The Coaching Story

In 1961, Coach Loren Hemphill was offered his first job as a teacher/coach in Plainville, Kansas.  The initial intent was for it to be a short stay, but he and his family found a place that they have called home for over 60 years.  Though coaching was key part of his career, he also wore many other hats in the support of education that continued on into retirement.  The result being a positive impact on generations of young people.

Coach Gary Heide grew up in Minnesota with a love of athletics and the goal of being a teacher/coach.  Even though it took him longer than expected to realize his dream, he appreciates his meandering path and the people who influenced him along the way.  Though he can point to plenty of wins and two football state championships in Bayfield, Colorado, he chooses to judge himself by the family that gives him purpose and the athletes that he feels privileged to have coached.  

Coach Todd Hernandez has always appreciated the opportunities that he was provided while growing up in Eaton, Colorado.  Upon returning to his hometown as a teacher/coach, he has given back to the community and its youth.  Though incredible success as a girls' basketball coach and baseball coach can easily be shown, it is some of the results away from the scoreboard that he looks to as his true measuring stick.

Coach David Guy grew up in Seibert, Colorado with a love of sports and competition, and even moved on to Western State College to play football.  Though he didn't initially start on the career path of a teacher/coach, he began to feel a strong tug that ended in him jumping into the career that provided him with the purpose he needed.   His success as a Coach at Simla High School has been noteworthy, but he measures himself more by what he does for his athletes as they prepare to move into adulthood.

Neal Dahlen won seven Super Bowl rings as an executive for the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos.  His story is one of a person who loved the game of football and all of the challenges that it presented.  He went from coaching at the high school level, to taking on any job that the San Francisco 49ers would put in front of him, to working up to the top of his profession.   Through it all, he kept an appreciation for the path he was able to follow and people he met along the way.

Football Coach Mike O'Dwyer did not have plans on coaching upon his return to Limon, Colorado, but he was essentially told that he would be a coaching for the tradition-rich community.  The nudge that he was given has led to nearly four decades of coaching at all levels and success that places his program with the best that the state has to offer.     

The career of Coach Dennis Tjaden is a story that goes well beyond the realm of high school athletics in Northeastern Colorado.  Though winning was definitely common during his decorated career, his focus was on the students and athletes of both Julesburg and Revere High Schools, and how he could make their experience a positive one that went beyond the scoreboard.  

Basketball Coach Mike Holloway spent 19 years in charge of his hometown team in Sterling, Colorado.  He added onto an established tradition of success and developed a program that was a model of excellence and consistency.  Through coaching, he found an avenue that fueled his love of competition and also allowed him to be around great athletes and coaches that he believes enriched his experience.

Coach Chris Brown is the winningest high school football coach in the state of Colorado.  With a start at Limon High School in 1976, he has developed a resume that puts him at the top of any list of successful coaches in the state.  Now beginning his 47th year in coaching, 43 of which have been at West Grand High School, he continues to enjoy the challenge of molding teams to be the best that they can be, and working to have an impact on the lives of his players.

Coach Tom Meyer spent a forty-year career in Akron, Colorado as a teacher/coach.  His level of success in the arena of track and field is legendary, as his teams recorded eight state championships and 10 state runner-up finishes.  Piece together an impressive history as a basketball coach, and we get a picture of a coach that knows success and can get that out of his teams.  Yet he is grateful for many aspects beyond high school competition.  The athletes, coaches, and community that he believes allowed him to capitalize on his passion.

Coach Jon Penfold spent 30 years at Wiggins High School and developed a dominant wrestling program that achieved success at the top level of Colorado Wrestling.  This included 6 team state championships and a list of awards that places him with the legends of Colorado Wrestling.  It is the athletes, however, that he chooses to focus on and how they made his profession truly a worthwhile vocation.

Growing up in Elbert, Colorado, Coach Jeremy Kerns had a love for athletics and competition.  This was aided by impactful coaches that he credits for opening his eyes to the life of a teacher-coach.  After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado, where he had actively sought out opportunities to gain experiences in coaching, he began his teaching and coaching career at Byers High School in 2004.  Though he believes he had a lot to learn when he first started, he developed solid philosophies and the important relationships that continue to keep him in Byers to this day.  

