This past football season marked the 49th year that Fort Lewis College fielded a football team as a four-year college. Over that period they have won one conference championship and were victors in 32%, 152-322-3, of their games. On the field, they are the Chicago Cubs of Colorado football.
Earlier this year school leaders decided that it was time to enter the college athletics arms race by hiring former Arkansas football coach John L. Smith to head their program. Smith is reportedly being paid $67,000 a year to hunt, fish, ski, and coach football in Durango. (This is in line with FLC’s unofficial tagline, “Ski FLC and get a degree on the side”.)
This past summer Smith was interviewed for an article, “Mr. Smith Comes to Durango,” in The FLC Foundation Report – Summer 2013. In that piece Smith, outlined his three-step blueprint for bringing a Division 2 National Championship to the Campus in the Sky. The steps are:
- Recruit players from all of Colorado and parts of New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. Oh, and don’t forget to include Amarillo and Dallas. He also plans to focus on Native American tribes across the country. The coach indicated that it is important to recruit from within the region, so parents can get to Durango easily to watch their kids play.
- Provide a stable base for players by maintaining a quality and consistent coaching staff.
- Refine and upgrade facilities, in particular a an artificial turf, better stadium lights, and more weight rooms. FLC’s stadium holds 3,000 people and historically has more empty seats than spectators.
Smith pointed to the importance of academics because Division II players have a smaller chance of playing professionally. In other words, the need for a degree is much greater for FLC athletes than those at Division I schools.
The article sounds like spin that has been manufactured to justify the decision to hire Smith. Hopefully it will prove to be a decision that benefits the students and the college. Go Skyhawks!