Former St. Bonaventure football coach Todd Therrien in quadriplegic state after crash
Todd Therrien, who coached the St. Bonaventure High football team to consecutive CIF-Southern Section and CIF State championships in 2007 and 2008, was the victim of horrific car crash in Clovis on May 23 that has left him in a quadriplegic state.
The 1997 graduate of St. Bonaventure who played football for coach Jon Mack suffered a broken neck and severe spinal injuries when he was driving home from work and blindsided by a vehicle driven by a alleged drunk driver at speeds estimated between 40-50 mph.
He's currently in the Intensive Care Unit at Community Memorial Hospital in Fresno.
According to his father Bill, a retired captain from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office and himself a former Seraphs softball coach, Therrien remains on a ventilator and is paralyzed below his chest and elbows.
The collision was so traumatic that it caused "a near-complete transection of his spinal cord at the C4-C5 level,'' medical reports say.
The family has opened a fundraiser on GoFundMe — entitled Quality Life for Todd Therrien — has so far raised $56,735 toward a goal of $75,000. At the most recent tally, there are 309 donors who have contributed.
The site can be accessed at: https://gofund.me./e737504f.
Corey Therrien, Todd's younger brother, maintains the site and is posting updates. He said the driver who struck Todd's car allegedly ran a red light before broadsiding his brother's car. The accident occurred around 10:30 p.m.
The site includes Corey's emotional tribute to his brother.
"Todd dedicated his life to his student-athletes and building a championship mindset around the game of football," Corey wrote. "Many of his student-athletes went on to play college or even professional football.
"They say a good coach can change the outcome of a game, but a great coach can change a life. Todd was a great coach."
The father said the family goal is to transfer Therrien to a trauma center in Los Angeles County or Ventura County where healing and rehabilitation might ween him off the ventilator and allow for progress.
"Where he's able to talk and not have a vent," said Bill. "Start some rehab and get going on things like eating, scratching his nose, grooming, washing his hair."
A Southern California location would likely result in a host of visitors.
"Hopefully, he can have more good days and some friends will be able to come up and give him the old football pep talk and keep him motivated and moving forward," Bill said.
Therrien, 43, was a hardnosed two-way player — playing middle linebacker on defense and right guard on offense — and a member of the Seraphs' CIF-Southern Section Division X championship squad his senior season in 1996.
He transitioned to coaching and proved to be a natural as a member of Mack's staff.
Therrien succeeded Mack as head coach before the 2007 season, and immediately posted spectacular results.
The Seraphs finished 14-1 his first season, including a 42-28 victory over Hart for the CIF-SS Northern Division championship. A week later, St. Bonaventure defeated Modesto-Central Catholic, 35-21, in the Division III state title game.
There were repeat achievements in 2008.
St. Bonaventure again posted a record of 14-1 and defeated Moorpark, 42-7, for the Northern Division crown. The Seraphs won their second straight state championship with a 28-6 victory over Santa Rosa-Cardinal Newman.
Therrien's final season with the Seraphs was 2012, which included a berth in the Southern Section semifinals and a 21-0 loss to Mater Dei.
He later would serve as an assistant coach at Thousand Oaks and Clovis North.
Therrien recently had started a new job in Clovis. He has three children ages 16, 12 and 2.
Loren Ledin is the Prep Editor for The Star. He can be reached at loren.ledin@vcstar.com or 805-437-0285.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Former St. Bonaventure coach Therrien in quadriplegic state after crash
