For the second time in three years, Broomfield High School is on the hunt for a new football coach.

Following his hire in 2023, Robert O’Brien led the Eagles to a Class 4A state championship in 2024, and racked up a 22-7 record. He said he decided to hang up his whistle due to the strain of doubling up coaching a football program and teaching special education.

“I’ve done special education for the last 12 years. It’s a very difficult job,” O’Brien said. “It’s very time-consuming. There’s a lot of legal paperwork that you have to deal with. There’s just a lot of expectations in the job. When I was initially offered the position, I told the administrator who was hiring me that I would not be able to do special education and be the head football coach at Broomfield High School. I’ve done it in the past at other schools, and it just really doesn’t work out. I let them know that, and I was told at that point that it would be a one-year situation where I’d be in special education for one year, and then the following year I’d be moved.”

In his second year at BHS, O’Brien was supposed to be moved over to a physical education teaching position, but due to shrinkage within the district, the position never opened up. That forced him to make a difficult choice, one he wished he didn’t have to make.

“I don’t make very much money coaching football,” O’Brien said. “My teaching position is what puts food on our table and a roof over our head. That’s the one that I can’t lose at this moment. I have to stay at that position. Unfortunately, that was what happened.”

O’Brien first came on to the Eagles’ coaching staff amid turmoil in the program. After allegations of grooming surfaced with the previous coach, Blair Hubbard, in early 2023, he resigned and paved the way for the hire of O’Brien. Hubbard was later cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.

Without skipping a beat, O’Brien helped to continue the legacy that his predecessor had built. Hubbard’s last season saw an undefeated record and his own state championship.

O’Brien said that coaching is his true passion, and he hopes that down the line, he’ll be able to return to the field. He told the players of his decision in a team meeting on Monday afternoon. He will stay on as a special education teacher at the high school.

In the meantime, BHS will be opening the coaching job up to the public starting on Tuesday, and will have a tight turnaround for any aspiring candidates. Athletic director Tyler Zappia said the school hopes to have the new coach hired by the beginning of April.

He said he’s grateful for the way that O’Brien’s been able to transform the program in his short time and sympathizes with the players that have had to endure two major coaching changes.

“We’re a little late to the game. I mean, we’re late February at this point, so we’re going to try and move a little quickly but make sure we get a good candidate poll,” Zappia said. “Our goal is to have it posted by tomorrow, Tuesday, and then we’ll have it posted for, I think, eight business days. We’re going to close it that next Thursday and then screen candidates on Friday and hope to do interviews the following week ahead of our spring break.”

O’Brien, for his part, said he’s always going to look back on his time with the Eagles fondly, and looks forward to seeing who the school hires to replace him.

“It was an absolutely incredible experience,” he said. “The success is awesome. The state championship is awesome. The coach of the year (award) is awesome. None of that matters to me though. It was 100% all about the connection with the kids and the relationships that I’ve built with the kids. I feel like I learned more from them than they learned from me.

“They’ve impacted my life in a way that I really can’t describe. There were handfuls of kids who’ve stuck out over the last three years that have just impacted me and my wife. I’m just so thankful for the opportunity. I’m just a kid that grew up in Louisville and was never the greatest athlete in the world, but it’s awesome to have an opportunity to coach in a community that really raised me. I wish it was longer. I wish it wasn’t a three year situation that we’re talking about.”

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