FORT COLLINS — Steve Addazio was all about the love Thursday. Well, except for the Wyoming Cowboys. To heck with them.
“I think I’m going to take a page out of Urban (Meyer’s) book and I’m not even going to mention the name,” the new CSU Rams football coach said at a news conference at Canvas Stadium, to the delight of the fans and staffers in attendance. “We’ll just to refer to (them) as ‘That Team Up North.’ I’ll make that reference.
“I know the Border War … I know how important the Colorado game is and the Air Force game is. I understand the importance of those rivalries. And we’re going to get that Boot, and we’re going to bring it back here and that’s going to be important.”
The 60-year-old Addazio, a lifetime east-coaster who admitted he had never been to Canvas before Wednesday, wasted no time touching on the notes that mean the most to Rams faithful as he was introduced to Front Range fans and media as Mike Bobo’s replacement.
“I want our program to be a tough program, but also a compassionate program, and welcoming of everyone,” the Connecticut native said. “Our program is going to be based off of love. Love is the fundamental building block of any family. Love builds trust. Trust gives you faith. Faith gives you hope. And hope allows you to persevere.”
With that, athletic director Joe Parker smiled. CSU president Joyce McConnell smiled. Chances are, Urban Meyer smiled. Somewhere.
“I can remember as a young coach, all I heard about was Fort Collins and CSU,” said Addazio, a friend and confidant of Meyer, the former CSU assistant and Ohio State/Florida/Utah coach who university officials confirmed Wednesday was a consultant on this hire.
“I don’t think (Meyer) ever stopped talking about it, to be honest with you. And I’m finally here.”
Addazio was announced as the 23rd football coach on Wednesday, less than two weeks after his dismissal from the same position at Boston College.
“We’re going to build a great football program,” said the new CSU coach, who’d posted a 44-44 record over seven seasons with the Eagles and has a 57-55 career record in nine seasons as an FBS head coach with BC and Temple. “I look forward to growing with this football program.”
The university announced a five-year agreement with a starting base salary of $1.5 million and $50,000 in annual raises for Addazio, who was believed to be one of five finalists for the position, along with former Tennessee/Cincinnati coach Butch Jones and ex-Indiana coach Kevin Wilson.
“I could tell his passion,” McConnell said of Addazio. “Not just for the game, but for the athletes and for helping them become successful. And it’s more than a game on the field. It’s important to win, but it’s important to win with integrity and with the successful lives of the athletes in mind. And I felt like he had all that.”
Addazio also had strong ties to Meyer, having worked on his staff at Florida in a variety of roles, including offensive coordinator, from 2005-10 in Gainesville.
Parker said the 55-year-old Meyer “served as a consultant and an advisor, and just a really good sounding board.
“What makes it really special is that (Meyer) has got a passion for CSU … so he felt really, in a lot of ways, responsible for helping us find someone that he felt, we felt, would be appropriate to lead our program.”
As to where the program goes from here, Addazio said he will consider keeping holdover assistants from Bobo’s staff and hopes to finalize the group within the next 10 days.
Addazio’s son, Louie, was in attendance and is expected to join the staff in some capacity; so, too, is Corey Dennis, a senior quality control coach at Ohio State and Meyer’s son-in-law.
“Chemistry is critical,” Addazio said. “If you want chemistry on your team, it starts with great chemistry on your staff.”
With the early National Signing Day looming next week, the new Rams coach is planning on talking to all of CSU’s 2020 commits either in person or by phone this weekend.
“We’re going to make the best of that over the next two days as we can,” Addazio said. “We’re in this for the long haul; it’s not a wind sprint.”
Especially where Wyoming is concerned.
Er, sorry. We mean, “That Team Up North.”
The Bronze Boot trophy goes to the winner of the Border War between CSU and Wyoming, a series that the Cowboys have won four straight years and eight out of the last 11, including a 17-7 Pokes victory in Laramie on Nov. 22.
From 2015-2019, the Rams have gone 2-13 combined against Wyoming, Air Force and the CU Buffs, the program’s three biggest rivals. Bobo was 0-5 against the Buffs, whom CSU hosts for the first time at Canvas Stadium, Sept. 5 in Addazio’s Rams debut.
“I mean, you set goals,” the new coach said. “And that is the primary goal: to win the opener and beat your rivals.”
Chances are, Rams fans loved hearing that most of all.
