Hawkins the toast
of the town
Everyone in Boise is rallying around
the coach who made the Broncos
a force in college football
BOISE, Idaho » The drinks flow as quickly as Nick Sparks can pour them and Renee Sharpsten can serve them at "Lips" in downtown Boise, one of those cushy, trendy places that looks more like a living room than a neighborhood bar.
What do they call this kind of joint? Yeah, that's it, an ultra-lounge.
Even this place, though, stylish as it is, isn't too cool for the blue-collar, blue-field talk of the town: Boise State football and its ultra-coach Dan Hawkins.
Sharpsten, a tanned blonde who attended the University of Hawaii one year, majors in biology at Boise State now. She has no mixed allegiance tonight when the Warriors and Broncos meet.
"I had a great time in Hawaii, but 'Go Broncos,' " she said.
Sparks said BSU football and Hawkins have taken over the town.
"When I first came here in '99, Boise State football was a joke. The atmosphere has totally changed," Sparks said. "Now it's what we're known for, Dan Hawkins and the football team."
Sparks knows of what he speaks, because he was actually part of the "joke" -- a former rugby player who "never put on the pads" and was a part-time defensive line coach who worked with Hawkins when both were assistants under Dirk Koetter. Now Hawkins is one of the hottest football coaches in America.
"And he's a great guy," Sparks said.
There's no doubt Dan Hawkins, coach of the 18th-ranked Broncos, is The Man in Boise. The question is, when and will he leave to be The Man in South Bend or Gainesville or Champaign? ... or Westwood or, dare we venture, The League?
"I don't think so, not yet," says Bruce Chase, a 57-year-old bus driver who was born and raised in Boise. "He'll be here next year, then after that I see him at a major college as a offensive coordinator and then the NFL. Maybe Notre Dame, then after that the pros."
Chase gets the impression Hawkins has unfinished business here -- including, first of all, taking care of Hawaii tonight and then the rest of the 2004 schedule for an unbeaten season and another Western Athletic Conference championship. And maybe some BCS-busting, although Utah and its wunderkind coach, Urban Meyer, seem to have a leg up on that this year.
But Hawkins is right there, a former high school and small college coach who came to Boise in 1997 and elevated the program to national prominence. The Broncos have the longest winning streak in college football at 18 games. He said the streak might as well not exist for how much he and his team acknowledge it.
"The only people who talk about it are you guys (the media), because we don't," he said.
But what of the adoring community, the city with no other sports teams to put it on the map?
"You know, fans, they love it when you win. We don't talk about that stuff," Hawkins said.
While he might seem standoffish to an outsider, he is far from it to those in the Treasure Valley.
"He's very personable. And accessible," said Chase, the bus driver. "I, or any other fan, can call him and say I want to talk to him and he'll have me come to his office."
Hawkins in Boise seems to be attaining the same aura Steve Spurrier did in Gainesville in the 1990s -- a big-time coach who isn't too big to talk -- really talk -- to the everyday folks. Because he is one of them. One difference is Spurrier was already a hero at the University of Florida as a player before he ever became the coach. Hawkins just wandered in one day at Boise State, and things haven't been the same since.
BSU's record is 40-6 since Hawkins became head coach in 2001. His secrets to success are not secret. They are the hallmarks every coach prescribes to: team unity, preparation and consistency.
Some of his players call him "The Zen Master," but others insist he is a taskmaster, too. Hawkins seems to have the yin and yang thing down.
"He's a great motivator. He gets us mentally ready to go," quarterback Jared Zambrowsky said. "He sees when we're not practicing to our full potential, and then he makes sure that we are.
"He has his quotes. He reads a lot of books, written by quite a few different people," Zambrowsky added. "When we were getting ready to play Oregon State, he quoted a samurai warrior story. 'It's not the armament, or the uniform, on the outside of the warrior that matters, it's what's inside.' "
Linebacker Andy Avalos said Hawkins makes his expectations known from Day 1, and he doesn't deviate. Avalos said he chose Boise State because he could sense the team unity, forged through consistent leadership.
"When you get here, you immediately learn the schemes for both sides, offense and defense. He instills in you right away what it takes to be a winner on the field and off the field, how to control the different phases of your life," Avalos said. "It's not that he recruits people who need to be reformed, but for everyone it's an adjustment at this level, not just in football, but in time management and school, too. It's a lot more demanding than high school.
"He's like a general. He knows how to lead and prepare his people. He does it on and off the field," Avalos added. "He has two sides. He knows when to lay down the law, but he takes a positive approach. But he can put the hammer down when he has to."
