Fort Vancouver brings back Szueber to coach football
He led Trappers from 2007 to 2010
By Paul Valencia, Columbian
High School Sports Reporter
Published: March 25, 2014, 5:00pm
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Cal Szueber, center, talks to players before he 2009 Shriner's Freedom Bowl Classic. Szueber, who coached Fort Vancouver from 2007-10 will return to coach the Trappers.
The athletic director opened the session with more of a pep talk than a typical out-of-season meeting with the football program.
The Fort Vancouver Trappers are excited about football again.
Former Fort football coach Cal Szueber was introduced as the new Fort football coach Tuesday after school.
Szueber, a teacher on staff at Fort Vancouver, coached the Trappers from 2007 to 2010. He said a new administration at the school gives him high hopes that the football team can be turned into a winner.
“We’ve always been academically oriented here at Fort Vancouver. In addition to that, the administration is sports oriented,” Szueber said. “They see the importance of sports in education.”
Szueber will take over for Todd Quincey, who had the job for one year. Quincey will remain as an assistant coach.
The transformation started just a couple weeks ago when Quincey decided the program would be better off with him as an assistant, that he could not give all the time needed as a head coach for the Trappers. He resigned, and the Fort administration asked Szueber if he would like to return.
Szueber said yes and resigned as the head coach at Portland Christian, where he won 24 games the past two seasons and 29 in his three years at the school.
Now, he is back at the school where he teaches history.
“It would be nice to finish my career here,” said Szueber, who has a 105-85 record in 19 years as a head coach, mostly in Oregon.
In 2007, his first year at Fort, the Trappers beat Class 3A Greater St. Helens League champion Columbia River 40-7. The Trappers won four games that season. In his final year at Fort, the team went 2-7, with three of the losses coming by a combined four points.
Fort Vancouver has not had a winning season since 1998.
“We’re going to finish the job,” Szueber told the Trappers at the meeting.
Dirk Hansen, the school’s athletic director, told the players that the program would make a name for itself this fall.
“It’s going to happen,” he said.
With the hiring of Szueber and with Quincey staying on board as an assistant, there will be five football coaches working in the building. In Szueber’s previous stint, there were only two in-building coaches.
Szueber did not guarantee a championship or a playoff berth but did tell his players they would be in the best shape of their lives and they will be in position to be competitive.
“We’re going to be running our plays, getting perfect, and doing the best we can,” Szueber said.
Beyond football, Szueber wants his players to become strong young men.
“We want them to become good fathers, husbands, and community leaders. If they do that, we’ve done our job,” Szueber said. “We also think we can win some football games.”
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