I played for Hawkins. He is an awesome coach. I'm always surprised to read the vitriol spewed by folks who quickly forget that each of these coaches they are talking about are actually real people. There's a lot more to a coach's success, or lack of it, at a particular place.
Hawkins rolled into Willamette, which had been a cellar dweller for a couple of decades. (Incidentally, their previous most recent success was in the 70s, when Tommy Lee played QB.) In mere seasons, he's knocking off the top ranked teams, then winning the conference title, then going to the championship. Obviously, he didn't do it alone, he had the help of great assistants, too, but he was tremendously successful - in a place that had zero facilities or football culture at the time.
He moved on to Boise State. Who hired Chris Peterson? Oh yeah, Coach Hawkins. That was a pretty good coaching decision, wouldn't you say? Of course, they marched on to success, and the success continued after Coach Hawk left. That doesn't take away the things Hawkins accomplished as a coach. He helped lay the foundation. He was the first to plant that seed, that Boise State could contend for a National Title. And now, the seed has matured.
People are so often critical of Hawkins decision to play his son Cody at QB. It's a tough place to be, as a coach and a player. The coaches at CU kept meticulous stats on every single practice, completions, etc. Cody's team mates, not the coaches, consistently voted him to be team captain. He won the job, he lost the job, it was a big circus and media frenzy and distraction. Who knows how Cody's career would've turned out if he had gone instead to BSU, where he also had a full ride offer? He had other options. Not a lot of BCS people were knocking down Kellen Moore's door right out of high school, based on his size, but he turned out to kick quite a lot of ass. Things didn't work out at CU as Cody had envisioned, but Griz fans of all people should be the last to write off a small QB.
All these people are human beings, doing their best. In the right place, they kick ass. In the wrong place, they don't. CU wasn't the right place for Hawkins. It didn't work out. He will move on, and do well, at the next place that gives him the chance. It would be awesome if Missoula was that place.
Hawkins would be a great Griz coach. You could reasonably expect a few FCS titles if he took the helm. you could expect fun, creative football. People have suggested a lot of other great coaching candidates, and many of them deserve close consideration. Hawkins should be considered, too. Don't be so quick to write him off because of what happened in Boulder.
Missoula has everything in place for success.