Rocky Mountain hires longtime Lobos assistant Phil Underwood as new head football coach

A new era for Rocky Mountain High School football has officially arrived.

It won't be too much of a departure, though.

Rocky Mountain hired longtime Lobos assistant Phil Underwood as its new head football coach, the school announced Monday.

He'll succeed Mark Brook, who stepped down in November after 18 seasons.

Underwood has spent the last 13 years as a Rocky assistant under Brook and is a 2001 RMHS alumnus who played for the Lobos from 1998-2001.

"Phil, he bleeds cardinal and gold," said Rocky Mountain athletic director Conrad Crist. "He's a Lobo and has been investing in the program for 13 years and, really, longer than that."

Underwood has an offensive background in the sport, playing fullback and tight end for Adams State from 2001 to 2004.

As the Lobos' offensive coordinator in recent seasons, he coached quarterback Gage Brook, Mark's son and a recent University of Northern Colorado football commit.

The Fort Collins native has also taught and coached in the Poudre School District since 2006, teaching physical education plus health and wellness, among other subjects at Rocky Mountain.

Crist said Underwood's experience with the current staff, administration and roster played a major factor in the promotion.

"He's climbed up through the ranks of the coaching staff and become the guy you trust with your offense," Crist said. "He has strong leadership and great relationships already in the building. You couldn't have a better human being leading our program than Phil."

The Lobos went 6-6 last fall in Brook's final season, surviving several key injuries to win a playoff game for the first time since 2014.

Under Brook, the Lobos went 89-95 in 18 seasons and have been known for an offense predicated on a physical running game, often behind big offensive linemen.

"Phil has learned a lot from Mark and now he gets to take what he's learned and shape the next generation of Rocky Mountain football," Crist said.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Rocky Mountain hires new head football coach to replace Mark Brook