麻豆影院

When he received the offer in December to become the 麻豆影院鈥檚 24th head football coach,聽Jon Embree聽(Comm鈥�88) was prepared. Oh, was he ever prepared.

Embree, whose CU roots run deep as a former standout player and three-term assistant coach, spent some spare time during his most recent NFL off-season plotting, formulating and researching the Xs and Os of becoming a head coach. His first choice, of course, was to be hired by the Buffaloes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the only job I鈥檝e ever wanted,鈥� he said at the time.

His master plan was all-encompassing.

Embree compiled a ready list of preferred assistants, projecting the staff he would assemble when given the chance. He knew how he would conduct practices and what he wanted on game day. He reviewed the head coaches he had worked under 鈥� most recently the Redskins鈥� Mike Shanahan as well as ex-CU coaches Bill McCartney, Rick Neuheisel and Gary Barnett 鈥� and envisioned blending their best into a leadership style of his own.

Good pupils recognize whom they should emulate, but Embree also targeted the importance of autonomy. He is, after all, the starting and stopping points for accountability within a win-starved Buffs program 鈥� a massive responsibility for a first-time head coach.

But Embree, 45, is eager to assume it.

鈥淭he only question to me is, 鈥楢re you the right guy at the right time?鈥� I believe I am,鈥� he says. 鈥淵eah, I鈥檒l make some mistakes. There鈥檒l be calls on the sidelines, timeouts that some people will dispute, that kind of stuff . . . I鈥檓 not worried about that. I can lead, motivate, recruit and evaluate talent. That鈥檚 what makes you a successful head coach.鈥�

McCartney, who recruited Embree to CU out of Cherry Creek High School in 1983, is fond of recounting Embree鈥檚 willingness to accept a new but not necessarily starring role in a revamped offense. A highly recruited tight end, Embree made an immediate impact in his first two CU seasons, setting school records for receptions (51) and receiving yards (680) as a sophomore.

But prior to Embree鈥檚 junior year, McCartney saw the wishbone formation as CU鈥檚 best route to success. It was the right move at the right time for Buff football, he thought, but if a tight end wanted to flourish as a receiver the run-oriented wishbone wasn鈥檛 the right vehicle.

Good hands and running good routes 鈥� both Embree trademarks 鈥� gave way to good blocking fundamentals. Embree was good with that, too. It was the way of the wishbone, and McCartney was deeply appreciative.

鈥淚 knew what he was sacrificing, as did Jon,鈥� McCartney recalls. 鈥淏ut he never complained; he knew what we needed as a team and he went out and did his job, humbly and efficiently.鈥�

Embree shrugs off that personal sacrifice of two-and-a-half decades ago, but it clearly impacted him and what he will expect from his CU players. He believes many of the ills that recently have surfaced in college football stem from a sense of entitlement among some high-profile student-athletes.

As Embree鈥檚 rosters take shape, count on them being stocked with talented players but also with players who put team above self.

A stalwart tight end for the Buffaloes in the mid-1980s, Jon Embree (Comm鈥�86) returned to his alma mater from the National Football League鈥檚 Washington Redskins. He was in the process of completing his first season as tight ends coach under former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.

It was among the things Embree learned under McCartney and others, and he believes it will be paramount to an eventual turnaround as the Buffs compete in the Pac-12 Conference. Embree鈥檚 mantra as that historic shift looms: 鈥淩aise the standard . . . all of us are going into the Pac-12, not just the football team. When we get there, we鈥檙e all going to be sending the same message. I want us to be the flagship university for the Pac-12.鈥�

Embree isn鈥檛 entering foreign territory. He has coached and recruited in the Pac-10, spending three seasons (2003-05) at UCLA. Enough is on the agenda to make 2011 a special year for him, but the next-to-last regular season game will be memorable within the entire Embree family.

On Nov. 19, CU plays UCLA, coached by Embree鈥檚 ex-boss, Neuheisel. Embree鈥檚 oldest son, Taylor, is among the Bruins鈥� top returning receivers entering his final season of eligibility.

Youngest son Connor is a walk-on redshirt freshman receiver at Kansas, and their father jokes (or maybe not) that his two sons 鈥渒new the CU fight song before they knew聽The Star-Spangled Banner.鈥�

The school is that special to Embree, as are its former athletes. In 2005 he collaborated with a pair of ex-football players to found Buffs4Life, a nonprofit organization designed to reach out to former CU student-athletes in their times of need. The organization conducts one annual fundraiser and hopes to maintain the family-style commitment that Buffs before and after Embree have experienced.

For instance, 聽Buffs4Life helped out with the Buffs鈥� all-time leading tackler聽Barry Remington鈥檚 (Mktg鈥�87) medical bills for his 18-year-old daughter鈥檚 heart transplant last year. Samantha Remington received her lifesaving heart from a family who had lost their son.

鈥淚 think if you have gone through one of those kinds of things, you enjoy the simple things in life,鈥� a grateful Remington told the 麻豆影院聽Camera. 鈥淚t gives you a reality check about how to look at things.鈥�

Remington works at KOA News Radio 85 and lives with his family in Superior, Colo., near 麻豆影院.

Embree is CU鈥檚 first African-American head football coach and will be only the fourth in Pac-10 football history. He will be the Pac-12鈥檚 only minority head football coach in the expanded league鈥檚 debut season this fall.

鈥淔rom that aspect,鈥� Embree says, 鈥渢his opportunity means a lot to me. But it also means that there鈥檚 a responsibility for me to succeed. My success could create more opportunities for African-American coaches . . . But I think my career speaks for itself. Players 鈥� whether they鈥檙e white, black, Hispanic, whatever 鈥� will tell you what kind of coach I am.鈥�

Embree recognizes opportunities and takes none of them lightly. CU fans can be assured that nothing has been done overnight as he prepares for his biggest opportunity yet.