Wasinger tabbed as ASC's offensive coordinator

by Chris Day, Sports Information Director Adams State

Manny Wasinger coached nine league and two state championship teams at Alamosa High School.

ALAMOSA, Colo.- New Adams State College head football coach Marty Heaton announced Monday that Manny Wasinger has been named as ASC's assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.

Wasinger, who will also coach the Grizzly quarterbacks, had been the head coach at Alamosa High School for the past 23 seasons, and led the Mean Moose to 2001 & 2006 undefeated state titles.

In his time at the helm of the AHS program, Wasinger's teams compiled an impressive 190-78 record, a .709 winning percentage.  They won nine league titles and reached the playoffs an impressive 20 times.  The Mean Moose also made eight appearances in the state's final four and were state runner-ups in 1995.

"I'm extremely excited about getting Manny Wasinger on board.  He brings instant credibility, experience, knowledge and enthusiasm to the position," Heaton said.

In 2001, Wasinger received Colorado Coach of the Year honors for all classifications from both the Denver Post & Rocky Mountain News.  He was also tabbed as the Denver Broncos High School Coach of the Year after that season, which also saw him win Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News 3A Coach of the Year honors.

Wasinger also received the Colorado High School Coaches Association's Coach of the Year award for all classifications in both 2001 and 2006 and was selected to coach in the All-State game in 2002.  Locally, Wasinger was selected as the San Luis Valley Coach of the Year six times, most recently in 2006.

Wasinger graduated from ASC with summa cum laude honors and a 3.95 GPA in the spring of 1982 and returned to earn a secondary teaching certificate a year later after serving as a student assistant coach under Joel Swisher for the 1982 season.

Earning a bachelor's degree in secondary education with endorsements in business and physical education, Wasinger then served as an assistant coach at AHS under Larry Basky for the 1983 and 1984 seasons before taking over the program in 1985.

He also taught business at AHS from 1983-86 before moving to Ortega Middle School, where he taught American history for 14 years.  He then returned to AHS and was a weightlifting and physical education teacher for the past eight years.

He also served as an assistant coach for both wrestling and track & field at various times with AHS.

During his 1978-81 playing career at ASC, Wasinger earned honorable mention All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors at the wide receiver position as a senior.

Heaton was a defensive back on ASC's team during the same time.  The two players helped lead the then Indians to a share of the RMAC title and a Boot Hill Bowl appearance as juniors in 1980.

"Manny is a former teammate and one of the guys that I've been in the trenches with.  I feel real confident about getting him back at Adams and helping build something truly special."

Wasinger, who went on to earn a master's degree in human performance and physical education in 1993 was named to the NAIA District VII All-Academic team as a senior in 1981 and earned ASC's RMAC Scholar Athlete Award for the 1981-82 academic year.

Wasinger and his wife Jill have two children.  Son Lane is a sophomore at Western State College and is a member of the Mountaineers' football team.  Daughter Ally Jo is a junior at AHS.