Richburg Makes Return Trip to See Where it Started for Him

There was a time about a decade ago when restarting practice seemed like an ideal proposition to Weston Richburg.

He said as much one day after then-Colorado State head football coach Steve Fairchild, nearly an hour into the session, blew the whistle and started the clock over because he didn't like the energy or mistakes. After practice, Richburg said it was great. The more the better.

Now that Richburg, a San Francisco 49er with eight years of NFL experience, thinks about it in the current moment, it probably wouldn't be as much fun.

"No. But I get it. A lot of what's going on here is teaching," Richburg said this week as he and his wife, Marlee, and son, Cash, dropped in to pay his old team a visit. "Not only the game, but teaching how to do things. That was done back in the day to teach us we weren't doing what we were supposed to be doing, bringing the energy. I think that's valuable for these guys at this level, not only to teach the game, but to teach how to do things and do things right. The way you do everything can affect how it goes on the field."

Richburg watched Tuesday's practice and addressed the team, then spent a good portion of the day chasing down his son, nearly a year old. It was a return home for Marlee, too, a former All-Conference volleyball standout for Tom Hilbert's volleyball program.

Getting back and remaining in touch is important to both of them, he said.

"We're enjoying it. We haven't been back in a bit," Richburg said. "It's nice to meet Addazio and his staff and be up close to this nice facility. It beats the heck out of anything we had when I was here. It's cool to see how this place has changed and get a good look at the team and build excitement.

"We went over and saw Tom and their crew. We just have great memories. We met each other here, got married and have a kid."

Addazio let him know he's welcome anytime. That's an open invitation for all former Rams as long as he's in front of the football program. He feels it's important to keep the present connected to the past, because in the end, it's the program they built.

He took a break from the workouts and spent a good amount of time talking to Richburg, naturally about the game and offensive line play, but also what it means to have somebody like Richburg, who has started for the New York Giants and the 49ers in his career, come back and remind the current roster how the program was built.

"I love the players who spill it for their school, and they have great pride and they put sweat equity in the place. It's not about coaches; coaches come and go," Addazio said. "This is his school forever, and he left his mark here and made this program better. Those guys to me, they're always welcome. I want them around practice. The more alumni around, the better.

"It's their alma mater. They're prideful of CSU and their football program and prideful of what football has done in their life. It's all good. It's all winner. These kids need to get more of that. We need to get all of them to come back and be around these players."

Before practice started, Richburg addressed the team, speaking to them about the importance of practice, especially in the spring. Those lessons add up and can create something special.

When he spoke, he did so from experience as he arrived an unheralded recruit out of Bushland, Texas. The original plan was for him to grayshirt and grow back home. When a roster spot opened, he came to Fort .Collins a year earlier than planned. He went on to start every game of his All-.Conference career and exited as a third-round draft pick.

"I really wanted to talk to them about taking advantage of every day," he said. "Especially in the spring, it can feel kind of monotonous at times, but no day is insignificant to get better, to make the team better. Make each day the most important day and try to get as much progress and get as good as you can that day and try to make the team better."

The trip brought back a flood of memories for them both. And Richburg said he's made it a personal point to remain connected to the place he once called home, though it looks a heck of a lot different than he remembers.

He'd already been to the stadium, returning for a game a few years back, but he hopes to be around a bit more often, to see what else blooms with the program. He would like to see it mimic what is seen at other institutions.

"You look at a bunch of other schools, bigger schools if you will, who have really good alumni and guys that come back," he said. "I want to do that, and I think it's cool to be able to come back. I got to speak to the guys, and I think there's value in that from my perspective, but also from their perspective, to see guys who have done it and care to come back and be part of it."

Now, he's turned into the former player he and his teammates used to look up to when they returned and did so with pride. To him, he's a Ram and always will be. Which means he and his family are always welcome.

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