Arvada West’s Casey Coons inducted into Western Colorado University HOF

Casey Coons, current Arvada West High School’s Athletic Director, was inducted into Western Colorado University’s Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 14. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics

ARVADA — Casey Coons has been involved in football across Colorado for more than four decades.

From his high school playing days at Lincoln High School in the mid-1970s to this year being his first as Athletic Director at Arvada West High School. Coons received the honor of being inducted into the Western Colorado University’s Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame class of 2018 on Sept. 14.

Coons found out about going into the HOF last summer. He received a call from current Western Colorado football coach Jas Bains to officially give Coons the news.

“I told him (Bains), ‘It must be a slow year,’” Coons joked. “It is a nice honor.”

T.W. Stites, former player for Coons, was also inducted.

“It was fun,” Coons said of the induction weekend a few weeks ago. “At halftime of the football game they called us (inductees) out. The best part is a lot of former players came back. That is what it’s all about. It not about how many games you win really. It’s about relationships.”

Casey Coons coached Arvada West’s football program for a decade. The Wildcats racked up 74 wins and four Class 5A state semifinal appearances. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics

Coons spent fours years (1977 to 1980) as an offensive lineman for the Mountaineers. Western won three Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles during that span.

He returned to his alma mater for a seven-year stint from 1988 to 1994. Coons was the offensive line coach and strength and conditioning coordinator for three years before getting promoted to assistant head coach and defensive coordinator in 1991.

“When I became the defensive coordinator in 1991 we were all on the brink of probably getting fired if we didn’t get things going,” Coons admitted. “We were fortunate. We lost our opener and then won 10 in a row.”

The Mountaineers won three RMAC titles from 1991 to 1994.

“It was a great time,” Coons said. “We had a great staff and a bunch of great players.”

Coons has called Arvada West High School home for the past 17 years. He was hired as the head football coach in 2002. He spent 10 years coaching the Wildcats, racking up a 74-40 record with four Class 5A state semifinal appearances.

“I’m really proud of those teams,” Coons said of his state semifinal teams. “I’m proud we have three to five guys off those teams coaching now. That is big to me.”

Coons moved into the athletic director position at A-West this year.

“I love the school,” Coons said who has taught and been the dean of students at A-West High School. “I love the kids. I love the community. It’s similar to what we had at Western. It’s a great group of people.”