In an unimaginable coaching career, Coach Keith Riley has won 9 combined state championships in basketball and track at Hill City, Kansas and has been recognized at both the state and national level.  Yet, even as he continues in his 54th consecutive year as a basketball coach, the challenge of building a team and being around his players still gives him great joy. 

Growing up a daughter of a volleyball coach, Erin Deffenbaugh-Ready excelled in multiple sports at Strasburg High School.  She then went on to star at the University of Northern Colorado and had a volleyball career that included  Division II Player of the Year, Division I Independent Player of the Year, and a retired jersey in the rafters at UNC.   The recipe for this was simple:  talent, hard-work, great teammates,  family and community support, and an ability to overcome adversity.

Growing up in Aspen Colorado, Coach Jeff Conarroe had a passion for athletics and especially basketball.  After college, however, he decided to pursue a career in the business world.  This turned out to be short-lived as he decided to make some unorthodox moves that sent him along a path the ultimately got him to the NCAA tournament as an assistant, and now the head coaching position at his alma mater of Colorado College.

Growing up in Oshkosh, Nebraska, Coach Jolene Dodge loved to play all sports and relished opportunities to compete.  She took this attitude to the college level, as a player, and had a decorated career as a volleyball player.  As she moved onto high school coaching, she has had success at the highest levels.  Her journey has now come full circle, as she has returned to her hometown to coach.

Coach David Dodge grew up in Strasburg, Colorado enjoying all sports and wanting to pursue competition at the college level.  He got that opportunity at Bethany College and remained there as a football and baseball coach for an extended and successful number of years.  When an opportunity came about for him to return to where he grew up and coach at the high school level in Colorado, he moved his career in a different direction and has continued to pursue a diverse set of coaching experiences.

Coach Jay Madden grew up with in a love of competition.  As he went from a high school football player at Pomona High School in Arvada, Colorado to a college football player at Mesa College, he was around many important mentors he drew from that helped him in developing a philosophy that has taken him to the highest levels of high school coaching in Colorado.  To him, however, coaching always comes back to a belief in kids and an interest in changing their lives for the better.

With the combination of a family that emphasized work-ethic, and people he met along his path, Shawn Randel believes that he was given multiple opportunities to develop as a coach and as a person.  He feels blessed to be able to pass along what he has learned to the next generation.

Growing up in Montana, Dave Sheffield knew that he wanted to be a coach.  That opportunity came with a call from Hugo, Colorado.   Through plenty of  impactful experiences, and aided by key individuals along his path, he has built a philosophy of coaching that has translated to seven combined state championships in football and basketball at Hi-Plains and Yuma High Schools.  Yet it is the entire process of coaching and the players in his program that truly motivate him.

Growing up in Wray, Colorado and being able to compete for his hometown always meant something special to Levi Kramer.  Though he did not initially intend on returning, multiple events led him back and to eventually take over the football program at Wray High School.  It is his mentors, however, that he credits with putting him in position to succeed.

While growing up in rural Kansas, Kevin Shaffer had a love of sports that he carried into his broadcasting career.  After working his way through all levels of radio coverage, he started the Colorado Preps Network for the purpose of providing the public with information about the teams they followed.  Though there have been many changes through the years, he continues to stick to his commitment to covering the high schools of the state and the achievements of their athletes.

Basketball Coach Ken Niven has a resume that includes 510 career wins, predominantly at Alamosa and Monarch High Schools.  While at Alamosa, he also coached his teams to four consecutive state championships.  He believes, though, that  it is his players who have allowed him to have a coaching life that has been blessed.

Volleyball Coach Pam Fagerlund grew up in rural Nebraska relishing the opportunities to compete in athletics.  After choosing to dedicate herself to the profession of teacher/coach, she developed a program at Flagler, Colorado that had success at the highest level for over 30 years.   Yet she feels that the lessons that she learned through the process, and the people she was surrounded by, provided the true purpose to the path she followed. 

Football is a game that Coach Monte Thelen loved to play.  That has led him on a path from high school and college athlete to a career as a high school football coach.   He has taken inspiration and advice from the mentors in his life, along with knowledge from multiple coaching stops, to create a philosophy on coaching and the development of young people for football and beyond.

Coach John Mundell has spent over 50 years working with athletes and promoting all sports as a way of developing what he considers important traits for future success.  In his 40 years at Strasburg Schools, he has been able to coach or observe nearly every athlete that has gone through the system.  His impact can be seen in his former players, as well as other coaches and the overall community.

