Sonny Lubick
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Louis Matthew "Sonny" Lubick (born March 12, 1937) is a retired
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
coach. He was the 15th head football coach at
Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...
from 1993 to 2007. Lubick won or shared six
Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...
or
Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations o ...
titles, guided the program to nine
bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
s and was named National Coach of the Year by ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' in 1994. Lubick's success has made him one of the most recognizable figures in the CSU and
Fort Collins A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
community, so much so that when
Pat Stryker Patricia A. Stryker (born 1956/1957) is an American billionaire businessperson, philanthropist, and political activist. Stryker is the granddaughter of Homer Stryker, founder of Stryker Corporation, a medical technology company. Since the early ...
, head of the Bohemian Foundation, decided to donate $15.2 million toward extensive renovations of Hughes Stadium, she did so with the stipulation that the playing surface be named after Lubick. The stadium was then known as
Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium was an outdoor college football stadium in the western United States, located in Fort Collins, Colorado. It was the home field of the Colorado State Rams of the Mountain West Conference from 1968 through 2016; ...
until its closure after the
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
season. As a result of the donation, CSU added 4,400 new seats and a video scoreboard in 2004, a new press box and suites in 2005, and a new FieldTurf surface in 2006. In 2016, the university announced that the playing surface at its new football stadium, which opened in 2017 as Colorado State Stadium and is now known as
Canvas Stadium Canvas Stadium, officially Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium, is an outdoor college football stadium in the Western United States, western United States, located on the campus of Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, Colorado. The h ...
, would also be known as "Sonny Lubick Field", following an anonymous $20 million donation for that specific purpose.


Montana State

A native of
Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...
, and a graduate from
Western Montana Western Montana is the western region of the U.S. state of Montana. The most restrictive definition limits western Montana only to the parts of the state west of the Continental Divide. Other common definitions add in the mountainous areas east ...
in 1960, Lubick coached football at Butte High School for eight years, the last two as head coach. His collegiate coaching career began in Bozeman as an assistant at
Montana State Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fiel ...
in 1970 under head coach
Tom Parac Tom Parac (born c. 1931) is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Montana State University from 1968 to 1970, compiling a record of 9–20. Parac was the athletic d ...
.
Sonny Holland Allyn A. "Sonny" Holland (March 22, 1938 – December 3, 2022) was an American football player and coach. He was the head coach at his alma mater, Montana State University in Bozeman, from 1971 to 1977. Holland led the Bobcats to two Big Sky ...
became the head coach in 1971 and led the program for seven seasons, which included a
Big Sky Conference The Big Sky Conference (BSC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. Member institutions are located in the western United States in the eigh ...
title and the Division II national title in
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
. Following Holland's retirement announcement a year later, Lubick was named head coach at MSU in Lubick's first season in 1978 was wildly successful, as the Bobcats finished overall in the new
Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...
and second place in the Big Sky at The following year, the Bobcats won the Big Sky with a league record, but were overall and not invited to the four-team playoffs. The following two years saw decline. In 1980, Montana State plummeted from first to sixth place in the Big Sky, finishing at and in league play. The Bobcats fell to in 1981, and despite his popularity in Bozeman, Lubick was fired.


Assistant coach

Lubick moved on to the
Division I-A The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
ranks as an assistant coach. His first stop was at Colorado State as offensive coordinator for
Leon Fuller Robert Leon Fuller (July 28, 1938) is a former American football coach. He served as head coach of the Colorado State college football program from 1982 to 1988. Fuller also served as defensive coordinator for the Texas Texas (, ; Sp ...
from 1982 to 1984. At the time, the CSU program generally regarded as one of the worst programs in
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
. The Rams had been to just one bowl game in their history, and were coming off a winless season in 1981. CSU wasn't overly successful in Lubick's three years as offensive coordinator, winning only 12 games total and only once getting to .500 in WAC play. Nonetheless, Lubick was a popular and likable figure in the Fort Collins and university community, something that would ultimately benefit him later in life. In
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, Lubick was hired by
Jack Elway Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
at
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
as an assistant coach. In 1989, Lubick joined
Dennis Erickson Dennis Brian Erickson (born March 24, 1947) is an American football coach who most recently served as the head coach for the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football league. He was also the head coach at the University of Idaho ( ...
's coaching staff at the
University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
as the
Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
'
defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
. While at Miami, Lubick molded a tough and physical Hurricane defense that featured the likes of
Cortez Kennedy Cortez Kennedy (August 23, 1968 May 23, 2017) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle for his entire 11-season career with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro ...
and
Russell Maryland Russell James Maryland (born March 22, 1969) is a former professional American football player. He played defensive tackle for ten seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He w ...
. Miami won two
national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
s in Lubick's four years there.


