Keeping with the mission of Aurora Central Catholic High School, the ACC Football Program recently made a donation to the Western New Mexico University Football program, to help them rebuild after a disaster you wouldn’t wish upon your biggest rival.
Western New Mexico University Bus takes fire on the Mustangs road trip to Fort Lewis University in Durango, Colorado.
Two weeks ago, one of the more unusual stories of 2011 unfolded on a highway in Colorado. The Western New Mexico University Football Program was traveling to their road game in Durango, Colorado when their team bus caught fire. While all players and coaches got off the bus injury free, everything in the underneath compartments was lost. The WNMU Football program lost helmets, shoulder pads, jerseys, everything. Players lost cell phones, IPods, clothes and more to the fire. After all the logistics were figured out, equipment was used borrowed from local high schools, and Nike donated new cleats, the game was still played that weekend, and the Mustangs won their contest over Fort Lewis College 26-17.
ACC head football coach Brian Casey saw the story on a football coaching website.
“I couldn’t believe some of the pictures when I saw them,” Casey said. “It was incredible that everyone made it off that bus without a scratch.”
After reading a bit deeper into the story, Casey recognized the name Adam Clark, the Western New Mexico head coach. Clark was a two-year all-conference linebacker for St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. Casey and Clark were teammates on the 2001 Fighting Bee squad that captured the MSFA Conference Championship. After graduating, Clark was a defensive graduate assistant coach for SAU, during Casey’s sophomore redshirt season.
“Coach Clark was a great guy, and one heck of a football player,” Casey said. “My sophomore season when I redshirted, I worked predominately with the scout team offense, and got to work directly with him. You could tell he understood the game, and was fun to be around.”
In 2003, Casey transferred to earn a degree from the University of Florida. Clark would end up becoming the Defensive Coordinator at St. Ambrose in 2007 after a coaching three seasons at Graceland University. He was named Head Coach at WNMU in 2010, after a two year stint at Colorado School of Mines. The two have crossed paths twice at the American Football Coaches Association Convention.
The remains of the WNMU Football team bus. The Mustangs lost all their football equipment and personal belongings in the fire.
The day after reading the story, Casey brought the news to the Varsity football team.
“The timing was rather unique,” Casey said. “We were just about to go on our first road trip of the season, but I thought it was a great story of overcoming adversity, and coming together as a team despite the circumstances.”
After meeting with the players, members of the coaching staff, as well as ACC Principal Father Etheredge, the Chargers sent a letter, team photo, and a monetary donation to the WMNU Football program in a effort to help their program replace anything they may have lost in the fire.
“I think what was important was that after hearing the story, the kids were interested in hearing more about it, and helping,” Casey said. “I can only imagine what that program must be going through, and I certainly would hope other people would help us if we were ever in a similar situation, so I think we did what was right!”
To read more about the WNMU story, click here.
