On Mad Men, you heard about “The Hobo Code,” a concise reference to Don Draper’s nomadic and elusive existence as Dick Whitman. This season, Colorado State football hopes that it will prosper as a result of “The Bobo Code,” Mike Bobo’s venture into the head coaching business in Fort Collins.
Today, Student Section associate editor Terry Johnson started our Bloguin Top 50 for the coming season by previewing the Colorado State Rams. With Bobo moving west and leaving behind his perch in Athens as Mark Richt’s offensive coordinator with the Georgia Bulldogs, it’s worth reviewing how Mountain West head coaches have fared in their first years at new programs since one man made the league a much more attractive stop for aspiring high climbers in the industry.
That man? Urban Meyer, with Utah, in 2003.
The Mountain West Conference has undergone multiple changes over the past decade as a consequence of realignment. Here is a summary of first-year head-coaching records at each program in the conference since Urban did his thing in Salt Lake City 12 years ago:
*
FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACHES AT MOUNTAIN WEST PROGRAMS SINCE 2003
2005
Bronco Mendenhall, BYU: 6-6 (bowl loss)
Mike Sanford, UNLV: 2-9
Kyle Whittingham, Utah: 7-5 (bowl win)
2006
Chuck Long, San Diego State: 3-9
2007
Troy Calhoun, Air Force: 9-4 (bowl loss)
2008
Steve Fairchild, Colorado State: 7-6 (bowl win)
2009
Dave Christensen, Wyoming: 7-6 (bowl win)
Brady Hoke, San Diego State: 4-8
Mike Locksley, New Mexico: 1-11
2010
Bobby Hauck, UNLV: 2-11
2011
Rocky Long, San Diego State: 8-5 (bowl loss)
2012
Norm Chow, Hawaii: 3-9
Bob Davie, New Mexico: 4-9
Tim DeRuyter, Fresno State: 9-4 (bowl loss)
Jim McElwain, Colorado State: 4-8
2013
Ron Caragher, San Jose State: 6-6
Brian Polian, Nevada: 4-8
Matt Wells, Utah State: 9-5 (bowl win)
2014
Craig Bohl, Wyoming: 4-8
Bryan Harsin, Boise State: 12-2 (New Year’s Six bowl win)
*
NOTES
In looking at all the information above, some cumulative stats and observations:
* Chow, DeRuyter, Caragher, and Wells all made their debuts as head coaches in their respective programs’ first seasons as members of the Mountain West.
* 20 coaches have made debuts at Mountain West programs since Urban Meyer did the same at Utah in 2003.
* Number of Mountain West head coaches in 2004 that are still the head coaches at their respective programs: zero.
* Number of Mountain West head coaches in 2004 that are still FBS head coaches: 2 — Rocky Long (then at New Mexico, now at San Diego State) and Urban Meyer (then at Utah, now at Ohio State).
* Number of Mountain West head coaches in 2004 that are still head coaches in the conference: 1 — Long, San Diego State.
* The longest-tenured active head coach currently working at a Mountain West school: Rocky Long, San Diego State — 15 seasons (11 at New Mexico, 4 at San Diego State)
* The longest-tenured active head coaches hired by any Mountain West member since 2003, regardless of current conference affiliation: Tie, Mendenhall (BYU) and Whittingham (Utah), since 2005.
Rocky Long is no longer active at New Mexico, where he spent 10 seasons as a coach in the Mountain West from 1999-2008. Mendenhall and Whittingham have both completed 10 seasons at their current schools, where they still serve. Gary Patterson of TCU spent seven years in the Mountain West, but he was hired before 2003, and when TCU was a member of a different conference as well.
* Coaches on the above list (out of 20) who generally succeeded at their Mountain West programs or have established a strong start: Mendenhall, Whittingham, Calhoun, Hoke, Rocky Long, DeRuyter, McElwain, Wells, Harsin. 9 out of 20.
* Number of coaches on the above list who made a bowl game in their second season on the job after failing to do so in their first seasons: 3 — Hoke, McElwain, and Polian.