Colorado State


1993–1994

Lubick returned to Colorado State in 1993 as head coach. Little had changed at CSU since Lubick had left the program a decade earlier. There had been a brief period of success under Lubick's predecessor,
Earle Bruce Earle Bruce (March 8, 1931 – April 20, 2018) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Tampa (1972), Iowa State University (1973–1978), Ohio State University (1979–1987), the University of N ...
, that featured the school's first-ever bowl win (32–31 over
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
in the 1990
Freedom Bowl The Freedom Bowl was an annual post-season college football bowl game played at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, from 1984 to 1994. The bowl frequently invited a team from the Western Athletic Conference to compete against an at-large opp ...
), but CSU was still considered a graveyard for college football. Since 1960, the program had recorded just seven winning seasons, and in that same span, the program had three winless seasons. Considering it a challenge, Lubick accepted the head coaching position at Colorado State prior to the 1993 season. Faced with a culture of losing, Lubick assembled a staff of assistants that included eventual
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
head coach
Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a college football TV commentator and former American football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons fro ...
and began aggressively recruiting and attempting to change CSU's image. Considering the dreadful state of the program he'd inherited, Lubick made the Rams respectable fairly quickly. After starting 1–4 in his first season, the Rams won three consecutive games to finish the season 5–6, providing hope that the program was headed in the right direction. However, not even the most optimistic Rams fan anticipated what happened in 1994. Led by a defense that featured future NFL players Sean Moran and Brady Smith, Colorado State flew out of the gate 6–0 heading into a key game on October 8 against the #4
Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...
in
Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
. Known for their vaunted "Desert Swarm" defense, Arizona had been picked by several publications, including ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'', to win the national championship, but it was CSU that took a stunning 14–6 lead. With Arizona driving to the CSU 21 in the second half, Garrett Sand forced a fumble that Moran recovered and ran back 79 yards for a touchdown. Regarded simply as "The Play" in CSU football history, the return ended up being the game-winning score, as Lubick and the Rams went on to win 21–16–at the time, the biggest upset in school history. Near-rioting broke out in Fort Collins as a result of celebrations from students and fans. A victory the following week over
UTEP The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stu ...
set up a nationally televised showdown with
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, also undefeated, at Hughes Stadium. With extra bleachers brought into the 30,000 seat facility, a crowd of 39,107, the largest in Hughes Stadium history, witnessed a heartbreaking 45–31 shootout loss. Despite the setback, the Rams recovered to win their final three games, including a dramatic 44–42 comeback win at
Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...
that sealed CSU's first-ever WAC championship (Utah lost twice more during the regular season following their win at CSU), and their first conference title of any sort since winning the 1955
Skyline Conference The Skyline Conference is a college athletic conference based in the New York City area that competes in the NCAA's Division III. The league was originally chartered on May 16, 1989, as a men's basketball conference and now sponsors 17 sports (ni ...
title. The victory earned Colorado State their first-ever trip to the
Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played in San Diego since 1978. San Diego County Credit Union has been the game's title sponsor since 2017, and the bowl has b ...
in
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, where the Rams lost a hard-fought 24–14 affair to
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
. Though the season ended on a down note, the Rams' 10 wins were a program record for victories in a single season. The 10–2 campaign was the start of 10 straight winning seasons under Lubick, and also earned him National Coach of the Year honors from ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
''.


