Brian Currier, long-time assistant football coach and member of the social studies department, was named new head coach of the program on April 28.

Currier will be taking over for previous head coach, Todd Nagel, who coached football for six years and stepped down after the last season ended. Although Nagel is stepping down from his position there has been no love lost between Nagel and the football program.

“I have been coaching with Currier and (defensive coordinator Mike) Melton for a long time,” Nagel said. “We have been through a lot of battles and I’m looking forward to supporting those guys in seasons to come. I’m also very excited to see these guys that I have coached before grow up and progress as players.”

Nagel said Currier is a good fit for the new head coach position because of his background with Gresham, his love for the program, and his overall passion for the game.

“Currier has a great passion for Gresham and the program, he grew up in this area, played here and returned here to coach,” Nagel said.

Nagel also said that Currier is also a very well rounded coach who will bring great things to this team and the players.

“Currier has coached at every level and has a very high amount of knowledge, he also likes to focus on both sides of the ball (offense and defense), and has coached a lot of specific areas like O-line and D-line,” Nagel said.

Junior Prince Collins, a varsity football player who was coached by Currier last season, also said Currier will be a very valuable piece of the program.

“Currier is pretty laid back as long as you’re doing all the little things, if not he’ll make sure you pick up the slack,” Collins said. “He’s also very charismatic, gets you pumped up and helps get you focused on the important things.”

Collins has no doubt in his mind that Currier will strive to help the team earn a playoff spot and hopefully a title.

“Currier is very passionate about football because he had a very successful career here, he supports the school 100 percent and is glad to take the Gophers back to their days of domination,” Collins said.
Currier himself is very excited to be the new head coach.

“My goals for next season are to maintain continuity with previous seasons, to have more consistency in competitiveness and overall earn and win a home playoff game,” he said.

Currier refers to himself as a very hands-on, “analytical” coach and said he is very good with specifics of the game. Currier also has very distinct qualities that make him a diverse coach with many tools to use out on the field.

“My strengths are my understanding of the game because of coaching specific positions in the past and I love my players,” Currier said. “You won’t find anyone who loves Gresham football as much as me.”