GOLDEN • What is that old saying about making plans?

We plan, God laughs?

“I didn’t want to coach football,” new Colorado School of Mines football coach Brandon Moore was telling me the other day.

God: LOL.

“I went to college to be a politician. Congressman Moore, Senator Moore. That was my plan.”

The problem with that plan is that he made it. Seriously, check out Coach Moore’s path so far.

It’s one long opposite day.

As of Feb. 1, he’s the head coach at Colorado School of Mines, a powerhouse football program that’s tapping on the door of the Division II blue bloods — while maintaining its status as an academic powerhouse in engineering circles. Alabama on Saturday, Stanford Monday to Friday.

The nerds struck gold with Coach Moore.

“I’m a moron compared to these kids,” Moore says. “They’re so smart. I learn from them.”

Eh, that might be true. But this a 43-year-old who’s one of those guys who was going to be successful no matter which path he chose — or, in his case, which path chose him. Moore is going places; they’re just not the places he was planning to go. He’s terrible at making plans.

Plan No. 1: Become a congressman from the great state of New York.

“I told my mom I want to change the world in some small way,” Moore says.

A big-time high school recruit out of Long Island, Moore committed to Georgia Tech, another engineering powerhouse, before switching to Oklahoma and winning a national title with the Sooners. (See? Successful no matter what.) His linebackers coach at OU was Brent Venables, who’s now the head coach at OU, and Moore recently returned to OU for the first time in 16 years for the spring game.

“Coach Venables’ biggest lesson to me was, ‘All your players are different, and they all require different things. Don’t try to coach everybody the same,’” Moore says.

His politics plan changed when his preferred classes were unavailable due to the time constraints of money football. So he graduated in psychology and spent seven seasons in the NFL; no big deal. As a San Francisco 49ers linebacker playing under Mike Singletary, Moore even knocked the Broncos out of the playoff hunt on New Year’s Eve 2006. Only Ian Gold (12) had more tackles than Moore (10).

“Jay Cutler was the quarterback,” Moore says. “That was some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing football. We knew we were done. We weren’t making the playoffs. We just played.”

Plan No. 2: Not coach.

His wife made him do it. That’s another spot where God chuckled (and now, so are you and me).

Ten years ago, Moore’s stepson was enrolling at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College. Dad didn’t foresee Stephon playing college ball, and Stephon didn’t foresee Stephon playing college ball. Mom had other ideas. Sheree called the Scottsdale coach and volunteered her husband.

To coach.

“My wife is a force of nature,” he says. “She goes, ‘You’re doing this. You’re going to coach.’”

And he did. Then he stuck around for a couple more seasons coaching the Artichokes — yes, the Artichokes — before leaping into his next career move: detention officer at a prison.

“I was goon squad, dressed up in big, scary gear,” Moore says with a laugh. “It was fun.”

Then Mines called, offering a $30,000-per-year gig as the linebackers coach.

“My wife launched my next career,” he says.

Now he’s coaching a Mines program with its highest preseason rankings — No. 3 in one poll, No. 4 in the other. Mines opens with barnburners at No. 5 Grand Valley State (Thursday) and home vs. No. 7 Angelo State (Sept. 10). Make plans for the latter. You’ll love it.

Plan Nos. 3, 4 and 5: Remain a position coach (“I didn’t want to be a coordinator,” he says, then Mines went 34-5 with Moore as defensive coordinator); remain a coordinator (then he asked former Mines coach Gregg Brandon for help on becoming a head coach); and don’t make the same coaching mistakes he saw as a national champ at Oklahoma or in seven years as NFL linebacker.

That last plan is one that actually stuck.

Says Michael Zeman, the Orediggers’ best player: “He’s always asking the seniors asking what he can do for us, how he can make our lives better. That’s a cool thing knowing you have a coach who’s in it for you — not for themselves. He wants to see us succeed in football and life.”

Zeman’s the kind of young man Moore’s drawn to. He’s a Holy Family grad who’s up for the Harlon Hill, the Heisman trophy of Division II ball, who starts his job as a Denver petroleum engineer when this season’s over. The kind of man who makes smart men feel like “morons.”

Moore’s counter is to know everything about his players: “His parents’ names, his girlfriend’s name, his classes on that day, what he studies and what he wants to become in life,” he says.

“These kids, they hold you accountable,” Moore says. “You can’t tell them one thing one day and something else the next day. They’ll call you out on it. You better have more, because they’re going to ask for it. It’s a challenge. I love it. And we’re going to listen to their ideas.”

Come to think of it, his plan is right on track. Coach Moore’s changing the world in some small way.

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES 2022 SCHEDULE

Thursday: at No. 5 Grand Valley State

Saturday, Sept. 10 (Noon): vs. No. 7 Angelo State*

Saturday, Sept. 17 (1 pm): at Adams State 

Saturday, Sept. 24 (Noon): vs. Colorado State-Pueblo*

Saturday, Oct. 1 (1 pm): at Chadron (Neb.) State

Saturday, Oct. 8 (Noon): vs. Colorado Mesa (Homecoming)*

Saturday, Oct. 15 (Noon): at South Dakota Mines

Saturday, Oct. 22 (Noon): vs. Black Hills (S.D.) State*

Saturday, Oct. 29 (1 pm): at Western Colorado

Saturday, Nov. 5 (Noon): at New Mexico Highlands

Saturday, Nov. 12 (Noon): vs. Fort Lewis*