1995–1999

Lubick's Rams followed up their breakout campaign in 1994 with a strong 1995 season. With Smith earning WAC defensive player of the year honors, and safety Greg Myers earning All American honors for a second straight year, CSU finished the 1995 season with an 8–4 mark and a share of the WAC title. The Rams were once again invited to the Holiday Bowl, but this time they were downed by the Kansas State Wildcats by a score of 54–21. In 1996, the Rams posted another winning season, finishing 7–5 and tied for second place in the WAC. However, a lack of quality wins, and losses to
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
,
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
,
Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
, and
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
kept the Rams out of a bowl game. The 1997 season also got off to a difficult start. Colorado State blew a halftime lead against arch-rival Colorado in their second game to lose 31–21. Two weeks later, the Rams suffered a 24–0 shutout loss at home against
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
to fall to 2–2. It would be the last game Lubick's Rams lost for the rest of the season. Led by quarterback
Moses Moreno Moses Nathaniel Moreno (born September 5, 1975) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 7th round (232nd overall) in the 1998 NFL Draft out of Colorado State. He attended Castle Park High School, w ...
, the WAC Offensive Player of the Year, running back Kevin McDougal, and future
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
linebackers
Joey Porter Joseph Eugene Porter (born March 22, 1977) is an American former football outside linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), and is a former outside linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After playing coll ...
and
Clark Haggans Clark Cromwell Haggans (born January 10, 1977) is a former American football outside linebacker. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado State as a defensive e ...
, Colorado State stormed through the rest of league play, with a 14–7 victory at
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
October 18 the closest they came to defeat. After defeating New Mexico in the WAC Championship Game, the Rams once again went to the Holiday Bowl, this time facing the
Missouri Tigers The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the Fighting Tigers of Columbia who, in 1864, protected Columbia fro ...
. Down three at halftime, CSU scored 21 second-half points to defeat the Tigers 35–24, netting Lubick his first-ever bowl victory, extending a school record nine-game winning streak (the streak would end at ten in 1998), and finishing what is still the greatest season in school history at 11–2. During this period of success, Lubick reportedly received interest and coaching offers from several other high-profile programs, including Miami and
USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...
. But the commitment to his program, and intense efforts from fans to keep the lovable coach in Fort Collins, lead to Lubick staying at CSU each time. In 1998, Lubick's Rams finished 8–4 and third in the WAC but were not invited to a postseason bowl. Prior to the 1999 season, eight member schools of the WAC (
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
, Colorado State,
BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
,
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
,
San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
,
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
,
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
,
UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...
), upset over conference expansion that threatened to balloon travel costs and break up longstanding regional rivalries, broke away from the conference and formed a new league, the
Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations o ...
. But 1999 would be memorable for Ram fans for another reason. Since the day they began playing football, CSU had more often than not failed to beat their in-state rivals, the
Colorado Buffaloes The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffalo ...
. With superior resources and (since moving to the Big Eight in 1947) playing in a superior league, Colorado often overshadowed Colorado State. Lubick had gone 0–3 in his first three games against Colorado. On September 4 the game, dubbed the
Rocky Mountain Showdown The Rocky Mountain Showdown is the name given to the Colorado–Colorado State football rivalry. It is an American college football intrastate rivalry between the University of Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State University Rams; the winn ...
, was played at a neutral site,
Mile High Stadium Mile High Stadium (originally Bears Stadium until 1968) was an outdoor multi-purpose stadium located in Denver, Colorado from 1948 to 2001. The stadium was built in 1948 to accommodate the Denver Bears baseball team, which was a member of the ...
in
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
for the second straight year, and the Rams were once again considered underdogs against the ranked Buffaloes. However, behind 189 rushing yards and two touchdowns from McDougal, the Rams blew out the Buffaloes 41–14, marking the first time in 13 years that CSU had beaten their in-state rivals. The victory was seen by many as the final step in CSU's ascension to legitimacy. Victories over
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
and Air Force also completed the "
Front Range The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado, and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountere ...
" sweep, and the Rams finished 8–4 again, this time tying for the Mountain West title. CSU was invited to the
Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in late December or early January since 1959. For its first five years, it was played at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia before being held at Atlantic City ...
, but lost to
Southern Miss The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...
23–17.


