Brandon Crosby’s stint as head coach of the Fort Lewis College football team lasted only one season. The Skyhawks are once again in need of a new head coach.
Crosby informed players Monday that he had accepted a job at Boise State University, multiple sources told The Durango Herald. FLC athletic director Brandon Leimbach confirmed the news late Wednesday night.
The deal was finalized Wednesday. Crosby will serve as an offensive special assistant for the Broncos.
“My time at Fort Lewis has been unbelievable, and I’m very grateful I was allowed the opportunity to be a head coach for the first time,” Crosby said in a news release Thursday through FLC athletics. “I learned a lot about coaching in my short time here. I loved the community, and I built a lot of great relationships with players, coaches, faculty and administration. I saw myself being here for a long time, but Boise State has always been a dream job. I was born there, my mom lives there, I have a lot of family there and it’s also one of the winningest college football programs in the country over the last 20 years.”
The news came two weeks after Crosby and his coaching staff had added five mid-year transfer players and a week before the February National Signing Day.
“There is never a good time to lose a head football coach, but it’s especially tough right before signing day,” Leimbach said Wednesday night in a message to The Herald. “With that said, I’m happy for Coach Crosby, as he is excited to be taking what he considers to be a dream job at Boise State and get closer to his family at the same time.
“I have been working behind the scenes all weekend and look forward to hiring our new coach by the end of next week.”
Crosby was named the interim coach of FLC football on Jan. 16, 2019. He was promoted to interim head coach after one season as FLC’s offensive coordinator when Joe Morris resigned after two seasons with the Skyhawks to take a position as defensive coordinator of West Texas A&M.
Crosby had the interim tag dropped off his title after two games in 2019 by Leimbach, FLC’s first-year athletic director. FLC went 3-7 overall after a promising start and ranked last in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in rushing offense and 10th out of 11 teams in passing offense.
Crosby was FLC’s 13th head coach in program history and the third since John L. Smith left after the 2015 season. Smith spent three seasons in charge of the Skyhawks.
“It’s been one of the most difficult decisions of my career by far,” Crosby said in the news release. “Telling the guys was emotional and difficult to do. But they know I care about them, and they were happy for me. I think I’ll be leaving the program in a better position than when I got here, and I think the program is moving in the right direction. The administration is doing everything the right way and I see a lot of upside to Fort Lewis Athletics and the football program. It’s going to continue to get better with or without me, and I’m thankful for the opportunities I had to grow.”
Now, FLC will look to name a new head coach for the 2020 season. That person will be the fourth Skyhawks head coach in five seasons.
Crosby will join the Division I Boise State Broncos in Idaho under seventh-year head coach Bryan Harsin.
This won’t be Crosby’s first experience as a coach in the Mountain West Conference. Before he arrived at FLC, he served as the quarterbacks quality control coach at the University of Nevada. He also was a graduate assistant coach of the wide receivers for the Wolf Pack.
Earlier this month, FLC defensive coordinator Ed Rifilato, who has had two stints of his own as head coach of the Skyhawks, resigned. His resignation was effective Jan. 24.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
