Sonny Lubick Louis " Sonny " Lubick ( born March 12 , 1937 ) was the 15th head football coach at Colorado State University from 1993 to 2007 . Far and away the winningest coach in school history , Lubick won or shared six Western Athletic Conference or Mountain West Conference titles , guided the program to nine bowl game s and was named National Coach of the Year by " Sports Illustrated " in 1994 . Lubick ' s success has made him the most recognizable figure in the CSU and Fort Collins community , so much so that when Pat Stryker , 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 field be named after Lubick . The stadium is as a result now known as Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium . As a result of the donation , CSU added 4 , 400 new seats and jumbo - tron scoreboard in 2004 , new press box and suites in 2005 , and new synthetic field turf in 2006 . Montana State . A native of Butte , Montana , and a graduate from Western Montana in 1960 , Lubick ' s coaching career began in Bozeman as an assistant coach at Montana State in 1970 . After eight seasons with the Bobcats , Lubick was named head coach at Montana State prior to the 1978 season . Lubick ' s first season was wildly successful , as the Bobcats finished 8 – 2 overall and second place in the Division I - AA Big Sky Conference at 4 – 2 . The following year the Bobcats won the Big Sky with a 6 – 1 league record ( 6 – 4 overall ) . The following two years , however , would see a decline . In 1980 , Montana State plummeted from first to sixth place in the Big Sky , finishing the season 4 – 6 and 3 – 4 in league play . Despite his popularity in Bozeman , Lubick was fired after the 1981 season after the Bobcats fell to 3 – 7 . Assistant coach . Following his dismissal from Montana State , Lubick moved on to the Division I - A ranks as an assistant coach . His first stop was in Fort Collins , Colorado as offensive coordinator for Leon Fuller from 1982 to 1984 . The CSU program was , at the time , generally regarded as one of the worst programs in college football . The Rams had been to just one bowl game in their history , and were coming off a winless 0 – 12 season in 1981 . Though CSU wasn ' t overly successful in his three years , 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 , Lubick was hired by Stanford University as an assistant coach , a position he would hold through the 1988 season . In 1988 , Lubick joined Dennis Erickson ' s coaching staff at the University of Miami as the Hurricanes ' defensive coordinator . While at Miami , Lubick molded a tough and physical Hurricane defense that featured the likes of Cortez Kennedy and Russell Maryland . Miami won two national championship s in Lubick ' s four years as an assistant . 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 , that featured the school ' s first ever bowl win ( 32 – 31 over Oregon in the 1990 Freedom Bowl ) , 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 Florida head coach Urban Meyer , and began aggressively recruiting and attempting to change CSU ' s image . Lubick ' s debut in 1993 was far from spectacular . After starting 1 – 4 the Rams won three consecutive games to finish the season 5 – 6 , providing hope that the program was headed in the right direction . The " right direction " would take Colorado State to heights they had never seen before 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 in Tucson , Arizona . Known for their vaunted " Desert Swarm " defense , Arizona had been picked by Sports Illustrated and several other publications 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 engineered the greatest upset in the program ' s history 21 – 16 . Near - rioting broke out in Fort Collins as a result of celebrations from students and fans . A victory the following week over UTEP set up a nationally televised showdown with Utah , also undefeated , at Hughes Stadium . With extra bleachers brought in to 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 that sealed CSU ' s first ever outright WAC championship ( Utah lost twice more during the regular season following their win at CSU ) . The victory earned Colorado State their first - ever trip to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego , California , where the Rams lost a hard fought 24 – 14 affair to Michigan . 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 ten straight winning seasons under Lubick , and also earned him National Coach of the Year honors from " Sports Illustrated " . 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 conference 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 51 – 24 . 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 , Oregon , Nebraska , and Wyoming would lead to CSU not earning a bowl invitation . 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 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 , the WAC Offensive Player of the Year , running back Kevin McDougal , and future Pittsburgh Steeler linebackers Joey Porter and Clark Haggans , Colorado State stormed through the rest of league play , with a 14 – 7 victory at Wyoming October 18 the closest they came to defeat . Winning their second outright WAC title , the Rams once again went to the Holiday Bowl , this time facing the Missouri Tigers . 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 be 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 . But 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 , Colorado State , BYU , Utah , San Diego State , Wyoming , New Mexico , UNLV ) , upset over conference expansion that threatened to balloon travel costs and breakup long standing regional rivalries , broke away from the conference and formed a new league , the Mountain West Conference . 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 from Boulder , the Colorado Buffaloes . 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 , was played at a neutral site , Mile High Stadium in Denver 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 and Air Force also complete the " Front Range " sweep , and the Rams finished 8 – 4 again , this time tying for the Mountain West title . CSU was invited to the Liberty Bowl , but lost to Southern Mississippi 23 – 17 . 2000 – 2005 . In 2000 Lubick ' s Rams , led primarily by Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year Matt Newton , 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 . With the graduation of several key seniors , and the preseason loss of starting running back Cecil Sapp to injury , Lubick faced a rebuilding year in 2001 . The Rams still managed a 7 – 5 finish and a 45 – 20 New Orleans Bowl victory over North Texas . 2001 was also notable for the emergence of quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt . A transfer from Michigan State , 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 Buffalo 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 ' 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 . 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 against Colorado 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 yardline 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 on September 3 . Leading 21 – 10 after three quarters , three interceptions allowed CU to tie the game , and Mason Crosby 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 , 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 . However , a blowout 56 – 32 loss to the Naval Academy in the Poinsettia Bowl 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 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 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 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 a 1 , 000 yards and figured to be the centerpiece in CSU ' s offense . The Rams defeated Weber State 30 – 6 , but lost another starter prior to their game against the arch rival University of Colorado on September 9 , this time due to 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 the following week , CSU rebounded with a road win at Fresno State and homecoming win against UNLV to go to 4 – 1 . Playing at in - state rival Air Force 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 in the annual Border War series . Home losses to New Mexico and BYU followed , and the Rams ultimately never recovered . Losses to Utah , TCU , and San Diego State 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 at Invesco Field at Mile High 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 endzone . 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 . 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 mid season . 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 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 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 cooridnator for the NFL ' s Buffalo Bills 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 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 . There is a steakhouse in Downtown Fort Collins named after Lubick — Sonny Lubick Steakhouse .