Hawkins' name keeps coming up for coaching jobs at the big schools. While some in the same position give themselves wiggle room with their comments, Hawkins has never swayed from his commitment to Boise State.
It helps that he has three years left on a $1.5 million contract, and his incentive-loaded deal is up to a $345,000 annual base. When he got the new contract, in 2002, Hawkins also made sure his assistant coaches were taken care of, and money was raised for facilities upgrades.
Also, his sons Cody and Drew play high school football in Boise, and Hawkins always speaks of how he wants to finish raising his family here because he loves the area.
And it loves him back.
"Heck no he won't leave, he loves it here," said Sid Rose, a 39-year-old building maintenance contractor. "The community loves him and he knows it. So do his players. I get the impression they respect him because he gets so many of them into games. Everyone gets a chance to play. The national notoriety is great. They just need to quit with the spud jokes."
Maybe it's just wishful thinking, because a Notre Dame, a Florida, an NFL team, they could all set Hawkins up for life. But Boise is confident its coach will stay, at least for a while. And Hawkins doesn't give any hint that he needs to go elsewhere for a bigger stage -- he seems content to just keep expanding the one here in the middle of nowhere.
"Yeah, there's been a lot of talk about him leaving, and it's in the back of our minds," Avalos said. "But he does a good job of reassuring us that he's going to be around. I don't see him leaving."
Probable starters
HAWAII Offense X 84 Jason Rivers 6-1 189 So. H 2 Chad Owens 5-9 177 Sr. LT 70 Tala Esera 6-3 291 So. LG 64 Samson Satele 6-2 278 So. C 59 Derek Fa'avi 6-0 271 Jr. RG 69 Uriah Moenoa 6-2 336 Sr. RT 66 Brandon Eaton 6-2 291 Jr. Y 38 Gerald Welch 5-7 216 Sr. Z 9 Britton Komine 5-10 188 Sr. QB 14 Tim Chang 6-1 196 Sr. RB 6 Michael Brewster 5-5 185 Sr. Defense LE 98 Mel Purcell 6-4 266 Jr. or 91 Ikaika Alama-Francis 6-6 215 So. LT 99 Lui Fuga 6-1 294 Sr. RT 91 Matt Faga 6-2 324 Sr. RE 90 Tony Akpan 6-6 274 Jr. LB 5 Chad Kapanui 6-0 226 Sr. LB 51 Ikaika Curnan 5-10 221 Jr. or 55 Watson Ho'ohuli 5-11 222 Sr. LB 50 Lincoln Manutai 6-0 228 Sr. or 43 Brad Kalilimoku 5-11 201 Fr. CB 37 Abraham Elimimian 5-10 185 Sr. S 42 Leonard Peters 6-1 184 Jr. S 22 Lamar Broadway 5-11 175 Jr. or 9 Matt Manuma 6-1 205 Sr. CB 24 Kenny Patton 6-0 187 Sr. or 10 Turmarian Moreland 6-0 194 Jr. Specialists P 25 Kurt Milne 6-0 196 So. K 47 Justin Ayat 6-0 201 Sr. Snap 61 Bryce Runge 5-11 236 Jr. PR 2 Chad Owens 5-9 177 Sr. KR 21 Jason Ferguson 5-5 157 Fr. Hold 25 Kurt Milne 6-0 196 So. BOISE STATE Offense X 89 T.J. Acree 5-10 178 Sr. Z 11 Drisan James 5-11 187 So. LT 73 Daryn Colledge 6-5 291 Jr. LG 66 Tad Miller 6-4 270 Fr. C 65 Klayton Adams 5-10 293 Sr. RG 70 M.J. Ansel 6-3 289 Sr. RT 54 Jeff Cavender 6-2 275 Fr. TE 80 Andy Weldon 6-3 246 Sr. QB 5 Jared Zabransky 6-1 197 So. TB 17 Lee Marks 5-7 179 Jr. FB 34 Brad Lau 5-11 246 So. Defense LE 92 Julius Roberts 6-5 245 Sr. LT 57 Andrew Browning 6-0 272 So. RT 99 Alex Guerrero 6-1 286 Jr. RE 96 Mike Williams 6-4 295 So. LB 31 Colt Brooks 6-0 209 So. or 49 Jared Hunter 6-4 221 So. LB 25 Korey Hall 6-1 231 So. LB 40 Andy Avalos 5-10 220 Sr. ROV 37 Austin Smith 5-9 166 Fr. FS 28 Deshan Cabaong 6-1 200 Sr. LC 16 Gabe Franklin 5-10 185 Sr. RC 18 Gerald Alexander 5-11 192 Sr. Specialists K 85 Tyler Jones 6-1 198 Sr. P 42 Kyle Stringer 5-8 193 So. LS 50 Mike Dominguez 6-2 245 So. SS 65 Klayton Adams 5-10 293 Sr. Hold 2 Mike Sanford 6-4 211 Sr. KR 15 Mark Onibokun 6-0 198 Sr. and 23 Quinton Jones 5-9 184 So. PR 37 Austin Smith 5-9 166 Fr.
