The day was grey, a little bit cold
A good afternoon for college football
The drums were beating, horns were blowing
The fans had Colorado snow at their feet
Through the fog, the Rams team appeared
Coach Lubick running at their side
But no one knew that a cloud had come
…this would be Sonny Lubick’s last game

Wyoming fans made a big noise in the stands
Their team had a fierce pride in their eyes
The Border War was not to be taken lightly
The Cowboys had the Bronze Boot on their minds
The kick off thumped and the battle began
There was a longtime grudge to decide
But no one knew that a bitter wind had come
…this would be Sonny Lubick’s last game

This was a guy
Who made the country ask why
They’re so good out in Fort Collins

This was a man
Who made a heckuva stand
…and now he’s gone…
…now he’s gone…
Coach Lubick’s gone

The embattled Rams had been down on their luck
Another win was surely needed in ‘07
And on that day the game was plenty tough
No one seemed to be reigning supreme
But in the end, as seconds ticked away
The score went the way of the Rams
But no one knew that the darkness was falling
…this would be Sonny Lubick’s last game
They won the War, but lost their soul
…this would be Sonny Lubick’s last game

…and he’s gone

-Tim Van Schmidt
Recorded at Sound Art Laboratory, Fort Collins
by TVS and two fingers 11/28/07

The innovative Fort Collins performance group TVS and two fingers have just released their latest recording- “Sonny Lubick’s Last Game”- and is currently available FREE on the band’s web site: www.tvsandtwofingers.com. The three minute piece is a lively and creative reaction to the recent ousting of popular CSU football coach Sonny Lubick.

“Sonny Lubick’s Last Game” was written by Tim Van Schmidt (the “TVS” of TVS and two fingers) who has been a Rams football fan for years and who attended the now infamous Border War meeting between CSU and the Wyoming Cowboys on November 23 at Hughes Stadium.

The piece began as Schmidt was reading the many articles about Lubick’s firing and the resulting tributes that appeared nonstop in regional media after word of the action by CSU officials became public information. A lot of the articles were saying the same things and in the same way, so Schmidt began searching for a creative way to express the same feelings. It began as a “Casey at Bat” type poem, but became a song when Schmidt picked up his guitar and tried to work out an accompaniment.

“Sonny Lubick’s Last Game” was written on the afternoon of November 28 and by that evening, Schmidt was recording the piece with his partners in rhyme, Mark J. Rosoff and David M. Zekman (“two fingers”). On Friday, the recording was distributed to two radio stations- KCSU and KRFC. Within an hour after receiving the recording, KCSU was already playing it. An audio file of the song and the complete words are now available on the group’s web site: www.tvsandtwofingers.com.

Thanks to ARS Web Design

A new recording, “Sonny Lubick’s Last Game,” recently released by Fort Collins, Colorado performance group TVS and two fingers, has gone a long way in a short time. The song, written by Tim Van Schmidt (the “TVS” of TVS and two fingers,) is a tribute to recently ousted Colorado State University Rams football coach, Sonny Lubick, and is currently available for free download on the group’s Web site: www.tvsandtwofingers.com. The group also includes Mark J Rosoff and David M Zekman (“two fingers”).

Notably, Denver’s 9News used a large portion of “Sonny Lubick’s Last Game” as a soundtrack to a Lubick tribute broadcast on their late night newscast on December 3, as well as on the morning of December 4. Introduced by Sports anchor Susie Wargin as “a gem of a tribute song,” the song accompanied footage from the CSU-Wyoming game at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins on November 23, Lubick’s last game as coach of the CSU Rams.

“Sonny Lubick’s Last Game” was initially released to Fort Collins radio stations on November 30 and it attracted instant radio airplay. KCSU-FM, CSU’s student-run radio station, was playing the song on air within 30 minutes of receiving the disk. But other stations in the region have also played the tune, including Clear Channel classic rock station 107.9 The Bear. Schmidt was a special guest on Steve Cooper’s morning show on The Bear on December 5.

A feature story about TVS and two fingers and “Sonny Lubick’s Last Game” appeared in the Rocky Mountain Collegian on December 4 with news briefs appearing in several other local and regional newspapers, including the Fort Collins Coloradoan, Fort Collins Now and the Johnstown Breeze, throughout the week.

But news of the song has also proliferated on the Internet, notably from the Fort Collins Coloradoan’s web site, coloradoan.com, but also from 9news.com and the Collegian’s Web site, collegian.com, from which yahoo.sports.com picked up the story. Also various information sites such as digg.com, retirenet.com, inform.com- and even sports betting site covers.com- have been referring news of the song, making this truly a 21st Century local band success.

Solid television, radio, print and Internet exposure for “Sonny Lubick’s Last Game” has resulted in unprecedented interest in TVS and two fingers. Since the song was released, more than 1000 visitors have come to the band’s web site, www.tvsandtwofingers.com, to check out the lyrics, listen to the song or download it for free. This can only be described as a “hit” for the group, otherwise known as leaders in the Colorado performance poetry scene.

TVS and two fingers would like to release this statement in reaction to their “hit”: “We are thrilled- and humbled- by the attention “Sonny Lubick’s Last Game” has garnered. What this really indicates is just how popular Coach Lubick is- not only in the Fort Collins community but also throughout Colorado.”

The complete words to “Sonny Lubick’s Last Game” as well as photos of the event by Tim Van Schmidt will be in the December 13 edition of the Fort Collins Forum (circ. 52,000). Schmidt’s photos from the game are also on www.kingkoncert.com.

What friends are saying:

“Love the song and the spirit” Susie Wargin, 9News

“Killer song, boys!!!” John Magnie, the subdudes

“Very cool. You done good!” Steve Cooper, 107.9 The Bear

“Liked the song…Had someone standing at our front counter when it was playing and they asked us to forward it to them...” Matt Lubich, Editor Johnstown Breeze

“…it’s kind of what music should be. It’s heartfelt.” Matt Garcia, KCSU DJ

NOTE: TVS and two fingers will be performing at the Fort Collins MOCA during the First Friday Gallery Walk in Fort Collins on February 1, and at the Fort Collins Museum on March 7. TVS and two fingers also just recently released their debut CD, “Big Treasure, The Best of Ten Years,” which is available in Fort Collins at Matter Bookstore.