2000–2005

In 2000 Lubick's Rams, led primarily by Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year
Matt Newton Matthew Newton (born May 11, 1977) is an American actor, filmmaker and acting coach. Personal life Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Newton was raised in Guilford, Connecticut. He is the son of Thomas Newton and Jennifer Newton (nee. Chase), who ...
, defeated Colorado for the second straight season 28–24. The victory was the catalyst for a 10–2 season that included an outright Mountain West title and a 22–17 Liberty Bowl victory over
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
. With the graduation of several key seniors and the preseason loss of starting running back
Cecil Sapp Cecil Sapp (born December 23, 1978) is a former American football Fullback (American football), fullback. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Colorado State Rams football, Colorado ...
to injury, Lubick faced a rebuilding year in 2001. The Rams still managed a 7–5 finish and a 45–20
New Orleans Bowl The New Orleans Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2001. It is normally held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans; when the Superdome and the rest of the city suffered damage due to ...
victory over
North Texas North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wor ...
. 2001 was also notable for the emergence of quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt. A transfer from
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
, Van Pelt's dual-threat capability as a running and passing quarterback would make him a two-time conference player of the year. But it was his game in 2002 against Colorado that made Van Pelt a cult hero in Fort Collins. After losing to CU in 2001, Van Pelt and the Rams, bolstered by the return of Sapp, went into their Rocky Mountain Showdown heavy underdogs against a Buffaloes team ranked sixth in the nation. Trailing 14–13 late in the fourth quarter, Van Pelt broke loose on a 26-yard touchdown run. As he neared the goal line, Van Pelt turned and spiked the football off of CU cornerback
Roderick Sneed Roderick, Rodrick or Roderic (Proto-Germanic ''*wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/Hrōþirīks, Hrōþirīks'', from ''*wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hrōþiz, hrōþiz'' "fame, glory" + ''*wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/rīks, ríks'' ...
's helmet as he scored what would be the game-winning touchdown. Following the game, Van Pelt called CU "the sorriest sixth-ranked team in the nation he had ever faced". It was the second biggest upset in school history, and further added to Van Pelt's following in Fort Collins. Though the outspoken quarterback occasionally gave Lubick problems, the 2002 season would be another banner season. With Sapp setting the school single-season rushing record, the Rams finished 2002 with a 10–4 record and another Mountain West Conference title. The 2003 Ram football team was considered by many to be the best team in Lubick's tenure, if not all of CSU history, prior to the season. Though Sapp was gone, Van Pelt and many other seniors returned, and high-profile Colorado-transfer Marcus Houston was added to the mix. The Rams entered the season ranked 24th in the nation and with hopes of cracking the
Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of American college football, including ...
. Those hopes were quickly dashed when the Rams were upset in their opener by CU 42–35. Though CSU did make a bowl game for the fifth straight season, the Rams' 7–6 finish was the start of a down period for Lubick and his program. With Van Pelt gone, CSU faced another rebuilding year in 2004. A particularly devastating loss at
Folsom Field Folsom Field is an outdoor college football stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder. It is the home field of the Colorado Buffaloes of the Pac-12 Conference. Opened in 1924, th ...
against
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
on September 4, in which Lubick later admitted to mismanaging CSU's final series that ended in the Rams failing in three plays from CU's one-yard line to score what would have been a game-winning touchdown in a 27–24 loss, led to a 4–7 finish, the worst year in Lubick's tenure. The 2005 season started once again with another devastating loss at
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
on September 3. Leading 21–10 after three quarters, three interceptions allowed CU to tie the game, and
Mason Crosby Mason Walker Crosby (born September 3, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado, and earned unanimous All-American honors. The Packers chos ...
kicked a game-winning 47-yard field goal with five seconds left to give the Buffs a 31–28 win. This time the Rams regrouped. Behind school record-setting wide receiver
David Anderson David Anderson may refer to: People In academia or science *David Anderson (academic) (born 1952), American college professor *David Anderson (engineer) (1880–1953), Scottish civil engineer and lawyer *David Anderson, 2nd Viscount Waverley (1911 ...
, and buoyed by the surprising emergence of thousand yard sophomore running back Kyle Bell, CSU finished the regular season 6–5 and tied for second place in the Mountain West. One of the highlights of the 2005 season was the Rams maintaining the Bronze Boot with a 39–31 victory over Wyoming in Fort Collins. However, a blowout 51–30 loss to
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
in the
Poinsettia Bowl The Poinsettia Bowl was a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played in San Diego, California, United States from 2005 to 2016. The game was originally played from 1952 to 1955 between military service ...
seemed to be another setback.


