It's one of the advantages to splitting spring drills with two weeks of work coming both before and after the break.
"I think it's really good to get out and just compare notes and see how other people do things," Hawkins said. "It makes you think not so much what they do but what you do and why you do it.
"It was nice. Went to a lot of meetings and just soaked it up."
Cody Hawkins said he was impressed with atmosphere of dedication to the football program around the Florida campus and the athletic department, but he wasn't overwhelmed with the Gators' facilities.
He said Florida is building a new weight room that will be state of the art, but he said they won a national title last year with comparable facilities to those at CU.
"The one they have right now, I would definitely take ours over theirs any day," Cody Hawkins said.
Cody Hawkins also said he believes CU practices with more energy than the Gators do. He said he was most impressed with the Gators' level of commitment to improving all the time.
"From those guys, I think probably the biggest thing you can learn is just the swagger and dedication to it," Cody Hawkins said. "...I was just noticing how dedicated the players were to everything. I mean, they were Gator football players and they really took pride in playing football for the University of Florida."
Dizon honored
Senior linebacker Jordon Dizon was one of 42 players named to the Lott Trophy Watchlist on Monday.
Dizon, who led CU last season with 137 total tackles, was named a team captain for the 2007 season and is expected to be the backbone of the CU defense.
The Lott Trophy, named for Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott, is awarded each season to college football's defensive impact player of the year.
Leadoff man
Colorado has received its first oral commitment for the 2008 recruiting class from El Camino (Calif.) College wide receiver Corey Surrency (6-foot-4, 205 pounds).
Surrency chose the Buffs over Oregon State and Oregon. He caught 23 passes for 432 yards last season, according to Buffalosportsnews.net. He will be a true sophomore in the fall and will have three seasons to play two if he arrives at CU for the 2008 season.
Notable
Hawkins said offensive lineman Erick Faatagi tweaked his knee and probably won't return to practice until next week. Faatagi is recovering from knee surgery. ... Fellow offensive lineman Daniel Sanders returned to action for the first time since the first two practices of spring. ... Hawkins said everyone made it back on time from spring break and the team performed well in its first practice following the layoff. ... Hawkins said Bernard Jackson continues to meet and study with the quarterbacks but the senior is becoming increasingly comfortable at wide receiver.
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Posted by rswright on April 3, 2007 at 11:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Cody Hawkins said he was impressed with atmosphere ...but he wasn't overwhelmed with the Gators' facilities...he said they won a national title last year with comparable facilities to those at CU.
"The one they have right now, I would definitely take ours over theirs any day,"
Mike, why don't you listen?
You are spending 3 million for a bubble when the coach's son is telling you more football facilities are not needed. "they won a national title last year with comparable facilities to those at CU."
Cody is saying that which everyone but you knows: More money for football facilities does not increase the team's performance.
This wouldn't be so bad but at the same time as you are spending 3 million on a football bubble, the other student programs are paying the price either by being eliminated or cut to the bone.If this were the Broncos spend all the money you want on football but CU's primary purpose is its students and you are making them pay the price.
If Alums and fans want to pay for your over spending on football ok. When CU has the fan base and the fans and alumni are willing to contribute equal the noise they make or equal to other schools like Florida which last year received 20 million from its alumni, then spend their money. At CU fans and alums don't contribute, yell "Go Buffs" and then let the students pay for their fun.
Posted by Black_Rob on April 3, 2007 at 12:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
He was talking about the weight room being on par with Florida's, that's it.
Posted by Buff_in_UK on April 3, 2007 at 12:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Cody was being diplomatic shall we say. And I bet you 3 mill it doesn't snow in Florida. RS, I hope you're not going for the Nobel Prize this year are you?
Posted by trubuff on April 3, 2007 at 12:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wright, you are wrong. CU's bubble IS being paid for by ulumni donations, pay attention! And of course Cody is going to say this, he's the coach's son. What did you expect him to say, "UF is way better than CU... I want to go there instead!"
Posted by Covercorner on April 3, 2007 at 12:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just so you all know, rs is going to tell all of you that you are wrong and will recommend you read a report about NCAA athletics. His heart is in the right place though.
Posted by dabuffs50 on April 3, 2007 at 4:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
FU buffwonder
Posted by Ruckus on April 3, 2007 at 7:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
rswright, I know you are going to call me an idiot and tell me I need to read some bs report about NCAA financing, but you are way off base, not to mention you need to get a life and find something else to obsess about. The only way the students pay for the football program is if they buy tickets. Anyone who knows anything about college sports knows that football programs more than pay for themselves from TV & radio revenues and sponsorships, etc. If the football program went away, then you would have a point about athletics in general eating up the university's money, but the football program in and of itself is a revenue generator, which in turn pays for all of the other athletic programs, like tennis and soccer, that bleed money like a stuck pig. Now go away because all of your posts spew exactly the same crap (and believe me, it is crap) and it's getting old. You're like annoying man from SNL.
