Mike Griebel hired as the football coach at Thomas Jefferson
A familiar name is returning as a head coach in Colorado high school football: Thomas Jefferson has hired Mike Griebel.
The school announced the news on Thursday.
“We are thrilled to welcome coach Griebel into our Spartan family and look forward to continuing our tradition of excellence on and off the field,” Thomas Jefferson athletic director Anne Rice said.
Said Griebel: “I’m excited to head a program that is rich in football tradition. I spent my childhood in DPS and grew up playing on TJ feeder teams. It just felt like the right fit to come full circle and finish where I started.”
Griebel brought Heritage to prominence in his 19 seasons as coach from 1995-2013, going 128-84 over that span, and leading the Eagles to the Class 4A championship in 2009 when they went 13-1. That capped a three-year span during which his teams won at least 10 games.
Griebel was let go by Heritage after the 2013 season, and has since been an assistant at Columbine, where his son Mikey, starred and was an all-state player.
“My goal was to leave Heritage and Columbine better than when I got there, and I think I did that,” Griebel said. “It will be my same goal here at TJ and I can’t wait to get started.”
He has also spent time as a representative on the CHSAA football committee, and has twice been named a Denver Broncos coach of the week.
Thomas Jefferson, which plays in Class 3A, is coming off of three consecutive eight-win seasons under former coach Derrick Martin. It’s a young roster, and a number of key contributors are expected to return.
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