LOVELAND – Longtime wrestling coach and Hall of Famer Dan “DJ” Juergensen’s first dual as head coach at Thompson Valley was a loss to Greeley Central in 1977.
Fast forward nearly five decades to Thursday night and Juergensen finds himself back on the gym floor at Thompson Valley prior to a dual with Greeley Central. Only this time, he’s not preparing to coach but enjoying a ceremony celebrating his family’s incredible run of 45 consecutive years with a member of the Juergensen clan directly involved with the Eagles wrestling program.
When current senior captain Titus Juergensen graduates, that run of Juergensens in the Thompson Valley wrestling room will come to and end. But the run certainly was incredible. And the impact the Juergensen family has made on the Thompson Valley program will last forever.
“It’s been a family affair, for sure,” Juergensen said. “I look back and I have nothing but great memories and great relationships. It’s a very unique situation and the way it worked out is terrific. At one point, there was four of us involved – two of us coaching and two of us wrestling. Those were special years for sure, but I regarded all of the kids I had on my teams as my kids as well.
“Nothing but great memories.”
Has taken six different Juergensens to maintain their unusually lasting presence in the same program.
Dan Juergensen was head coach from 1977-2003, compiling a 308-68-4 record at Thompson Valley – 376 career dual wins including his tenure at L.I. Lutheran in New York – that resulted in him being inducted into the Colorado High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2009. The 12-time Northern Conference coach of the year also was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Colorado Chapter of the National Hall of Fame.
Dan Juergensen’s son, David Juergensen, was a wrestler from 1985-1988 and posted a 62-21 record. Following Dan Juergensen’s departure, David Juergensen took over as head coach and led the Eagles from 2003-16. He finished with a 166-27 dual record, was named CHSCA Coach of the Year in 2015 after leading the Eagles to a state championship and is currently the Dean of Students at Thompson Valley.
Joe Juergensen wrestled at Thompson Valley from 1989-92, finishing with a 52-25 record and placing sixth at the state tournament in 1992. Pete Juergensen posted a 53-37 record at Thompson Valley from 1990-93 and was an assistant coach there from 1993-2002.
Gage Juergensen, Pete Juergensen’s son, finished with a 92-58 record as an Eagles wrestler from 2017-20 and his younger brother Titus Juergensen, Dan Juergensen’s grandson, has a 66-28 record at Thompson Valley and hopes to finish his high school career at the state tournament this winter.
“It’s really surreal and it was nothing but a great feeling to be out there tonight with my kids and my grandkids,” Juergensen said. “I know that all of them that were involved in the wrestling program learned the lessons of life in that wrestling room. They learned that there are no secrets to success and they have that hard work and persistence that you pick up in this sport. I’m proud that they were a part of this sport because they’re all good, hardworking kids.”
