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Home > Archive > Aug 16, 2007

Croshaw Returns to the Sidelines
By Stephen Vincent
When Greg Croshaw first stepped onto the field at Panther Stadium for practice Aug. 6, he got goosebumps.
But that's nothing compared to how Croshaw will feel entering that same field for Pine View's first game against Mountain View Aug. 11.
Croshaw, the Panthers' newly-hired defensive coordinator who was noted for his toughness in 24 years as the head football coach at Dixie State College, became unusually somber while pondering what that moment will be like.
“It means more to me than anyone will ever imagine,” Croshaw said. “I hope I don't get overcome by the whole thing. I had no idea that coaching meant this much to me. I thought I had adjusted pretty well.”
Now, Croshaw realizes that it was the little things he missed. When his grandson visited Pine View's practice, Croshaw had a flood of memories rush through his mind, as he remembered his sons coming to his practices at Dixie.
Croshaw said it's difficult for a person who has done one thing his whole life to give it up. Croshaw attended just one football game last season – one of SUU's games.
So when the opportunity came to coach at Pine View, Croshaw didn't take long to decide it was what he wanted to do. All he needed was permission from his wife and his employer, Wells Fargo Bank.
“I'm really grateful that my wife let me get back into it,” Croshaw said. “We've been able to do things we've never done before. But she said, 'This is something you need to do.'”
Croshaw built Dixie State into one of the top junior college programs in the country and became one of the most successful coaches in NJCAA history. At DSC, Croshaw finished with a record of 214-56-1 and won 17 conference championships and made two appearances in the national championship game.
The job with Pine View originated with two chance meetings Croshaw had with Panther football head coach Ray Hosner on Aug. 4 and Aug. 6.
The first happened at Lake Powell, when Hosner spotted Croshaw on his houseboat.
“I saw the biggest houseboat I'd ever seen,” Hosner embellished. “Two people were fanning him, and another one was feeding him grapes. And I yelled, “Hey, Coach Croshaw.'”
Croshaw's account of the meeting is slightly different.
“I was there with my family, and they went out to do wake boarding, and I was sitting on the boat like King Tut,” Croshaw said. “And then I hear Coach Hosner yelling at me.”
The two talked about the possibility of Croshaw joining Hosner's staff, but Croshaw didn't agree to do it until he bumped into Hosner two days later at the bank.
Hosner said he was filling out paperwork for a transaction when someone stuck a bowl of candy under his nose and asked, “Do you want some candy?” Hosner looked up to see it was Croshaw.
“He said, 'Are you interested in coaching for me or not?'” Croshaw said. “I said, 'Absolutely.'”
After getting clearances from his wife and Wells Fargo, Croshaw was at practice that night.
“It's been awesome,” Hosner said. “He brings a lot to the table.”
The discussions at the lake and the bank weren't the first time Hosner had approached Croshaw about coaching at Pine View. The two discussed the possibility soon after Croshaw was let go from Dixie State last season.
Croshaw didn't feel ready to get back into coaching at the time, but told Hosner to contact him in a year.
“I thought he was going to call me if he was serious, and he thought I was going to call him if I was serious,” Croshaw said. “It's one of those quirky things of fate. I never would have done this if had I not run into him at the bank.”
Croshaw said his familiarity and friendship with Hosner, who coached two of Croshaw's sons, made the decision to coach at Pine View easier.
“I felt if I was going to do it, he was the perfect guy to do it with,” Croshaw said. “I'm really thankful to Ray for letting me get back into it.”
Originally, Croshaw wanted to be up in the box, away from the action. But Hosner talked Croshaw into taking a more involved role.
Hosner handed control of the defense to Croshaw. For his part, Croshaw didn't feel it was wise to reinvent the defense so close to the start of the season, so he felt he should stick with the Panthers' defensive approach.
“I wanted to make it as smooth a transition as possible,” Croshaw said. “I didn't want the players to have to conform to me. I wanted to adjust to them.”
Croshaw said he has been busy trying to learn the terminology of the Panthers' system and seeing how he can have his philosophy fit into the Panthers' defensive game plan.
Since he was let go by the college last year, Croshaw said he has been amazed by the support he has received from people in the community.
“I think there was more feeling there than I ever imagined,” he said. “I always thought I was a normal guy going to work. I guess I lived in that bubble, not really knowing the kindness of people. But the response I have had from the community has been overwhelming.”
Still, nothing was as therapeutic for the coach as walking out on the football field to coach again.
“I've been kind of rebirthed,” Croshaw said. “My energy level has changed. I thought I was fine not being in it. I think I was fooling myself.”

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