Head Coach
Colorado State University
2008 - Present

Steve Fairchild returned to his alma mater from the National Football League, where he had tutored some of the game's most productive young stars since leaving CSU after the 2000 season. Fairchild becomes the second current Mountain West Conference head coach to leave the NFL for his school, following Air Force's Troy Calhoun.

And like Calhoun, Fairchild starred as a quarterback at his school. He first came to CSU in 1978 as a junior-college All-American, and in his first CSU season led the Rams in passing while splitting starting duties with Keith Lee. Coaches opted to redshirt him in 1979, then made him the full-time starter in 1980, when he served as a team captain and earned second-team all-conference honors behind Jim McMahon. The Rams that year lost only once over their final six games - to national powerhouse BYU. Included in that stretch was Fairchild's best game, a 28-25 win vs. Wyoming Nov. 1, when he completed 28 of 35 passes for 406 yards and three TDs to earn Sports Illustrated Player of the Week honors.

Following his playing days, Fairchild launched a coaching career that in 2008 will enter its 28th season, 16 of which have been as a coordinator and 20 of which have been at the college level. And eight of those years were at Colorado State, where Sonny Lubick made him a member of his original coaching staff, in 1993. Fairchild coached quarterbacks from 1993-96, then replaced Dave Lay and served as offensive coordinator from 1997-2000. During Fairchild's tenure, the Rams were a combined 37-12 and experienced unprecedented offensive success.

At Colorado State, he tutored Anthoney Hill, who led the Rams through a storybook 1994 season that included two TDs in a win at No. 4 Arizona and its Desert Swarm defense, and ended with CSU's first conference title since 1955 and a berth in the Holiday Bowl opposite Michigan. Hill left CSU as the school's career total offense leader.

Fairchild then coached Moreno as the QB guided the Rams to a pair of WAC championships (1995, '97) and two more Holiday Bowl trips. And before getting an opportunity to coach in the NFL, Fairchild's last CSU pupil was Matt Newton, who helped corral the first two Mountain West Conference titles and consecutive Liberty Bowl appearances.

In the NFL as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach with the St. Louis Rams (2003-05), Fairchild helped QB Marc Bulger become a Pro Bowl MVP in 2003. Fairchild's St. Louis offense achieved three straight Top 10 rankings (2003-05), finished second in scoring (2003), was second in passing efficiency (2005) and contributed to consecutive playoff appearances (2003-04).

In his first year as Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator (2006), he helped J.P. Losman to a 3,000-yard passing season and the NFL's 11th-best passer rating. Earlier, after making a difficult decision to leave CSU, he served as running backs coach for the Bills (2001-02), and oversaw Travis Henry's Pro Bowl season in 2001.

Prior to rejoining CSU in 1993, Fairchild was quarterbacks coach at San Diego State (1990-92), offensive coordinator at New Mexico (1987-89), recruiting coordinator/tight ends coach at San Diego State (1986), offensive coordinator at Ferris State (1984-85) and offensive coordinator at Mesa Community College (1982-83) in San Diego.

At SDSU, he coached a pair of NFL draft choices in quarterback Dan McGwire (chosen in the first round, 16th overall, in 1991), and tight end Rob Awalt (third round, 62nd overall, 1987), and also helped the Aztecs to the 1991 Freedom Bowl.

At New Mexico, he coached Terrance Mathis, who became the NCAA's career receiving yardage leader and was selected in the sixth round (141st overall) of the 1990 NFL Draft.

At Ferris State in Big Rapids, Mich. (hometown of Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle), Fairchild oversaw an offense that produced David DenBraber, then the NCAA's Division II career passing leader.

And throughout his college coaching stops, Fairchild sowed the seeds of recruiting relationships from the West Coast to the Great Lakes. He has personally recruited the states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Michigan.

Nominated by Lubick for the 1999 Frank Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's outstanding assistant coach, Fairchild during the recent search came highly recommended by his predecessor at Colorado State, Lubick.