The circle is complete for Craig Cirbus. Eleven years after he left Buffalo, he's back home to revive football at his alma mater, the University at Buffalo.

The new coach exudes a quiet confidence and dedication that extends beyond the field. Cirbus' football philosophy is the same as his outlook on life: accept the challenge to be the best. "There are only so many games in your life, and there's no sense in working hard and putting out the effort unless you want to be the best," said Cirbus, a former UB player who was named varsity coach earlier this year.

Craig Cirbus, 38, knows all about being the best. He was part of a collegiate national championship football program during his 11-year career at Penn State University. Cirbus served as an assistant under legendary head coach Joe Paterno.

"Craig is an outstanding young coach and I'm confident that he will provide the Buffalo program with the leadership direction it requires," Paterno said. "Craig has demonstrated the kind of maturity, knowledge and personal integrity his new position will demand."

Cirbus will lead the UB football program through its most crucial period in recent history. The Bulls have competed at the Division I-AA level for the past two years, after moving up from Division III.

UB announced this summer it will once again upgrade its football program, this time to Division I-A, and join the Mid-American Conference (MAC), following an invitation from that organization. Current conference members are: Akron, Miami of Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Ball State, Ohio University, Bowling Green, Toledo, Western Michigan and Kent State.

In the late 1990s, the Bulls will begin playing football in the MAC, and UB eventually hopes one day to be playing such national powerhouses as Syracuse and Penn State.

"It's a monumental move for the football program," Cirbus said. "You've got to be excited and feel good about the university making this move. It's a quantum jump for football and it's going to be tough, but that doesn't mean we can't do it. I think we'll be competitive."

The move up brings pressure and expectations for the coach. He's on the hot spot, but UB's athletic department is offering full support.

"Craig's an outstanding coach, and more importantly, an outstanding human being," said Nelson Townsend, UB's director of athletics. "Some fans might think just because he came here from Penn State he's going to win every game. That would be nice but we know it takes time to build a winner. We're going to give Craig time to build a program we can all be proud of."

Cirbus has always been able to meet the demands of the game during his football career, which began nearly a quarter century ago at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in Kenmore. He went to UB to study engineering, although the university did not have a football team when he enrolled.

Coach Bill Dando brought football back to UB in 1977, and Cirbus played as an undersized offensive lineman, barely weighing in at over 200 pounds.

"That son-of-a-gun wasn't big but he was tough," Dando said. "The thing that was most impressive about Craig was his intelligence. He was very knowledgeable about the game."

Cirbus graduated in 1980 with a B.S. degree in civil engineering. He lucked out in a job search and was hired the day after graduation by Hatch Associates, the company responsible for the design of Buffalo's subway system. It was a dream job, but Cirbus just couldn't get football out of his blood. He became an assistant coach at Cheektowaga Central High School for two seasons, 1980-81 and Dando brought him back to UB the following year as a recruiter and offensive line coach.

"It was amazing the way he related to the kids, and the way they took to him," Dando said. "Craig picks things up very fast and is a good teacher as well as a coach. He's honest, well-organized and he's the kind of coach who will look a kid in the eye and tell him the truth."

Cirbus was growing restless after the 1983 season. His engineering career was blossoming, but football was the center of his life. It was time to make a decision on his future.

"My avocation became my vocation," Cirbus said with a smile as he sat in his office in UB's new stadium on a warm summer's day. Cirbus was sweating, as he came off the field after an afternoon workout. Although muscular and about six feet tall, he presents a lean athletic figure, wearing black sweatpants and a green T-shirt.

Cirbus is articulate, friendly and soft-spoken. The emotional intensity he displays Cirbus, a 1980 UB graduate began career as an engineer

"That son-of-a-gun wasn't big but he was tough," Dando said. "The thing that was most impressive was his intelligence."

Cirbus graduated in 1980 with a B.S. degree in civil engineering. He lucked out in a job search and was hired the day after graduation by Hatch Associates, the company responsible for the design of Buffalo's subway system. It was a dream job, but Cirbus just couldn't get football out of his blood. He became an assistant coach at Cheektowaga Central High School for two seasons, 1980-81 and Dando brought him back to UB the following year as a recruiter and offensive line coach.

"It was amazing the way he related to the kids, and the way they took to him," Dando said. "Craig picks things up very fast and is a good teacher as well as a coach. He's honest, well-organized and he's the kind of coach who will look a kid in the eye and tell him the truth."