In the world of volleyball, Coach Susan Odenbaugh reached a level of success that very few could ever imagine,  yet this is not the measuring stick that she uses to judge herself.  As a teacher/coach it has always been about her ability to work with others and give them the tools to be prosperous.

Tim Jenkins grew up loving athletics, competition, and specifically the quarterback position.  His path eventually led to opportunites at the professional level.  After his playing career ended, he then turned to private coaching and found that he was energized by the quarterbacks that he got to work with and the impact he could have with the next generation.

Niwot High School Coach Terri Ward is passionate about the game of basketball and helping young women develop and find success on the court and beyond.  Her willingness to promote the game has allowed her to have experiences that she never could have imagined when she entered the profession.

Born and raised in Akron, Colorado.  Coach Brian Christensen returned and ran programs in both football and wrestling that resulted in state championships on the field and state champions on the mat.  Through it all, he maintained an appreciation for his family, coaches, players, and community that he believes made it all possible.

There are many avenues that can be pursued that involve sports and my brother, Steve Hemphill,chose the path of sports journalist.  This has allowed him to have a front row seat to observe a multitude of great coaches and teams at all levels over the last 30 years.     

Coach Rick Carothers always wanted to be a coach.  After 400 basketball wins in coaching stints at Elbert, Calhan, and Kiowa, he still has the passion for competition and the drive to pass on the lessons that he believes go beyond the sporting arena.

Wrestling Coach Bob Smith had a successful career in the high school and college ranks that defines excellence.  He continues to be an ambassador of the sport and continues to connect with the extended family that he believes made it all possible.

Though he grew up in Holyoke, Colorado as a Coach's son and with a love of competition, Coach Ryan Baumgartner never intended on being a coach.  Following graduation at Doane University, however, he took advantage of an opportunity to become a college basketball assistant that led to a women's head coaching position at his alma mater.

In coaching both football and basketball for nearly the entirety of his career in Kit Carson, Colorado, Jim Trahern established a program where he worked with athletes from a very young age until their high school graduation.  His success in coaching can be shown in both the number of wins and, more importantly, the impact he has had on the overall school and community.

Utilizing his love of athletics and the help from his mentors, Coach Chad Marin found immediate success by winning a Colorado High School Basketball State Championship in his first year as a head coach.  He then took a different path by becoming a trusted assistant coach for multiple schools and sports.  His knowledge and ability to make a positive impact on the players he has coached has made him a respected and valued addition wherever he has been. 

Coach Terry Amundson arrived at the world of coaching in an accidental way. Even though it was not in his original plan, he has inspired generations of student/athletes at Byers High School by keeping true to his beliefs in how athletics fit into the larger piece of the educational puzzle.

Though Joe Stemo made it to Bennett, Colorado through an interesting set of circumstances, he found that he appreciated the area, and liked what he was able to do in the field of teaching and coaching.  He chose to stay and the roots that he put down have had a continuing impact on the community.  

Coach Tobi Whitehead started as a cheer coach to help fill a need, but soon realized the impact that she could have with the young people she coached, as well as the entire school.  

Basketball Coach John Baumgartner spent years as head coach of the boys program and made continual trips to the state tournament.  A change of course moved him to coaching the girls, however, where he has reached more state tournaments and an appreciation for the road he has taken.

Coach Michelle Woodard believed that she had coached her last game and was ready to move on to other ventures.  Then a softball coaching opportunity arose that reminded her what she truly loved to do and how success is measured far beyond the wins and losses.

Basketball Coach Kyle Bollers always loved the game, but in the transition to coaching it, he had to develop a different mindset that would allow him to appreciate the process and ultimately become successful.

Volleyball Coach Larry Deffenbaugh never planned on volleyball being the sport in which he would devote the bulk of his 40+ years of coaching.  Yet while he worked to improve his knowledge in the sport, he found a passion for it that he wanted to pass on to the athletes he coached. 

Basketball Coach Merci Ames has spent nearly 30 years at Strasburg High School.  She has had success on the court, which include two state championships, but she has many other reasons that keep her teaching and coaching at the same place she began.

Football coach Jeff Giger has a passion for coaching high school football.  He has worked to overcome many obstacles and has reached a high level of success and is a respected coach in the prep ranks.  Find out how he developed his philosophy and his motivations for continuing to positively influence the athletes he mentors.