Schedules
HAWAII (3-3, 3-2 WAC) Sept. 4 Florida Atlantic L, 35-28 (OT) Sept. 18 at Rice L, 41-29 Oct. 2 Tulsa W, 44-16 Oct. 9 Nevada W, 48-26 Oct. 16 Texas-El Paso L, 51-20 Oct. 23 San Jose State W, 46-28 Today at Boise State Nov. 6 Louisiana Tech Nov. 12 at Fresno State Nov. 20 Idaho Nov. 27 Northwestern Dec. 4 Michigan State BOISE STATE (7-0, 5-0 WAC) Sept. 4 Idaho W, 65-7 Sept. 10 Oregon State W, 53-34 Sept. 18 Texas-El Paso W, 47-31 Sept. 24 Brigham Young W, 28-27 Oct. 2 Southern Methodist W, 38-20 Oct. 16 at Tulsa W, 45-42 Oct. 23 Fresno State W, 33-16 Today Hawaii Nov. 13 at San Jose State Nov. 20 Louisiana Tech Nov. 27 at Nevada
Statistical Comparison
UH Category BSU 35.8 Scoring 44.1 99.7 Rushing 200.0 347.3 Passing 281.7 447.0 Total Offense 481.7 22.3 First Downs 26.3 5.5 FD Rushing 12.0 15.3 FD Passing 12.4 1.5 FD Penalty 1.9 32.8 Points Allowed 25.3 222.0 Rushing Allowed 62.9 210.3 Passing Allowed 265.0 432.3 Total Offense Allowed 327.9 (above stats are per-game averages) 11-50 Interceptions -- Yards 11-99 39.6 Punting 42.3 39-338 Penalties 47-388 11-3 Fumbles-lost 16-6 26:56 Ave. Time of Possession 34:47 32-78 Third Down Conversion 47-105 2-8 Fourth Down Conversion 11-15
Key Players
Rushing A Yards Avg TD Michael Brewster, UH 49 357 7.3 5 West Keli'ikipi, UH 21 121 5.8 3 Lee Marks, BSU 114 529 4.6 0 Antwaun Carter, BSU 51 198 3.9 6 Passing A C I Yards TD Tim Chang, UH 282 166 3 1,977 15 Kainoa Akina, UH 16 7 2 84 0 Jared Zabransky, BSU 200 129 8 1,803 11 Mike Sanford, BSU 15 7 1 112 0 Receiving Rec Yards Avg TD Chad Owens, UH 47 516 11.0 6 Britton Komine, UH 29 490 26.9 2 T.J. Acree, BSU 29 531 18.3 6 Drisan James, BSU 27 372 13.8 1 Tackles S A Tot FL/S Leonard Peters, UH 29 20 49 4.5/0 Tanuvasa Moe, UH 23 21 44 5/2 Mel Purcell, UH 23 12 35 10/4 Abraham Elimimian, UH 27 7 34 .5/.5 Chad Kapanui, UH 17 14 31 3/1 Andy Avalos, BSU 26 24 50 3.5/2 Korey Hall, BSU 24 24 48 6.5/3 Deshan Cabaong, BSU 19 10 29 1/0 Gabe Franklin, BSU 14 11 25 1.5/1 Gerald Alexander, BSU 18 5 23 0.5/0 Alex Guerrero, BSU 12 11 23 6/2.5
WAC Standings
Conference Overall W L Pct W L Pct Str Boise State 4 0 1.000 7 0 1.000 W18 UTEP 3 1 .750 5 2 .714 W4 Louisiana Tech 3 1 .750 4 4 .500 L1 Hawaii 3 2 .600 3 3 .500 W1 Nevada 2 2 .500 4 4 .500 W2 Rice 2 2 .500 3 4 .429 L2 San Jose State 1 2 .333 2 4 .333 L2 SMU 1 3 .250 1 6 .143 L3 Fresno State 0 3 .000 3 3 .500 L3 Tulsa 0 3 .000 1 6 .167 L3 Today's game
Hawaii at Boise StateTomorrow's games
UTEP at San Jose State
Rice at Tulsa
SMU at Fresno State
