Todd Casebier began his football coaching career as an assistant with Durango High School. After 32 seasons pacing the sidelines around Colorado, Casebier announced Thursday that his coaching career will also end in Durango.
Casebier is retiring from both coaching and teaching, effective at the end of the school year.
“It’s just time,” Casebier said. “I’ve been a head coach for 25 years and in education for 32. It was a hard decision, but it was the right one for me.”
Casebier finishes his head coaching career with an overall record of 221-78. He won two state championships, with Palisade High School in 2003 and Rifle High School in the spring 2021 season. His teams also played for two other championships, one with Palisade and one with Montrose High School. He said he was hoping to coach game No. 300 in the 3A state title game this fall, but the Demons’ strong season ended in the semifinals.
In two seasons as the head coach at Durango High School, the Demons went 20-5 under Casebier. DHS finished 11-2 this fall, winning the 3A League 3 title and reaching the state semifinals.
In his first year at DHS in 2021, the Demons went 9-3, won the 3A Southern 1 league and made it to the state quarterfinals.
Casebier also teaches social studies and weight lifting classes at DHS.
“I started and ended my career in the same place, with quite a few stops in between,” he said. “It wasn’t really in the plan until the (Durango) job came open, but it was a good way to end a successful career.”
Casebier graduated from Fort Lewis College in 1990. He began his career as an assistant for DHS and spent one year with the Demons. Casebier then got a teaching job in Farmington and spent one year there before returning to DHS as an assistant for another six seasons.
Casebier earned his first head coaching position at Palisade and coached there for seven seasons. After that, Casebier coached at Montrose for 10 years, Fruita Monument High School for three years, Castle View High School for three years, Rifle for one season and then Durango for two. In the 2020/2021 school year, with teams having the option to play in the fall or spring, Casebier coached Castle View in the fall and then Rifle that spring.
“I love the game of football and the lessons it teaches,” he said. “I love the competition and the challenges of your staff and team going against another staff and team. The work you do and the battles are so important, win or lose, in developing young people.”
Casebier said he was proud of what his teams did in Durango, but added that he had a lot of help here and at his other schools.
“I’ve had good assistants everywhere and I was also blessed with some really good players,” he said.
In 26 seasons, his teams made the playoffs 23 times.
“I was disappointed and surprised to hear the news,” district athletic director Ryan Knorr said. “He’s done so much for our program and helped keep it as one of the top programs in Colorado. It was a short time, but it was impactful, for sure. He did a wonderful job and we’ll miss the heck out of him.”
Casebier said he’s not sure what he’ll do in his retirement but is looking forward to it.
“It’s bittersweet,” he said. “It’s exciting, but also a little scary. I have no idea what fall looks like on a Friday night because I’ve been on the field for the last 32 years.”