Posted by jahbrahakala on April 3, 2007 at 9:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If there is one thing I know...RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
:) Oh and BuffWonder and Dr Tom are Nebraskan Trolls who spend a good portion of their time following CU Sports instead of doing other things.
Until the next Article
-jah
Posted by oz_in_cali on April 3, 2007 at 10:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Is it just me, or is rswright's repetitive rap just as weak and tired a Buffwonder's (I wonder if rswright is another of Buffwonder's alter egos).
rswright, we heard you the first 300 times you wrote the same weak rap about how CU is "wasting" money on trying to provide our boys with a decent place to practice.
Either give it a break or take it to the editorial page (where your complaints will be better recieved). You're bringin' us down dude.
Posted by Covercorner on April 4, 2007 at 8:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I wouldn't lump rswright with drtombuffsoonerfan. I think RS genuinely cares for CU but sees the athletic dept as a liability to it rather than an asset at this point. Still, the recycled material gets old but like I said, his heart is in the right place.
Posted by rswright on April 4, 2007 at 11:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
First: I didn't say it, Cody did. Secondly, he didn't limit the comment to weightroom."he wasn't overwhelmed with the Gators' facilities" not just the weightroom.
Regardless, the point is that more athletic facilities are not necessary to win a National Championship. If you remember when you went to CU and competed you accepted the facilities CU had. I can never remember anyone not working hard as because the facilities weren't as good as those at NU, OU or anywhere else. Sure we would all like our atheletes to have the best facilities possible but not at the expense of other CU atheletes and that is what is occurring.
Proof? look at the abominable tennis facility the ex men and the women have to use. Can you imagine a Division 1 school where is snows a good portion of the year and there is no indoor court.Try making the basketball team play their games out of doors in January and you will understand.
Proof? 3 million for a bubble when there was an 8 million dollar deficit last year, the AD cut men's tennis for lack of funds and this year Mike has to trot back over to the Regents and they give him another 3 million by taking over the payments on the luxury box seats. Before spending the 3 million on the bubble why not use the money to pay to improve existing facilities or expand the number of student sports? I.e baseball that was cut for the last football deficit.
The comments that Football pays for itself and all the other sports is just ranting nothing more. Time to read the evidence. If you don't like the NCAA web site just read the Coloradan. March 2007. 87% of Division 1-A schools cannot balance their Athletic Department budgets, (even when, like at CU, they get money from TV). Do you really think the deficits were because of men's tennis or didn't you go to the football games?
Re, the comment that students don't pay for the deficits. When the Regents lend the AD 8 million where do you think the money comes from?The source of income at CU is tuition or do you think it is from the State of Colorado?
Finally, fans and alums: Sure we would like CU football to do well but our first priority should be the students as, they (not fans and alums)comprise CU. If as fans and alums we can raise enough money to pay for everything you want want (a National Championship, more facilities) ok but we can't either through ticket sales or donations. The problem is lack of cash doesn't stop the AD from cutting back on student sports to spend more on football. So long as he puts football ahead of student interests you are going to hear from me. If it gets repetitive it is no more repetitive than reading Cheerleader Neill and those that pressure the AD and yell for more wins but don't mention the consequences of over spending on one sport to CU and its students.
Posted by jerade11 on April 4, 2007 at 12:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
rswright doesn't get it. At most schools, football is the only positive revenue sport. At CU football has paid for itself plus all the other sports. CU is not like most of the NCAA. rswright should read the CU athletic budget. My question for rswright is: what constitutes over spending on one sport? If the entire budget for tennis is a deficit, isn't that overspending? As for the 3 million bubble- that was not discretionary money. What are "student sports"? Are you talking about tennis? It sounds like rewright doesn't have clue about how CU pays for Varsity vs non-varsity sports or understands the difference. Or maybe has a hidden agenda - "like lets get rid of football".
Posted by rswright on April 4, 2007 at 3:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"At CU football has paid for itself plus all the other sports".
Don't believe me. Kyle Ringo 11/2/07 Daily Camera, states "Athletic Director Mike Bohn said the additional institutional support (the 8 million dollar loan) is a shot in the arm for a department that has been struggling to pay its bills for several years now because of lagging ticket sales for football and basketball programs..." When lagging football ticket sales causes the Athletic Department not to be able to pay it's bills football is not "paying for itself and all the other sports."
Secondly, sports at a University are not played with the purpose of them being being income producing. This aint' the Broncos. Sports at a University are played for the benefit of the students who play them and paid for by the University whether the football program is making money or not.
It is the fans and alums who scream for more wins, and that is ok so long as the fans and alums can afford them. But at CU, which incidentally is no different than the other 87% of D1 schools, the fans and alums don't pay, either in ticket sales or donations, commensurate with their enthusisasm.
