Loyalties spread around
That everyone could be in Herb Criner’s shoes. It’s football season and the retired coach couldn’t be happier.
With so many ties in Idaho, he isn’t the least bit conflicted at kickoff.
He follows his son’s Bishop Kelly team but pulls for Coeur d’Alene, where he first made his mark in Idaho more than two decades ago.
He’s passionate about Boise State, where he went after a successful five-year stop in CdA, but wishes Idaho well because of his many ties to the Vandals.
OK, he’s a little conflicted.
“You have to be a little bit if you have compassion for people or teams you’ve been involved with,” he said. “You want to see good football, both sides play their hearts out, may the best man win and you just have to ride it out.
“I’m just thankful my family has a lot of ties.”
Criner, 73, coached in California for 25 years before moving to Coeur d’Alene for five successful seasons that saw him win a state title in his third year (1982) and play for the championship the next year.
The next 21 years were dedicated to Boise State.
But don’t expect him to bad-mouth old rivals.
He’s very close to Lake City coach Van Troxel.
He can’t say enough good things about the people in the CdA community who helped him build a strong program, he said. “I still follow Coeur d’Alene football, Coeur d’Alene and Lake City. It’s very important to me.”
He moved on to Boise State and coached running backs and kickers for four seasons before getting into administration. He became associate athletic director for operations, handling game management for football and basketball and overseeing facilities and league and NCAA competitions at the school.
But unlike so many Broncos and Vandals faithful, he doesn’t have a one-sided perspective.
Criner took his Vikings teams to the Vandals football camps, became friends with UI coach Dennis Erickson and his most renowned CdA player was Idaho quarterback John Friesz.
“It was always a rivalry,” he said with a laugh. “But I applied for the Idaho athletic director job. I thought I was going to get it but someone told me I was turned down because I was at Boise State. I was willing to go to Idaho, become a Vandal. I was close to Idaho when I was at Coeur d’Alene.”
There is no question the short five-year time in his life was special, beyond the 43-14 record.
“It was hard to leave; I did love it there,” he said. “We met so many wonderful people. They always asked, ‘What can we do for you?’ You succeed with those kinds of people around you, who see educational benefits of sports. And I coached great, great kids, kids with great character.”
So many ties, so much football, but there is a limit.
“I follow pro football but I don’t watch a lot of it,” he said. “My wife gives me a lot of freedom; that might be my golf day.
“I would say I’m a state of Idaho fan. I have a lot of good friends who went to Idaho State. I’m just thankful I moved to the state of Idaho, I can tell you that for sure.”