Dan Jajczyk is a big man with a big heart and a big, booming voice. As his players gather around him – be it in the locker room, or in the classroom or on the field – he commands their attention.
It isn’t his physical stature that makes him a big man, but his love of team, school, community and family. Since taking over as football coach of the Adams City Eagles in Commerce City this past spring, Jajczyk has been tasked with reviving one of the state’s longest struggling programs. He’s doing just that. The Eagles are in the midst of a big change that the proud residents of Commerce City have been craving for years.
Jajczyk stresses the importance of changing perceptions, the idea that winning and losing does not define a team, but that accountability and responsibility to teammates and self leads to success.
Despite his aversion to the words “wins” and “losses,” the Eagles are 4 -2 just past the halfway point of this season and in position to make an unexpected playoff push.
As Adams City enters the final part of its schedule, which is also the toughest part, the bonds of its newly formed brotherhood will be tested in ways they haven’t been so far.
Regardless, for Jajczyk, this season is all about the opportunity to learn and grow together with his team, his school and his adopted community of Commerce City and not just about wins and losses.
AAron Ontiveroz: aontiveroz@denverpost.com or
