Amongst the last of Fort Lewis' 'Raiders,' then the first of its 'Skyhawks,' Dave Preszler announced Monday that his next administrative role is awaiting him in that college's town.
But not at FLC itself.
Preszler has stepped down from the athletic-director post he'd manned at Bayfield High School since August 2006 to take the same position at 4A Durango.
"It's been eight really, really good years at Bayfield, and there just was a sense that I wanted a new chapter-I guess that's probably the easiest way to say it," he said Tuesday at his home off Florida Road in Durango.
"For me.it was just time for the "Bayfield chapter" to close and the "Durango chapter" to start."
Preszler coached and taught in North Dakota after graduating from NAIA Valley State University there.
He earned his master's degree in education in May 1985 from North Dakota State.
More duties and responsibility greeted him when he first arrived in Colorado in August 1992 to be FLC's offensive coordinator. In 1994 he was promoted to head coach, and after the '95 season was named assistant A.D., a position he held until 2001 when he was put in charge of the whole show.
"My most enjoyable thing (at Bayfield) was the relationships I've been able to have with the student body, with the athletes," he said. "There's nothing negative I can say about Bayfield at all. It's been tremendous working with the staff, student-athletes and students, faculty, everybody! Administration? It's been wonderful."
Preszler noted that the process of his departure hadn't exactly been classified information.
"This has been ongoing for three weeks or so.we called it the 'best worst-kept secret around!'" he quipped. "Did get a chance to meet with all the staff, tell them why.they know my rationale. I think they all could understand.and they know whoever's going to be in that new A.D. seat's going to do a good job."
Preszler will fill the void left at DHS by Roxanne Perrin, who lasted just a year during a time when coaching turnover in Demon athletics has been fairly high. But with a record of hires at BHS including football coaches Marshall Hahn and successor Gary Heide, and volleyball coaches Kelley Rifilato and successor Terene Foutz, he knows the situation he'll enter.
"I can really see opportunities for some major-level collaboration between the [Bayfield and Durango] districts in the athletic arena," he added, stressing a desire to maintain his working rapport with the Wolverine personnel, whom he proudly said he'll "certainly be following."
