Former Rock Springs head football coach Jamie Christensen will be one of 11 inductees into the school’s Hall of Fame class of 2018 on Saturday, August 25th at the Sweetwater County Events Complex.
In association with Tanner Family Dentistry, SweetwaterNOW is profiling the inductees each day in anticipation of the awards banquet that night.
Sweetwater County School District No. 1 invites the public to banquet this year following a weekend of festivities to open the 2018 high school fall sports season. Tickets are $30 for adults, and $15 for children 12 and under.
This class marks the third year that coaches, players, teachers and administrators have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
An interactive display of all current and past inductees can be found in the main hall at Rock Springs High School.
Jamie Christensen
Jamie Christensen came to Rock Springs in the fall of 1989. Directly out of college, he accepted a job offer as an English teacher at Rock Springs High School.
As a new teacher, he was lucky enough to join the Rock Springs High School football staff as a defensive backs coach and a running backs coach. As an assistant coach under Mike Lopiccolo and Carl Romanowski, Jamie served in many different capacities including defensive and offensive coordinator.
In 1999, Jamie accepted the head coaching position for the Tigers’ football team.
It Doesn’t Get Much Sweeter Than This
Over the next 5 years, the Tigers compiled a 35-14-win loss record, including two State Championships in 2001 and 2002, and a semi finals appearance in 2003, his final season.
In 2001, the Rock Springs Tigers completed a perfect season, rolling up 11 straight wins and a 22-19 win over the Gillette Camels, a game played in front of a packed Tiger Stadium.
At the end of the year, his peers selected Jamie Christensen as the 5A Coach of the Year.
He was also honored by being selected as the Head Coach of the South team in the 2002 Annual North/South Shrine Bowl.
Jamie, along with his assistant coach Tony Yerkovich and four seniors (Matt McIntosh, Ryan Hart, Tyler Sidebottom, David White) were selected for the honor.
In 2002, the Rock Springs Tigers completed a second straight undefeated season as they once again ran to an 11-0 record and a second home appearance in the state championship game against the Gillette Camels.
The Tigers defeated the Camels 36-14. Jamie was again chosen as the 5A Football Coach of the Year.
He was selected as an assistant coach for the South in Wyoming’s 2003 North/South Shrine Bowl, where he was the defensive coordinator.
Tiger players Nathan Gehle, Matt Romanowski, John Curtis, Cole Seppie, Beau Wendling, and Ben Taylor joined him in the honor.
At Rock Springs High School, Jamie Christensen also coached Track and Field from 1991-2003. During those years, he coached the sprinters.
From 2002-2004 Jamie served on the Wyoming Coaches Association Board of Directors as the Wyoming football representative where he was given the opportunity to promote the work of football coaches in Wyoming.
Life After Coaching
Following his teaching/coaching career at Rock Springs High School, Jamie served two years as the activities director for the district before moving into the role of assistant principal in charge of curriculum.
In 2008 Jamie accepted the Principal position at Green River High School. In 2010 he was named Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Sweetwater County School District #2.
