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New Wyoming coach seeks to turn around program
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By Bob Moen, Associated Press Writer
LARAMIE, Wyo. — Whether playing cards with his children or coaching college football, new Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen embraces any competition that determines winners and losers.
Competition breeds success, Christensen believes.

"And that's what I try to teach our football team is that we're going to compete in every single thing that we do, whether it's in the classroom or on the football field," he said. "And when they leave here they're going to understand how to compete in life because to be successful you have to compete."

Christensen, 48, has taken over a Wyoming program that hasn't been very competitive on the field in recent years. In the last nine seasons, the Cowboys have compiled a 35-70 record and played in one bowl game -- the Las Vegas Bowl in 2004 when it won an invitation with a 6-5 record and beat UCLA.

And with Texas, Colorado, TCU and Utah on Wyoming's schedule this coming season, Christensen's first head coaching stint will not lack for competition.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Chase Daniel | Gary Pinkel | Brad Smith | Sonny Lubick
Christensen comes to Wyoming after a long association with Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel. Christensen most recently served as Pinkel's offensive coordinator and helped devise Missouri's high-scoring no-huddle, spread offensive scheme.

Wyoming fans are hoping that Christensen's offensive prowess will bring some punch to an offense that ranked last out of 119 major college teams in scoring in 2008 at 12.67 points a game. Missouri was fourth in the nation at 42.21 points a game last year.

Finding a quarterback to run the new offense is Christensen's most immediate challenge.

After coaching the likes of Brad Smith and Chase Daniel at Missouri, Christensen has two on the roster from last year's squad and two he recruited this year.

He considers the position open to competition.

Christensen played college football at Washington from 1980-82. He says he wasn't a very good player but developed a passion for the game. He decided to eschew a career in law enforcement for coaching football.

Over the last 25 years, his career has involved mostly offensive position coaching stints at various colleges, including Washington, Idaho State, Toledo and Washington.

Christensen interviewed for several other head coaching jobs, but he said Wyoming "by far is the best opportunity, the best situation as far as a program that had a chance to win and sustain and had the resources available to build a successful program."

He wasn't dissuaded by the challenge of turning around a losing program. After all, Missouri had been a program in the doldrums when Pinkel took over with Christensen on his staff.

"We took a program while it was struggling there, a lot worse shape than this program is in," Christensen said. "And so I truly believe that we will be able to get this thing turned around and have success here."

Since arriving in Laramie, Christensen has sought to instill competitiveness in a team that lost six games in 2008 by 20 or more points and was shut out twice.

Score is kept during every padded practice drill between the offense and defense under the steely gaze of the new coach.

"At the end of the day there's a winner and a loser in our practices," Christensen said.

Nearly to a man, Wyoming players describe their new coach as "intense."

"He expects us to do great things and anything less isn't up to his standards," senior defensive lineman John Fletcher said.

Senior offensive lineman Russ Arnold says the intensity is a good thing.

"I think it's going to make us winners," Arnold said.

Besides trying to sharpen the team's competitive edge, Christensen seeks to improve himself. Since arriving at Wyoming, he talked with former Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick about coaching.

Lubick, who led CSU to nine bowl games and at least a share of conference titles in six seasons, said Christensen's eagerness to keep learning about the coaching profession is great sign.

"It shows humility and just shows he'll do what it takes to try and get better," he said.

Christensen and his wife have three children, and Christensen made sure they knew the value of competition.

"Our objective in our family was to win," he said. "Now you can't win at everything. But it's not always OK just to show up."

Even a family card game becomes a serious endeavor.

"They know how to get to me by beating me," Christensen said.