Poudre High athletic department changes lineup

By Brenda Rader Mross
Correspondent

It was entirely his call, but retiring Poudre athletic director, head football coach and assistant principal Rich Yonker said letting go isn't going to be easy.

"Next year is going to be an adjustment," he said. "I fully expect to find myself at Poudre High School routinely."

Working 32 years in the same location--22 of them as head football coach --will do that to a person, especially a man like Yonker whose own children graduated from PHS.

"My family is Poudre and Poudre is my family," he simply said.

Yonker is handing off the proverbial ball to a man he's worked with for the past 26 years: assistant coach and offensive coordinator Steve Bradley. Bradley, 49, will be the fourth head football coach in Poudre's 43-year history.

There's a special bond between the two that goes beyond the playing field. "We're very close," Bradley said. "Rich is the godfather for my children."

That familiar familial feeling carries over into the arena of athletic director, in that next year's AD is current assistant principal Brad Beauprez.

Yonker said there was a thorough selection process for both positions during which Bradley and Beauprez distinguished themselves from the other applicants not only due to their qualifications, but because "they really wanted these jobs."

No newcomer to Poudre, Beauprez has been on staff for 13 years. He took over mid-season as girls' head basketball coach after first-year coach Erik Shoeneman was replaced. With the 35-year-old Beauprez at the helm, the Lady Impalas have started winning games, including a big 55-47 victory over conference rival Rocky Mountain High School.

Beauprez said he intends to continue as girls' basketball coach next year.

"It's exciting helping kids find their passion," Beauprez said. "And I was just telling the girls, 'sometimes it's just about showing up.'"

These three men have done more than their share of being there and making themselves available.

Beauprez, Bradley and Yonker joked that by the time it's all said and done, high school athletic coaches probably make about "12 cents an hour." Beauprez said coaching salaries range from $2,000 to $4,000 for what often becomes "year-round and then some."

Coaching can be rough in many aspects, but Bradley said it's those tests that establish connections with students that last a lifetime.

"There's something about going through tough events together," he said. "Coaching provides the opportunity for long-lasting relationships. Now I'm coaching some of the kids' kids."

Coaching up to 30 hours a week or more, on top of an already full-time job, can really cut into one's personal life, but these guys have turned things around to make sure their involvement includes their families. As Bradley put it, "our families are ingrained."

"My wife Sheralyn is a graduate of PHS. My kids live and die Poudre," he said. "Years ago when I was the girls' basketball coach, I had a 2-week-old in a car seat behind the bench."

Yonker said that same inclusiveness extends to players' parents.

"There's a new generation of parents that want to be actively involved," Yonker recognized. "We encourage that. Poudre parents are welcome on the practice field. There's been a lot of research that points to how much kids want and need parents to be supportive...not to coach them but to be there for them as a parent."

"We are a close community," Bradley agreed. "I think it's the kind of kids we draw, and the fact that some of our teachers went to school here themselves."

"We've heard it from CSU and other visitors," Beauprez said. "There is a certain esprit de corps here that you don't find elsewhere."

All three men were quick to credit PHS Principal Sandra Lundt and her focus on relationships with people.

"It starts at the top," Yonker said. "Sandra Lundt lets people do their jobs and follow their passions. That includes allowing the AD to coach."

The same could be said of Yonker, who claims his favorite memories as athletic director were being able to help coaches come to tough decisions. "I enjoy being a resource, a mentor," he said. "I am not a micromanager."

The worst of times, he said, was when he had to make coaching changes.

At 54 years old, Yonker certainly didn't retire because of his age.

Or maybe he did.

Yonker said he's following his dad's lead in retiring early because, like father, like son, he also has four or five things he wants to do yet. "I have no interest in doing a 'bucket list,'" Yonker laughed, referring to the recently released movie of the same name starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two dying men fulfilling their "to do's."

Yonker said while there is never a good time when it comes to leaving, he feels good about his decision.

"I feel confident about leaving the program in such good hands," he said. "Poudre's future is bright. We've got such great kids and staff. It's been a privilege and a pleasure to work here."

Beauprez praised Yonker for laying "such a good blueprint" when it comes to handling the challenges of being a high school athletic director. "Kids really care about athletics. So do parents," Beauprez said. "I don't know if people realize how challenging the position of AD is."

When issues do come up with students or parents, Beauprez said, the AD works to make sure their values are connected to the school's programs. "We need their support," he said. "We're all in this together: parents, students, teachers, the community. That kind of supporting each other seems to be getting lost in society, but it's what Poudre is all about."

Working with parents and letting them be part of the program is also important to next year's head football coach, who says he and his predecessor are similar in some areas.

"I'm louder than Rich is," Bradley kidded. "He's good at delegating, and probably better than I am at being politically correct."

Yonker said he's excited for Bradley.

"There's a strong tradition at Poudre," Yonker said. "I know Steve will build on that and make it better."

As for Yonker's future, one thing's for sure: sports will be somewhere in the game plan. Yonker said he takes great joy in being a sports fan - that's any and all sports, including cricket - but football will always be his first love.

"I may be coaching someplace," he hinted. "Could be Saturday mornings at City Park, or at the college level."

Still, there's something about high school athletics, Yonker said.

"Sporting events are about more than just the athletes," Yonker said. "Games bring together the pep band, the cheerleaders, super fans." He cited the recent sold-out Impalas vs. Rocky Mountain High School basketball game during which spillover supporters watched from a closed-circuit TV in the Lobos hallway.

"High school sports is the best entertainment for the money you can have," he smiled.

With nine conference championships and 13 post-season appearances on his watch, many Poudre people would say something similar about the Rich Yonker years likewise being among the best.