Grand Junction has hired Mike Sirko as its next football coach. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
Grand Junction has hired Mike Sirko as its next football coach, the school announced on Thursday.
Sirko, 61, has been a head coach coach since 1976, and has won at virtually every stop. Most recently, he spent two years leading Hotchkiss — his second stint at the school. He also has been a head coach at Rampart (twice), Falcon, Smoky Hill, Doherty and Aspen.
“Coach Sirko has been recognized for his ability to build and sustain successful football programs across the state,” Grand Junction athletic director Carol Sams said in announcing the hire. “Grand Junction High School is excited to bring Coach Sirko to the valley and to welcome him as a vital part of the Tiger community.”
Sirko replaces Robbie Owens, who led the school to wide success during his tenure. Owens accepted a job in San Diego last month.
Sirko was 7-12 during his most recent stint at Hotchkiss, leading the Bulldogs to the 1A playoffs in 2014.
The coach has a history of doing great things at programs, and has amassed 244 career wins, which is the seventh-most in state history. At least 150 of those wins have come at the 4A or 5A level.
When Sirko took over Aspen, the Skiers hadn’t had a winning season since 1985, and hadn’t made the playoffs since 1974. His first season, Aspen went 7-3 and made the playoffs. In his second, Aspen won a playoff game.
He went 52-24 in seven seasons at Aspen.
Sirko had two stints at Rampart, as well, including 1996-2003 during which the Rams made three semifinal appearances. In 1998, he led the Rams to a 14-0 season and the 4A state title. Prior to his arrival in 1996, Rampart was 0-9.
He also turned around Falcon (1982-88), leading a winless program to its first-ever winning season.
In his first stint at Hotchkiss (1979-82), which was also his first high school job, Sirko took over a program that was 0-34, and led them to the 2A quarterfinals and semifinals in two of his three seasons.
Grand Junction had a lot of success under Owens, including consecutive appearances in the 5A quarterfinals in 2010 and 2011. But roster turnover hit the Tigers in recent seasons, and they’ve gone 6-14 over the past two years.
GJ is set to move down to 4A with the realignment of classifications in 2017. The Tigers return starting quarterback Jax Nourse, two of their three leading rushers, a top receiver in Danny Antonucci, as well as five of their top six leading tacklers.
Sirko is set to meet with his new team on Tuesday.
Follow all of this offseason’s football coaching changes in our tracker.