http://www.buffzone.com/ci_15122940When former Colorado football coach Bill McCartney was hired in Boulder in 1982, he had only one brief conversation with his predecessor, Chuck Fairbanks, but it proved invaluable.
McCartney reflected on that conversation this week and credited advice he received from Fairbanks for contributing to his success during his 13 years building Big Eight Conference champions and national champions and transforming the Colorado program into one of the national powerhouses of the late 1980s and 1990s.
"Here is what I learned, and here is what you better learn fast if you want to have success here," McCartney quoted Fairbanks as saying. "I found out after I got here that you need to be able to recruit California and Texas. If you do, you will be successful. If you don`t, you won`t be successful."
Needless to say, McCartney was successful, and it seems appropriate that as he makes his first appearance on the ballot of 77 players and seven coaches for the College Football Hall of Fame this year, he is accompanied by two former standouts whom he recruited to Boulder.
Dan Hawkins has done fine with California but his Texas record hasn't been too stellar. Gary Barnett was able to do this very well.
