Sonny Lubick

Sonny Lubick is a former American football coach best known for his transformative tenure as the head coach of the Colorado State Rams football program. Under his leadership from 1993 to 2007, the Rams became a consistent winner, capturing multiple conference championships and earning a national reputation for competitiveness. His innovative defensive schemes and player development elevated Colorado State University into a respected force in the Western Athletic Conference and later the Mountain West Conference.

Early life and education

Born in Butte, Montana, Lubick was a multi-sport standout at Butte Central Catholic High School. He attended Western Montana College (now the University of Montana Western) in Dillon, Montana, where he played quarterback for the Western Montana Bulldogs. His playing career laid the foundation for his understanding of the game, and he graduated with a degree in education before beginning his coaching journey at the high school level in Montana.

Coaching career

Lubick's collegiate coaching career began as an assistant at his alma mater and later at Montana State University under head coach Tom Parac. His defensive acumen led to positions at Stanford University under Rod Dowhower and a pivotal role as defensive coordinator at the University of Miami under Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson. During his time with the Miami Hurricanes, he helped develop the famed defense that contributed to the program's 1987 and 1989 national championships. After serving as associate head coach at Duke University, he was hired in 1993 to revive the struggling program at Colorado State University.

At Colorado State, Lubick engineered one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Division I-A football. He led the Rams to three WAC championships (1994, 1995, 1997) and a Mountain West Conference title in 2002. His teams earned six bowl game victories, including wins in the Holiday Bowl, the Liberty Bowl, and the Las Vegas Bowl. Notable players he coached include Bradlee Van Pelt, Joey Porter, and Clark Haggans. Lubick retired following the 2007 season, leaving as the winningest coach in program history.

Head coaching record

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! Year ! Team ! Overall ! Conference ! Standing ! Bowl/playoffs ! Coaches# ! AP° |- | 1993 | Colorado State | 5–6 | 3–5 | T–6th (WAC) | | | |- | 1994 | Colorado State | 10–2 | 7–1 | 1st (WAC) | W Holiday Bowl | 16 | 16 |- | 1995 | Colorado State | 8–4 | 6–2 | T–1st (WAC) | L Holiday Bowl | 24 | 24 |- | 1996 | Colorado State | 7–5 | 6–2 | 3rd (WAC) | L Holiday Bowl | | |- | 1997 | Colorado State | 11–2 | 7–1 | 1st (WAC) | W Holiday Bowl | 15 | 17 |- | 1998 | Colorado State | 8–4 | 5–2 | 3rd (WAC) | W Liberty Bowl | | 24 |- | 1999 | Colorado State | 8–4 | 5–2 | T–2nd (MWC) | W Liberty Bowl | | |- | 2000 | Colorado State | 10–2 | 6–1 | 2nd (MWC) | W Liberty Bowl | 14 | 14 |- | 2001 | Colorado State | 7–5 | 4–3 | T–3rd (MWC) | L New Orleans Bowl | | |- | 2002 | Colorado State | 10–4 | 6–1 | T–1st (MWC) | L Liberty Bowl | | 32 |- | 2003 | Colorado State | 7–6 | 4–3 | T–3rd (MWC) | W San Francisco Bowl | | |- | 2004 | Colorado State | 4–7 | 3–4 | T–5th (MWC) | | | |- | 2005 | Colorado State | 6–6 | 5–3 | T–3rd (MWC) | L Poinsetta Bowl | |Poins Bowl (American football|Poins Bowl Games|Poinsetta Bowl| |Poins|Poins|Poins|Poins|Poinsetta Bowl|Poins|Poins|Poins|Poins|Poins|Poins|Poinsetta Bowl|PoinsPoinsetta Bowl|PoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsetta Bowl|PoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsetta Bowl|PoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoins|PoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsetta Bowl|PoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPoinsPo