Boulder, Colo. ? The group of Colorado Buffaloes football players were just relaxing after lifting weights, hanging out, playing video games when all of their cell phones, Treos and Blackberries started buzzing.

Coach Dan Hawkins was sharing another piece of advice, another motivational message, another life lesson via text message.

“I just think sometimes when you hear somebody say a quote, you think, ‘Man, that’s pretty cool. That kind of stuck with me a little bit.’ Or you read something in the paper, you see something on a sign and you go, ‘That’s pretty cool,'” Hawkins said. “Sometimes when I think of stuff or I hear stuff and I’ve got a little down time, I’ll sit down and crank it out to our players or our staff, just as a little pick-me-up.”

The messages are often sports-related but rarely are they about football.

“I don’t try to hit them so much about football per se,” Hawkins. “It might be current events. It might be Tiger Woods getting back on track.”

Kicker Mason Crosby said the text messages were inspirational outside the context of athletics.

“A lot of that motivational stuff might be geared toward football but if you don’t live your life that way, then it’s not going to be carried on the field,” Crosby said. “A lot of it has to be with be great off the field so you don’t have to worry so much about stuff on the field.

“As long as people take his messages and apply them, it’s going to make us a better team in the long run.”

¢ Hawk’s deal: Dan Hawkins recently signed his five-year contract, which pays him $900,000 annually and includes several incentives such as $100,000 for taking the Buffs to the Big 12 championship game and another $100,000 for winning it.

Hawkins’ deal includes a base salary of $160,000, a $490,000 radio/TV package, $200,000 in supplemental income from the university’s sponsorship contract with Nike and $50,000 to operate summer football camps.

He also gets a country club membership and can earn $200,000 more in incentives.

¢ Where am I? Hawkins harkened back to his eight seasons at Boise State when he accidentally signed a Buffaloes helmet with the phrase: “Go Broncos! Coach Hawkins” during a photo op in which a half dozen photographers clicked as he signed the wrong nickname on the gold and black helmet.