Rams see success continuing
fort collins » Doomsday has not descended upon theColorado State football program.
CSU players insisted the program will be fine after it was announcedThursday that coach Jim McElwain was packing his bags and leaving for sunny Florida.
“There’s no going back,” said junior defensive end Joe Kawulok. “We just have to pick ourselves up and keep moving forward. We have established something special here andwe aren’t going to let go of it.”
McElwain will receive $3.5 million annually over six years from Florida. His players at CSU were not shocked by his departure, nor were they angry.
“I’m very happy for him,” said redshirt sophomore guard Fred Zerblis. “I thought this was going to come eventually, if not this year, then soon, for sure. I would have liked for him to stay, but I understand.”
CSU is 10-2 this season. McElwain took over a program that had gone 3-9 three consecutive seasons and won 22 games in three years. He put CSU football back on the map, and the Rams appreciate it.
“If you look at what he’s accomplished the last three years, you can’t help but feel happy for him,” said Kawulok, a graduate of Mon- arch High School. “This is his dream, sowe understand it.
“We’ve changed the culture here and we’re a team to be reckoned with now.”
The newfound interest was reflected in the Rams’ attendance. In 2013, CSU averaged only 18,600 fans per home game, a 42-year low. This season, the attendance increased to 26,583 fans per game.
Broncos rookie running back Kapri Bibbs, who rushed for CSU records of 1,741 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2013, said he understood his former coach’s decision.
“I think he had to do what was right for him as far as his career goes,” Bibbs said. “Obviously, Florida is a rich programand any- body who has an opportunity to coach there should take it. Alot of coaches come to (the Mountain West) to build a name for themselves so they can get a bigger job. ... You can’t be mad at him. It says a lot about our programthat other big-time programs respect what we did.”
During McElwain’s tenure, a new on-campus stadium for the Rams has moved closer to reality. Friday, the Colorado State University Systemboard will vote on whether to approve president Tony Frank’s recommendation that CSU build on the south side of its campus a stadium costing $195 million to $220 million.
For some, however, McElwain’s departure puts a damper on the excitement that has been building.
“People up herewere starting to care,” said Nick Cicere, a senior from Monument who was having lunch at the Lory Student Center. “People that I thoughtwould never want to talk about Rams football were suddenly saying, ‘Hey, are you going to the game this week?’ Itwas very interesting— themood swing— especially this fall.
“Now, I think this is going to deflate all of that. I think the administration is going to have to hire a big-name coach.”