GOLDEN — Tim Brandon could not help but return to the Colorado School of Mines football program.

His father, Gregg, accelerated the Orediggers’ roll from 2015-21 and did so with an iron fist and structure. Then came Brandon Moore, who lightened up practices and during his lone season in 2022 built relationships and close bonds with his players and coaching staff in a different way than his predecessor.

No. 1 Mines (11-1) hosts No. 16 Augustana (11-1) in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs at Noon Saturday.

Pete Sterbick is the program’s third head coach in as many years, and he brings a mix of both. The pieces around him have not changed much. Just like Tim sought to return, coaches have chosen to return or stay at Colorado School of Mines for as long as they can.

It was a foundation initially laid by Bob Stitt, who brought a high-scoring offense to Golden and led the Orediggers to a program-record streak of eight consecutive winning seasons thanks to a 108-62 overall record. The streak has carried on in his stead, too. In Stitt’s tenure, the Orediggers broke every single-season offensive record in the media guide and brought Mines’ first postseason berth, in 2004.

The players, location and environment are unique, and while there is little comfort in being No. 1 in the nation with a target on your back, the coaches are finding the sweet spot between pressure and comfort. Through three head coaches in four years, only one coach has left the staff.

The continuity has the Orediggers on the doorstep of the reason they came together in the first place: winning the program’s first national championship.

“I believe we can do it. I think this team can win a national championship,” said Tim Brandon, who serves as offensive coordinator. “We have the guys that can do it, and we have the coaching staff that can do it. That’s a testament to what we have built.”

Tripp Thomas, the defensive coordinator, was not in the family lineage of the program but found comfort with Moore. Moore is the one who promoted Thomas to lead the defense before last season, and in return, Thomas led the nation’s best defense by turnovers. The unit also ranked 11th in total yardage allowed en route to the team’s first national title game appearance.

In year two, it has been much of the same. Thomas tutored the RMAC’s top defensive player, Nolan Reeve, and forged a defense that finished the regular season with top-10 marks in both yardage and scoring allowed in 2023.

As much as Thomas and Tim Brandon are different, their paths as coaches have parallels.

Both learned to lead a unit at another program before refining their skills in Golden. Tim left for Northwestern to become a graduate assistant in 2016 before returning to Mines two years later. It was in the Big Ten where he learned the ropes of coaching and “cut his teeth” with a Power-Five program, all while getting another degree.

Meanwhile, Thomas was at Southwest Baptist in Missouri before coming to Golden. His three stops — one at the high school level, two at the college level — were a perfect precursor to his time working with Moore, who came to the program with a defensive mind.

Each has come up through the ranks with Mines, and it has laid a foundation for the staff. The program has afforded additional opportunities, too, like Moore’s departure to the University of San Diego. He received the offer after a 13-3 record leading Mines, and an additional five years in the program working his way to the top.

Tim learned the tough-nosed coaching of his father first. Gregg Brandon was one of the program’s most successful coaches and still can be seen from the press box during games watching over the program and rooting under his breath. He sharpened players through tough love, and it resulted in a 59-15 record over six-plus years.

Air Academy helped to form Gregg’s hard-nosed style before ceding the program to Moore, who came in with a different outlook altogether.

The two coordinators use lessons from both. They were position coaches before taking the mantle of coordinator and understand both roles and how to manage them.

Multiple coaching staffs would not have stayed together without the type of players coming through the program. They’re smart, of course, while succeeding at an engineering school that recruits Ivy League students. When players come “down the hill” from class and are looking for relief, football has become their outlet.

“Mines is (assumed to be) an elite place, and I had the same thought when I got here,” Thomas said. “We have kids who show up and have a Range Rover. But we also have kids that come here and are wards of the state. They did not have anyone rooting them on. The common denominator is the effort they are willing to give.”

“Our players are so fun to coach,” Sterbick added.

The struggles Mines’ students go through in the classroom translate to the field. Sterbick has seen the offensive systems change in his time with senior quarterback John Matocha, but Matocha picks it up quickly. The new language of each head coach has been no problem for the Orediggers, some of whom study words most people cannot pronounce during the school day.

Each coach has had opportunities elsewhere. Sterbick has been offered chances elsewhere, and some he considered “good spots.” But Mines is the best spot in his mind, and in a business as “fickle” as coaching, he said, they have found a sense of comfort.

Gregg Brandon now overlooks an environment he helped create, in a town that loves its football program. His son overlooks the offense, and Sterbick now overlooks Gregg’s son.

It is a family affair in Golden in more ways than one. They have no intentions of breaking up the gang.

“These kids and this program force you to be a better person,” Thomas said. “There’s not many places like that. Everyone in the country probably wonders how we handle it all. It’s been trusting and needing each other as coaches — it’s been easy to stay.”

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The “M” is for masterful

Colorado School of Mines football is enjoying the most successful era in program history. Here are the head coaches who made it happen:

—Bob State (2000-14): 110-62 overall, three conference titles

—Gregg Brandon (2015-21): 59-15, four conference titles

—Brandon Moore (2022): 13-3, one conference title

—Pete Sterbick (2023): 11-0, one conference title

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Get your tickets

Ticket sales for the NCAA Division II second-round playoff game are going strong, a spokesman said. Mines typically does not sell out playoff games during the Thanksgiving holiday. Purchase tickets through the Mines athletics Web site. Adults are $15, college students are $10, and seniors and kids (ages 6 to 18) are $5.