Cirbus was growing restless after the 1983 season. His engineering career was blossoming, but football was the center of his life. It was time to make a decision on his future. "My avocation became my vocation," Cirbus said with a smile as he sat in his office in UB's new stadium on a warm summer's day. Cirbus was sweating, as he came off the field after an afternoon workout. Muscular and about six feet tall, he presents a lean athletic figure.

Cirbus is articulate, friendly and soft-spoken. The emotional intensity he displays on the field dissipates in everyday conversation. At times, he seems more like a professor than a coach, but football is the essence of his being. That's why, during the early '80s, he wrote to virtually every Division I-A football coach in the country, asking for a job. "I kept sending out letters for a couple of years and heard nothing," Cirbus said. "Then, one day out of the blue, Coach Paterno calls me and asks me to come to Penn State for an interview."

Cirbus quit his job, packed his bags, and in the spring of 1984, headed south to Pennsylvania. He spent two years as a graduate assistant coach, and agreed to be a volunteer coach during the 1985 season. Penn State was supposed to have weaknesses that season on defense, and Cirbus worked with the linebackers. One of his prize pupils that year was a young linebacker named Shane Conlin.

"That was his first job with the defense and we had a tremendous year," said Conlin, a former No. 1 pick of the Buffalo Bills who now plays for the St. Louis Rams. "You won't find a smarter coach anywhere," said Conlin, who describes Cirbus as "a players' coach, because players respect him. He's not the kind of guy who hangs out with the players, but he cares about them and he's honest with them. That's the kind of coach players love."

In 1986, Conlin developed into an All America player and the defense helped lead Penn State to a national championship.

The major influence on Cirbus at Penn State was Joe Paterno. "He was my mentor and my friend," Cirbus said. "Joe reflects everything that is good about college life, especially perseverance and integrity. What I saw in Joe Paterno for 11 years, validated my values....To see those values at a Division I college football level was very reassuring. It shows you can have ethics and still be successful."

Cirbus was part of Penn State's success. In 1989, he moved from defense to coach the offensive line. He helped with recruiting and became an administrative assistant in 1990-91, before returning to the offense in 1992.

Cirbus molded the careers of some of the best offensive linemen in Penn State's history including John Gerak, Greg Huntington, Todd Rucci, Dave Szott and Roger Duffy. All made it to the NFL. Last season Penn State was undefeated and won the Rose Bowl. One of Cirbus' linemen, guard Jeff Hartings, made first team All America.

Cirbus' personal life became intertwined with the football program in 1990 when he married Peggy Bill, the sister of former Penn State quarterback Tom Bill. Craig and Peggy Cirbus have three children: Tommy, 4, Kelly, 2, and Megan, who was born this year. Cirbus' life and career seemed set at Penn State. That's why it was a surprise when he left to take the job at UB. Cirbus said. "Leaving Penn State was one of the hardest decisions of my life, but being a head coach is something I've always dreamed about. And it's great to be back home.

"I didn't come to UB to be a football player, I came here to get an education," Cirbus adds. That commitment to academics was reinforced during his time at Penn State.

Cirbus is determined to meet those high academic standards with UB's football program. "I want my players to know they go to college to get an education. At the same time, they're going to get a chance to be a part of a Division I program. For them, UB athletics will be an exciting, beneficial and powerful experience. But I want them to remember that it can all be a very fleeting experience. I tell each of them that at some point in their lives, they will have to rely on their education. Football only lasts so long, and then you move on."

Discipline is vital to Cirbus, but he has a lighter side, even as a coach. "Football is still a game and you've got to have fun," he said.

UB hasn't had much fun on the field with eight straight losing seasons. During the past two years against Division I-AA competition, UB posted a won-4, lost-18 record.

One of Cirbus' challenges is to rebuild players'confidence. They can already sense a difference. "We're all excited that someone with his background is coaching UB," said Chris Behan, a senior tight end who is captain of the team. "Coach Cirbus brings a new level of professionalism here with his experience and being around Joe Paterno."

Cirbus arrived at UB in January and has already demonstrated his ability to attract players. However, he refuses to single out individuals for the upcoming season. He stresses the team concept. "A fraction of my job with UB is coaching on the field," he says. "The main part is putting in place the right mechanisms to allow our kids to be successful."

ANTHONY VIOLANTI is a writer for The Buffalo News.