THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Cody Hawkins gives Idaho State hope, and vice versa
The “Hawk Bowl” was Saturday, with UC Davis, coached by Dan Hawkins, beating Idaho State, coached by Dan's son Cody Hawkins, 21-14 at Holt Arena in Pocatello.
This Saturday, the younger “Hawk” brings his ISU team to the Kibbie Dome, trying to continue an alternately promising and challenging season in Pocatello.
IN JULY, father and son sat at separate tables some 15 feet away from each other — Cody with two of his players, Dan with two of his players — at the Big Sky Football Kickoff in Airway Heights.
“He’s got the wrong shirt on,” one of the UC Davis players said with a laugh of Cody, who was on his father’s staff the past five years, the last three as offensive coordinator. Before that, he played for Dan at Colorado, and after that a head coach at the junior college and high school levels.
Now, he’s near the end of his first season of his first head coaching job, with his Bengals a respectable (by ISU standards) 3-7, 3-4 in the Big Sky — with two of those conference wins coming over Eastern Washington and Portland State.
Three of the losses have been by one possession — including a 28-20 setback to Montana in Missoula.
“It’s definitely different being at a different table from those guys, but I’m super excited to be with these guys here,” Cody said back in July. “I’m super proud to be in Pocatello. And I’m used to growing up and seeing my dad do the press conferences and stuff, so it’s not any different than what I’ve been doing the majority of my life.”
Dan Hawkins said he had nothing to do with Cody getting the ISU job — the Bengals called him.
“Next thing you know, I’ve got to hire a new coach,” Dan said.
“He didn’t think I was going to get the job; he just thought it would be a good experience for me (to interview),” Cody said. “He knows I’ve got to do what’s best for me and my family, and this is an amazing opportunity to come home and be part of one of the best conferences in college football. Now we talk frequently; it probably isn’t much different from when I was there. Every once in a while … ‘I can’t be telling you that.’ But we’re pretty open about what we’re doing.”
Dan says now when he sees Cody, “I think about how much I miss my grandkids.”
It was suggested it’s a long way from Davis, Calif., to Pocatello.
“It’s a long way from anywhere to Pocatello,” Dan said.
WHEN CODY was young, Dan said his wife didn’t want him to play Division I football — or end up being a coach.
“And, with any of my kids, I just wanted them to do something,” Dan said. “I said I don’t care — you can play the piano, I don’t care. You can be a swimmer, you’ve got to do something. We’re not just going to sit around and do nothing. So I never shoved football down their throat. Obviously, I was coaching, and they were around that.”
“When I was playing, I almost had to beg him to coach me on stuff, and give me feedback, just because he’s one of the parents that was the opposite — ‘Hey, I’m not going to make you do football, I just want you to do something,’” Cody said. “And you’ve got to find what you’re passionate about. I’ve been able to find a passion with coaching, and I’ve really enjoyed it. And he’s helped me a lot, but never steered it in any way.”
And Dan always made sure it wasn’t all about football.
“You can’t make football, in particular, your mistress, in any job,” Dan said. “The more you can integrate your family into what you do … otherwise they end up hating your job, because it takes you away from them. So we’ve always integrated our family into football, so I think they enjoyed that, and enjoyed that whole environment.
“Up until the time he (Cody) was a freshman I thought he might be a professional Pokemon collector,” Dan said. “When he was a freshman, I would have bet you a million dollars he was not going to play college football. But then he got going, and he worked at it, and he kinda got fired up about it. Things kinda happened his way. But I was never one of those guys to sugar-coat him.”
“He’s always done it right,” Cody said. “There’s a lot of coaches that talk about it being very detrimental to your family, that it’s a tough business. But I think I had a good example everywhere that he had been — I thought he treated people right, and he made football a multiplier for our family. My kids are around all the time; I want my wife to be around all the time, because if they’re a part of it, rather than apart from it … you want them to be a part of the program, not apart from the program.”
SANDPOINT FANS may remember Cody Hawkins playing at Barlow Stadium with Bishop Kelly in the state 4A playoffs. He was gone to Colorado in 2006, when BK pulled the “Fumblerooski” play to beat the Bulldogs late.
But he was there in ‘05, when the Knights won at Sandpoint in the semifinals to advance to a second straight state title game.
“I did play up there in the pouring rain and the lightning when we had five touchdowns called back, and we had to throw a touchdown with like 15 seconds left to beat Sandpoint to go to play in Pocatello,” Cody recalled. “I remember it was really, really loud. I thought it was cool they lined the field (with fans), and when you scored, they said inappropriate things to you. I understand the disdain for Bishop Kelly, from people around the state, but man I loved it, really enjoyed it, and I think it was an amazing end to my high school career, because we hadn’t dealt with a lot of adversity.”
DAVIS QUARTERBACK Miles Hastings was coached by Cody last year, and remains coached by Dan.
“I think where they’re most similar is, they probably care more for their players than any coaches I’ve ever met,” Hastings said. “They really care about you as a person, rather than just a football player.
ISU’s players feel that way as well.
“For one, he’s done a lot of work trying to bring us together as a team,” junior defensive back Calvin Pitcher said. “One of the main emphasis this summer has been coming together. More games are lost and won in the summer, not from the work we put on the field and the weight room, but from coming together as a team.
“His kids are around all the time.”
“In reality, he’s made all the difference,” senior offensive lineman Mike Davis added. “He’s the reason those who have stayed, have stayed, and the reason that those who had the chance to come here, did. He’s huge on relationships, he’s huge on making everybody feel like they’re welcome. He is a relationship-building, fantastic guy.”
WHAT GIVES Cody Hawkins hope at ISU, a place with just two winning seasons in the last 19 (now 20) years?
“I think the thing that gives you hope anywhere is your relationships, and the people,” Cody said. “And you can say yeah, it’s been hard to win, but it’s not impossible; they have done it. I always think history leaves clues, and it doesn’t have to repeat itself, as long as the actions change. And I feel like the investment in the program, with the players and the administration, has seen a noticeable uptick, and we do have potential with the boosters and the Pocatello community to support football. I just think they need somebody that’s going to get in the weeds with them and give them a program that they’re proud about, regardless of winning and losing football games, I think there’s a lot of things that can make people proud, and want to invest in the program.”
After decades of little change, the administration has put money into Holt Arena in recent years.
The installation of translucent panels in the wall and ceiling, to allow more light into the place — like they did at the Kibbie Dome.
New seats. A president’s box.
“There’s a cage, where a lot of people in southeastern Idaho are used to changing and dressing in, and we’re changing that into a meeting room and a lounge for our players,” Cody said.
He loves that the administration is taking a proactive approach.
“Let’s take what we have and make it better,” Cody said. “Because I know we can be better.”
Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @CdAPressSports.
Cody Hawkins