As a result they come up with myths that football pays for everything as a rationale when the truth is the University is going broke. 8 million dollars is a lot of money and when asked to pay the fans and alums are watching something else. They leave it up to the students to pay for their fun.
My agenda and that of CU is not hidden. CU's agenda along with most D1 schools spends too much on football CU is cutting back on student atheltic programs as a result and it is predicted by the NCAA that they will cut back on academic programs as well. The facts are all there.
My agenda is solely and believe me only for what I see in CU's best interest, that is, don't spend more money than you have on football and you won't cut student sports. It is as simple as that.
Posted by jahbrahakala on April 4, 2007 at 7:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
RS Wright does not think CU should spend any money upgrading it's Athletic Facilities.
Posted by rswright on April 5, 2007 at 10:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Upgrading facilities means more than just upgrading the football facilities. Do you think the football team needs a bubble more than the tennis facility needs plumbing,the golf team needs somewhere to host matches or CU needs to pay a decent wage to its coaches. Ask yourself whether it is in CU's best interest to use the 3 million to provide a bubble or students with sports like baseball, wrestling, men's tennis or hockey? Or are you more interested in feeling good when you read the sports page on Sunday than CU doing what is best for its students?
Posted by Buff_in_UK on April 5, 2007 at 10:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here is the link to rs's article by Ringo:
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2006/...
It says the Athletic Dept was paying $3 million per year in costs that SHOULD have been allocated to the CU system. So who is paying for who? Is this why Athletics couldn't pay bills? Thats a lot of dough to miss out on year after year.
And the $8 million is a LOAN due "to be repaid over 11 years beginning in 2008." Its NOT a one-off gift. Thats why they've invested in coaching staff ie. to foster a strong revenue-generating football program. (Remember the bubble is booster-funded, therefore not a capital expense for the university) With an extra $3 million per yr boost to the budget, sounds like the loan repayment will have a decent chance.
Also in 2005, only 4% of the athletic budget came from the university compared to 43% in 1990. Even a skeptic would have to admit its heading in the right direction.
Instead of talking down the football program, please offer your suggestions as to how all the other non-football sports (ie. all loss-making) are to be funded.
Posted by rswright on April 6, 2007 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why do you think CU cut back on the athletic budget from 43% in 1990 to only 4% today? CU intended (like most other Universities) for the Athletic Department to be self supporting from football which would pay for itself and every other sport i.e. In 2003 the
Assistant AD at Nebraska stated Nebraska's Athletic Department is 100% self supporting.
But it has become apparent this won't work at CU (and most other Universities) because the fans and alums who pressure the AD for wins don't support the team enough to keep it from going into debt. Proof:thousands of season ticket holders have failed to renew, attend games or donate. As a result the AD (who contributed by mismanagement) ran up an 8 million dollar deficit and more this year.
Why you should not build more football athletic facilities is as simple as,you shouldn't be spend money on a bubble when you can't pay your bills. There is no such thing as discretionary money when your income doesn't meet your expenses.
The AD does the best he can either through cut backs or elimination of student sports and when that is not enough he has to come for money to the Regents. Where do you think the Regents get their money? From the State of Colorado? Think again. It comes from student tuitions.
In other words alums and fans who yell Go Buffs! the loudest don't support the team and leave it up to the students, either through cut backs in student programs or tuition, to pay for their fun.
I know you don't like to read the truth but there it is. When you support your team like they do at Nebraska (shudder) then you have a right to say the AD is not overspending in building a bubble. Until then you are simply wrong to say the AD should spend money on a bubble when he can't pay his bills.
Posted by datsug21 on April 10, 2007 at 12:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Keep in mind that the $3 million being used to build the bubble is not a University expense - the entirety of the money is being supplied by the boosters that rswright so quickly admonishes for yelling "Go Buffs!" but not contributing money to the athletic department or the university. Also, the money is being supplied with the express purpose of creating the bubble; when the boosters approached Mike Bohn regarding the donation, it was to be specifically designated for the bubble. This was not dispensible income that MB could use for just any purpose, be it the football team or tennis facilities or whatever. I do think the University of Colorado should do its best to find ways to bring back sports such as baseball or D-I hockey (among others), but I also believe that providing the foundation for a strong football program in the future is also important to creating an environment condusive to paying for those other programs down the line. Football brings in the most money and will continue to do so in the future, and will in turn help pay for the other programs that will "benefit the students that play them."
Posted by Realist on April 26, 2007 at 5:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It seems to me that with all the negative comments shown here, Coach Hawkins and Cody may well be wondering why they came to CU in the first place. Boise State does not seem to have the problems that CU does. I suspect that Coach Hawkins will jump ship the first chance he gets. Who could blame him!!!!