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This has always stood out about Gary Crowton: His unabashed passion for football.
Now that zeal has taken him from Southern Utah in midseason for an opportunity to be an “offensive consultant” with Oregon State, a part of Gary Andersen’s staff working with offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin.
The task is proving daunting. When Mike Riley left Corvallis for Nebraska, the roster was depleted of size and depth. Andersen took the job knowing it would be a tough road for a few years.
How tough? The Gulliver of football travel, Crowton, on his own according to OSU folks, decided to help.
The 2-4 Beavers are 119th in passing, averaging 145 yards a game and rank 48th in rushing, 187 a game. OSU did score 24 and 31 points in losses to Stanford and Washington, but the only OSU wins this season are over Weber State and San Jose State. In two weeks, OSU and former Ute defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake visit Rice-Eccles on Halloween night.
Just over a week ago, Crowton announced he was leaving his offensive coordinator post at SUU for personal reasons. It is now clear the reason was to show up in Corvallis; it was not for a fiancial deal, but a labor of love for the challenge.
I like Crowton. He is an affable, energetic and enthusiastic person whose knowledge of the game is respected all around the country. But as much as he knows about offensive football, his greatest asset is his passion for the game. Saw it at Orem High, Snow College and daily when he was head coach at BYU.
A year ago I drove to Cedar City and visited with SUU head coach Ed Lamb and Crowton when he agreed to help the Thunderbirds. He had a little more gray in his hair, but he was the same guy, eager and anxiously engaged in teaching football.
Two of his ardent students credit Crowton in a big way.
On Monday, I asked former BYU and NFL quarterback John Beck of Crowton’s influence.
“He’s the one who introduced me to the spread offense and passing game,” said Beck.
“He has a great understanding conceptually of offensive football. When I was a freshman and sophomore I was always in his office trying to learn more and he was always so willing to teach me. He showed me how to see offensive plays differently and how they put the defense into assignment binds. I just wished I could have played in a system in high school that could have prepared me better for his system because for my first few years, everything was so new to me.”
Kevin McGiven, OSU’s current QB coach played for Crowton at Louisiana Tech and was a graduate assistant to Crowton at BYU from 2002 to 2004. In an interview with the Oregonian last January, McGiven said Crowton had the most football influence in his life.
“He's what I would consider just an unbelievable offensive mind,” said McGiven. “Very innovative and has had a lot of success in the profession as a head coach and as an offensive coordinator at different places. Everything that I learned offensively, getting my start, everything that I learned about quarterback play and all those things really came from him, or it came from the responsibility that he gave me to do research and things like that.”
Monday, Bronco Mendenhall called Crowton one of his closest friends, a good person who texts him after almost every BYU game this season.
Last time I talked to Crowton, I asked him of his influence on Oregon’s spread, a craze that reached a zenith under former Oregon coach Chip Kelly who is now with the Philadelphia Eagles. Crowton explained his influence on Kelly in implementing the Duck spread in the Mike Bellotti era.
I hand it to Crowton because he’s been a football nomad. I could never live the life he’s chosen. He’s traveled this country from coast to coast like few others within his realm.
Of the moving around, said Mendenhall of coaches, “It may be one of our greatest strengths and one of our greatest weakness. Just the value of the game can be so encompassing. It’s a very unique thing. Gary just loves, loves being around the game and being a part of it.”
Crowton has coached in the NFL, the CFL, has a national championship ring at LSU; he’s been a Chicago Bear, a Winnipeg Blue Bomber, coached at Boston College, brought the read option concepts to Oregon under Bellotti. He’s coached at New Hampshire, Western Illinois, Georgia Tech, Louisiana Tech and lived in Ephraim. I think he’s closing in on 20-something moves.
He’s spent his adult life migrating like a duck and now he’s a Beaver in a season he started as a Thunderbird.
Crowton’s door opened at OSU probably because of McGiven and most certainly because of need, albeit in a role as “consultant.”
I wish Crowton luck.
May he never miss a flight.
EMAIL: dharmon@deseretnews.com.
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