On January 16th, Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado announced they hired former Arkansas football coach John L. Smith to head their program. A Skyhawk press release cited Smith’s friendship and previous work with Athletic Director Gary Hunter and President Dene Thomas as the reason he chose to come to the Campus in the Sky.
Hunter stated “Fort Lewis College is making a commitment to football. Many of our other programs have reached the pinnacle of success at the national and regional levels. We want our football alumni and fans to have the opportunity to enjoy that same success.” Hunter added, “Not only has Coach Smith had outstanding success on the field, but he has always stressed the importance of academics and community and campus involvement.”
This past season marked the 49th year that FLC fielded a football team as a four-year college. Over that period they have compiled a 152-322-3 record. They have won 32% of their games and are without a doubt the worst football team in the state.
Said differently the Aggies/Raiders/Skyhawks record can be summed up as follows:
- They have had 9 winning seasons.
- They were never undefeated nor did they ever have a season with one loss.
- On two occasions they were 7-2.
- During their 9 winning seasons they were 55-27-2, or they won 65% of their games. They were impressive.
- During their 40 non-winning seasons they were 97-295-2, or they won almost 25% of their games. They were depressing to watch.
- They had three seasons with no wins and another six seasons with only one win. Those nine seasons they had 6 wins and 80 losses.
In other words, about 20% of the time, the team was successful, about 20% of the time they were an embarrassment, and the rest of the time they were bad.
This discussion of the dismal record posted by the FLC program is not intended as a criticism of the coaches, players, and administration, rather it is a reflection of funds available at the time and priorities of the administration. However, the recent decision to hire a major college coach (who has been a winner overall, but most recently had a losing record at Arkansas) to fill a D2 position raises a number of questions:
- After 49 years, why did FLC suddenly decide to enter the college football “arms race” in its 50th season?
- Why did they let such an unsuccessful program (in terms of wins and losses) go on for so long?
- Will the new and improved football program “lift all boats on campus” and help make Ft. Lewis a world class liberal arts college? Will it help increase enrollment? Will it increase fundraising?
- Will this lead to a campaign for a new stadium, locker rooms, or workout facilities for the football team?
- About 25,000 people live in La Plata County; the college has a small, but slowly growing foundation and alumni base; and tourism is the area’s primary industry. Given scarce resources for Colorado’s small colleges, how is FLC going to pay for its commitment to excellence in football?
- FLC has struggled with its identity. Prior to their move from Hesperus to Durango, they had a rural focus. After relocation, they were recognized for being a party school and a place where Front Range students would attend as a last resort. For many years the unofficial tag line for the school was, “Ski Ft. Lewis and get a degree on the side.” More recently, college officials have tried to market Ft. Lewis as a quality low-cost public liberal arts school. Sports such as lacrosse, cycling, mountain biking, soccer, and field hockey are more in line with that image than football. How does the new-found emphasis on football help add value to the academic balance sheet and image of the college?
- Has Smith resolved his bankruptcy case in Arkansas with integrity?
- Does anybody in Colorado remember the name Chuck Fairbanks?
Hopefully this works for the Skyhawks.