Spring Break
Fairchild introduced by CSU
AD says new coach was best of 3 candidates
Nick Hubel
Issue date: 12/10/07 Section: Sports
"He was right at the top (of the list), no doubt about that," Kowalczyk said. "He's definitely the right guy for the job."
In order to woo Fairchild from the NFL, the athletic department offered a hefty, incentives-laden contract worth more than any other in the program's history.
Fairchild will receive $350,000 in guaranteed money along with an additional $350,000 in media and public relations money each year, making him the third-highest paid coach in the Mountain West. The contract locks Fairchild up for the next five years and could be worth more than $1 million per year if all the incentives are met.
Before incentives, the $700,000 is about $150,000 more than Sonny Lubick ever made in his 15 years with the team.
The athletic department also bolstered the budget for assistant coaches by $300,000, bringing the total budget for assistants to $1.15 million per year.
Fairchild already has his defensive coordinator picked out in former Duke coach Larry Kerr. Kerr was the defensive coordinator at CSU during the same period as Fairchild, and he helped implement the Tampa Two defense that the Rams still run.
Along with Kerr, Sonny Lubick's son, Marc Lubick, has been retained as an assistant coach. Last year Lubick was the wide receivers coach for the team, but he said that he did not know what his duties would be in the coming season. Tom Ehlers will also remain on staff as the director of football operations, his position in the department for the last three years.
Fairchild said that he has no timetable for hiring the rest of his staff and said that he would be handling the majority of the offensive coordinator's duties for the time being.
"I'm going to have to address that at a later date…it's something that I will be heavily involved in at first," Fairchild said of the offense.
Reaction from the crowd of boosters and fans at Thursday's press conference was generally positive for Fairchild, with the new coach receiving a round of applause from those who were there when he was announced.
Bill Schaffter, a booster from Fort Collins, said that Kowalczyk's hiring of Fairchild was a safe play for the director to make, given the unrest that the community has felt over the removal of Sonny Lubick.
"I think its very positive, the hire, but I think that Paul (Kowalczyk) made the safe hire," Schaffter said. "I think the last couple of weeks have been 99 percent negative and so (Kowalczyk) wanted a little positive."
Kowalczyk himself joked about the unrest, but said that so far, the community's reaction to Fairchild has been positive.
"I haven't quite gone from the outhouse to the penthouse yet," Kowalczyk said, "but the reaction has been favorable."
In order to woo Fairchild from the NFL, the athletic department offered a hefty, incentives-laden contract worth more than any other in the program's history.
Fairchild will receive $350,000 in guaranteed money along with an additional $350,000 in media and public relations money each year, making him the third-highest paid coach in the Mountain West. The contract locks Fairchild up for the next five years and could be worth more than $1 million per year if all the incentives are met.
Before incentives, the $700,000 is about $150,000 more than Sonny Lubick ever made in his 15 years with the team.
The athletic department also bolstered the budget for assistant coaches by $300,000, bringing the total budget for assistants to $1.15 million per year.
Fairchild already has his defensive coordinator picked out in former Duke coach Larry Kerr. Kerr was the defensive coordinator at CSU during the same period as Fairchild, and he helped implement the Tampa Two defense that the Rams still run.
Along with Kerr, Sonny Lubick's son, Marc Lubick, has been retained as an assistant coach. Last year Lubick was the wide receivers coach for the team, but he said that he did not know what his duties would be in the coming season. Tom Ehlers will also remain on staff as the director of football operations, his position in the department for the last three years.
Fairchild said that he has no timetable for hiring the rest of his staff and said that he would be handling the majority of the offensive coordinator's duties for the time being.
"I'm going to have to address that at a later date…it's something that I will be heavily involved in at first," Fairchild said of the offense.
Reaction from the crowd of boosters and fans at Thursday's press conference was generally positive for Fairchild, with the new coach receiving a round of applause from those who were there when he was announced.
Bill Schaffter, a booster from Fort Collins, said that Kowalczyk's hiring of Fairchild was a safe play for the director to make, given the unrest that the community has felt over the removal of Sonny Lubick.
"I think its very positive, the hire, but I think that Paul (Kowalczyk) made the safe hire," Schaffter said. "I think the last couple of weeks have been 99 percent negative and so (Kowalczyk) wanted a little positive."
Kowalczyk himself joked about the unrest, but said that so far, the community's reaction to Fairchild has been positive.
"I haven't quite gone from the outhouse to the penthouse yet," Kowalczyk said, "but the reaction has been favorable."
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