2006–2008

Following the 2005 season, Lubick signed a three-year contract extension that would have made him CSU's coach through the 2009 season. Unfortunately, the Lubick family was dealt a difficult blow in the offseason. In February, Lubick's youngest son, Marc, was diagnosed with
Rhabdomyosarcoma Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a highly aggressive form of cancer that develops from mesenchymal cells that have failed to fully differentiate into myocytes of skeletal muscle. Cells of the tumor are identified as rhabdomyoblasts. There are four subt ...
cancer. The younger Lubick had just finished his first season as Colorado State's wide receivers coach, a position he took over after his brother Matt left the program in 2005 after spending the previous four seasons coaching that position under his father. Marc Lubick underwent
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
and coached during the 2006 season. The Rams entered the 2006 season with high hopes, but on and off-field problems quickly beset the program. Just three days prior to the season-opening game against
Weber State Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...
on September 2, preseason all-conference back Kyle Bell was lost for the season with a torn ACL during a practice. A sophomore in 2005, Bell had run for over 1,000 yards and figured to be the centerpiece of CSU's offense. The Rams defeated Weber State 30–6 but lost another starter prior to their game against archrival
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
on September 9, this time due to a scandal. Several players, including preseason All-MWC cornerback Robert Herbert, were suspended indefinitely from the program after being charged with fraud in a campus check-cashing scandal. Herbert had arguably been the team's best defender in 2005. Despite these losses, however, the Rams started the 2006 season strong. On September 9, after three years of frustratingly close losses, the Rams defeated their in-state rival CU 14–10 at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium. After dropping a 28–10 decision at
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
the following week, CSU rebounded with a road win at
Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...
and homecoming win against
UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...
to go to 4–1. Playing at in-state rival
Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
on October 12, the Rams opened up a 21–3 halftime lead and appeared to be well on their way to a fifth victory. However, the Falcons rallied for 21 unanswered points and came back to defeat CSU 24–21. The loss was the beginning of one of the worst slides in Lubick's tenure. The following week Colorado State was shut out 24–0 at
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
in the annual Border War series. Home losses to
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
and
BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
followed, and the Rams ultimately never recovered. Losses to
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, TCU, and
San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
concluded a season-ending, seven-game losing streak, leaving CSU 4–8 and tied for last place in the Mountain West, by far the worst year in Lubick's tenure and leading some fans and followers to question whether Lubick should be retained or released. Lubick's 14th season got an immediate boost with the return of Bell. With their all-conference halfback in the fold, as well as the most seniors returning in Lubick's tenure, the Rams had a team that figured to rebound from the dismal 2006 season. But a difficult early schedule challenged CSU. Opening against
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
at
Invesco Field at Mile High Empower Field at Mile High (previously known as Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Invesco Field at Mile High and Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, New Mile High or Mile High Stadium) is an American football stadium ...
, the Rams had a familiar finish against their in-state rival. Despite big games from Bell and Kory Sperry, CSU squandered an 11-point 3rd quarter lead and went into overtime. On their possession, Caleb Hanie threw an interception in the end zone. CU would win in overtime, 31–28. Following the CU loss, Colorado State faced one of its most daunting home games ever against then-10th ranked
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The Bears were heavily favored but Colorado State, playing in its home opener, was game. CSU lost a thriller 34–28, their 9th straight loss dating back to 2006. Even worse, the bizarre chain of season-ending ACL injuries to key players continued when Sperry was lost with a torn ACL during the game. It was the 3rd straight season a key player for the Rams had been lost to the injury. Losses continued to mount. Dating back to 2006, CSU lost 11 straight games before defeating UNLV at midseason. Colorado State finished the season 3–9, a new low in the Lubick tenure. The lone bright spot of the year came at the end of the season when the Rams regained the Bronze Boot with a 36–28 win over
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
at Hughes Stadium. It would end up being the final game in Lubick's tenure at CSU. On November 26, 2007, just 3 days after the Wyoming win, it was announced that Lubick was being relieved of his duties as head coach. Colorado State University Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk announced that Lubick has been offered a
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...
position as senior associate athletic director, focused on fundraising and serving as a goodwill ambassador for Rams athletics. Lubick was replaced by Steve Fairchild, a former Lubick assistant who returned after serving as offensive coordinator for the NFL's
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
. Lubick's tenure at Colorado State was one of the most successful rebuilding projects in college football history. When he arrived in 1993, he inherited a program that had been to only two bowl games in its entire history and had only cracked the eight-win barrier six times. He left it as a regional powerhouse with six conference titles (four outright, two shared). He also led the Rams to nine bowl games (winning three) and four 10-win seasons. On February 2, 2008, the Rocky Mountain News reported that Lubick had declined the university's offer to remain in a fundraising role. The paper quoted a source as saying Lubick, 70, had talked with
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
coach Urban Meyer about joining the Gators' staff. Meyer was an assistant under Lubick in the early 1990s. The job was reported to involve breaking down film and helping with recruiting. However, Lubick did not take that job, and remained in Fort Collins, working with several local businesses, and opening a restaurant (Sonny Lubick Steakhouse) in downtown Fort Collins.


Personal life

Lubick was born to mother Francis and Doc Lubick in Butte, Montana. He grew up with older sister Elizabeth, and younger siblings Donna and Jimmy. Lubick is married to wife Carol Jo and has three children: daughter Michelle, and sons Matt and Marc, both of whom have been assistant coaches under their father. In fact, his son, Matt Lubick was the offensive coordinator for the
Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the West Division of the Big Ten. Nebraska plays its home games at Memorial Stadium ...
team. There is a steakhouse in Downtown Fort Collins named after Lubick – Sonny Lubick Steakhouse.Sonny Lubick Steakhouse web site
/ref> In Butte, Sonny was a friend and classmate of
Evel Knievel Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel (; October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007) was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Over the course of his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. Knievel was inducted into the Motor ...
.


Head coaching record


College


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lubick, Sonny 1937 births Living people Colorado State Rams football coaches Miami Hurricanes football coaches Montana State Bobcats football coaches Stanford Cardinal football coaches Coaches of American football from Montana Sportspeople from Butte, Montana American people of Croatian descent