Lucas Leads Stampede of Californians to Colorado

Oliver Lucas figured his next stop would be as an assistant football coach at USC or UCLA after compiling an 84-21-1 record as head coach at Garey (1979-82) and Pomona (1983-84) high schools. Thirty-three of his players earned scholarships to play college ball.

But the first university that called was the University of Colorado, which has established itself as a college power in recent years. Lucas has helped the Buffaloes by recruiting several players from the San Gabriel Valley.

There are 32 players on Colorado’s roster this season who are from Southern California. Lucas helped start the trend, which is one of the reasons Colorado turned from a loser into a winner.

Lucas played football at Manual Arts High and La Verne University and established many ties and friendships in the area.

Colorado Coach Bill McCartney was in the middle of rebuilding the football program and he wanted to start a recruiting base in Southern California. Since Lucas had produced so many blue-chip prospects, including former Colorado wide receiver Jo Jo Collins, he was McCartney’s selection to join the staff.

On announcing Lucas’ hire in March of 1985, McCartney said: “Oliver has done an extraordinary job of producing college players and has tremendous respect on the West Coast. He gives us a real stable base in the Los Angeles area and nearby counties.”

Although Lucas, 40, understands that he was initially hired more for his recruiting potential than his coaching abilities, he said he never felt he was being used.

Many speculate that the hiring of Lucas was a ploy to help sign running back J.J. Flannigan, a standout player at Pomona who had a close relationship with his coach. Lucas left for Colorado before Flannigan’s senior season, meaning his first major assignment was to sign the prep All-American.

Flannigan, recruited by nearly every major college, followed his former coach to Colorado. Lucas is now one of five assistants who recruit in California.

The Buffaloes were 1-10 in 1984, but in Lucas’ first year at the school they went 7-5 and lost to Washington in the Freedom Bowl. They have improved every season since, finishing 11-1 last season after losing the national championship game to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.

“A lot of people thought I was crazy to take the Colorado job,” Lucas said. “The team has been a loser for several years, and taking an assistant coaching job on a losing team usually doesn’t guarantee much security.

“But I saw a lot of potential at the school. I liked what Coach McCartney was saying, and I had hope in the program. I knew they were going to get better, I just didn’t know how soon it would be. Fortunately, we were able to turn things around almost immediately.”

It has been a happy relationship. Lucas is entering his sixth year with Buffaloes and has no desire to return to Southern California. McCartney signed a 15-year contract extension last month worth a reported $300,000 per year.

McCartney no longer relies on Lucas for his recruiting strength alone. Lucas switched from coaching the wide receivers to the running backs three years ago to work with the team’s most coveted players. Lucas’ recruiting territory has changed from the San Gabriel Valley to the inner city.

As Colorado went through two-a-day workouts last week in preparation for the Aug. 26 season opener against Tennessee in the Pigskin Classic at Anaheim Stadium, Lucas shuffled between meetings and practices, fielding phone calls and dealing with individual player problems.

“I’m working seven days a week right now and I usually work 12 to 15 hours a day,” Lucas said. “There’s a lot to do. The biggest change from high school to college football is that the game is broken down so much more precisely. No questions remain when you finish game preparation. There wasn’t the time to be so complete in high school.”

Lucas coaches such talented running backs as Eric Bieniemy (Bishop Amat ‘87), George Hemingway (Colton ‘87) and Greg Lindsey (Carson ‘89). The Buffaloes run the wishbone offense and the team rushed for 4,090 yards (371.8 average) last season, the most in school history.

Although Flannigan was the first recruiting coup for Lucas, he outdid himself the following year by signing Bieniemy. Bieniemy, The Times’ San Gabriel Valley Player of the Year in 1986, rushed for 2,002 yards his senior season. Bieniemy surprisingly visited only Colorado.

“Coach Lucas just told me about all the things that Colorado had to offer and the advantages of moving to a new area,” said Bieniemy, a senior who has 2,312 career rushing yards at Colorado and is considered a Heisman Trophy candidate. “He challenged me to try something new. He was always very honest with me and I appreciated it. I wanted to meet his challenge and I did. It was an easy choice.”

Lucas’ honest approach with recruits has proved successful. Mark Vander Poel of Chino was among California’s most coveted offensive linemen in 1985, receiving letters and phone calls from dozens of college coaches. Lucas’ persistence proved to be the difference for Vander Poel, who signed with Colorado and this season is a preseason All-American at right guard.

“I had to choose between USC and Colorado,” said Vander Poel, a 6-foot-8, 300-pound senior. “The key was that while some schools had sporadic contact and interest, Lucas was consistent. He called and visited regularly. He showed me the depth chart and was honest about where I fit in. There were no lies and no gimmicks. At that point, I could really appreciate his honesty. It was refreshing. My final decision was an easy one.”

Lucas played a major role in the signing of quarterback Darian Hagan, who graduated from Locke in 1988. Lucas is good friends with Locke Coach E.C. Robinson, and used his connection to get Hagan. Last year as a sophomore, Hagan rushed for 1,002 yards, passed for 1,004 and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

Lucas also recruited Marcellous Elder of Long Beach Poly, who was voted the outstanding freshman at Colorado last season. Elder, a 6-5, 285-pound defensive tackle, might start this season.

“The Los Angeles connection has been the lifeline of this team,” Lucas said. “There’s no doubt about that. We’ve doubled our manpower there because it’s been so successful. We plan on concentrating our efforts there more and more.”

Lucas, a popular players’ coach at Garey and Pomona, said he would yell and scream more in those days. Today he is described by players as a calm man who rarely raises his voice. Bieniemy said when Lucas gets upset, he doesn’t voice his displeasure but instead gets a stern look on his face.

Lucas maintains close relationships with all of his players, calling the running backs, “My children.”

Of course, all of this success hasn’t occurred without problems. The football team made headlines the past couple of years for off-the-field troubles. From the 1987 roster, 16 players were arrested.

Bieniemy has had plenty of problems. He was arrested in February of 1988 after fighting in a Boulder bar. He received a deferred sentence and was ordered to perform community service. This summer at his parents’ home outside Denver, he allegedly hit a fireman who arrived to put out a small fire that started during a party. He has a court hearing next week on the matter and is suspended from the Tennessee game.

Despite the troubles, Lucas has never lost his desire to help Colorado win a national championship.

“Many of these players are a long ways from home,” he said. “There are bound to be certain things go wrong. Young men will make mistakes. It’s our duty to help them and show them guidance. We’re doing that here, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Lucas said he has too much on his mind to think about anything more than the next day. Although he admits he’s entertained thoughts in the past of becoming a head coach at a Division I college, he has put those desires behind him for now.

“I’m so happy where I’m at that I can’t think about anything else right now,” Lucas said.