For the second time in three years, Broomfield High School is on the hunt for a new football coach.<\/p>\n
Following his hire in 2023, Robert O\u2019Brien 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done special education for the last 12 years. It\u2019s a very difficult job,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cIt\u2019s very time-consuming. There\u2019s a lot of legal paperwork that you have to deal with. There\u2019s 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\u2019ve done it in the past at other schools, and it just really doesn\u2019t work out. I let them know that, and I was told at that point that it would be a one-year situation where I\u2019d be in special education for one year, and then the following year I\u2019d be moved.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his second year at BHS, O\u2019Brien 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\u2019t have to make.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t make very much money coaching football,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cMy teaching position is what puts food on our table and a roof over our head. That\u2019s the one that I can\u2019t lose at this moment. I have to stay at that position. Unfortunately, that was what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien first came on to the Eagles\u2019 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\u2019Brien. Hubbard was later cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.<\/p>\n
Without skipping a beat, O\u2019Brien helped to continue the legacy that his predecessor had built. Hubbard\u2019s last season saw an undefeated record and his own state championship.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien said that coaching is his true passion, and he hopes that down the line, he\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He said he\u2019s grateful for the way that O\u2019Brien\u2019s been able to transform the program in his short time and sympathizes with the players that have had to endure two major coaching changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a little late to the game. I mean, we\u2019re late February at this point, so we\u2019re going to try and move a little quickly but make sure we get a good candidate poll,\u201d Zappia said. \u201cOur goal is to have it posted by tomorrow, Tuesday, and then we\u2019ll have it posted for, I think, eight business days. We\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien, for his part, said he\u2019s always going to look back on his time with the Eagles fondly, and looks forward to seeing who the school hires to replace him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an absolutely incredible experience,\u201d he said. \u201cThe 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\u2019ve built with the kids. I feel like I learned more from them than they learned from me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve impacted my life in a way that I really can\u2019t describe. There were handfuls of kids who\u2019ve stuck out over the last three years that have just impacted me and my wife. I\u2019m just so thankful for the opportunity. I\u2019m just a kid that grew up in Louisville and was never the greatest athlete in the world, but it\u2019s awesome to have an opportunity to coach in a community that really raised me. I wish it was longer. I wish it wasn\u2019t a three year situation that we\u2019re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n