Sunday’s game was probably the most fun for me to watch since the days of Bradlee Van Pelt, and we have Steve Fairchild’s preparation and fresh energy, as well as Sonny Lubick in a way, to thank for that.

After a record of 17-30 in Lubick’s last four years, including a 13-game losing streak from 2006 to 2007, it became painfully clear that the program had stagnated. His recruiting classes declined in terms of overall talent, attendance dropped and local buzz about the program fell to its lowest levels in years.

When a football team lodges itself into a rut, it’s exceedingly rare for it to get out under the same leadership. Keeping an old coach ensures results akin to shoving a square peg into a round hole.

Once in a lifetime, you’ll see the round hole get worn down to let the square peg in (i.e. Clint Hurdle and the 2007 Rockies), but you just can’t count on that every year.

Thankfully, Lubick realized this, and fully cooperated in the school’s negotiations for him to step down with his dignity intact. As a result, the man is still idolized in Fort Collins.

One game into his second season at CSU, coach Fairchild can already say he did something Lubick could not: win in Boulder. The CSU community’s willingness to be patient with him has been greatly reciprocated thus far.

Kevin Hollinshead is a junior political science major. His column appears Mondays in the Collegian. Letters and feedback can be sent to letters@collegian.com.

As soon as the clapping ended after Sunday’s victory over the hated Buffaloes, I heard one Ram fan comment that they were glad CSU let Sonny Lubick go last year.

I loved watching our invigorated team led by coach Steve Fairchild rampage to victory, but wins alone won’t wash away the unpleasant taste left in my mouth after the disgraceful departure of former coach Sonny Lubick from our university.

In our “What have you done for me lately?” society, it is easy to see how fans and administrators grew weary of the slump Lubick’s Rams had fallen into during the middle part of this decade.

However, one must remember that our school was a football graveyard. We had only six winning seasons between 1960 and 1993, when Lubick became head coach. Lubick didn’t just lead us to winning seasons, we appeared in nine bowl games and won or shared six conference titles.

Our stadium is named Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium for a reason — and it isn’t because Lubick was a bad coach.

Unless Steve Fairchild is a deity, it is unlikely he will lead us unfailingly through years of unending glory without hitting a few potholes. Should we fire him when he slips up as well?

Let’s not run our coaches out of town as soon as they fail to meet our sky-high demands. Lubick had the opportunity to jump ship from the Rams for a more prestigious football program, but he stayed with us. We didn’t return his loyalty. Let’s not drive more coaches away.

Editorials Editor Ian Bezek is a senior economics major. His column appears Mondays in the Collegian. Letters and feedback can be sent to letters@collegian.com.