Heather Campbell, Head Athletic Trainer and Sports Medicine teacher at Casa Grande High School, has been hired as the new Athletic Director and Athletic Trainer at St. Vincent de Paul High School. The decision was first announced publicly Sunday evening by Principal Patrick Daly. Campbell's role will take effect at the beginning of the next school year.
“I am excited because I'm going to be the Athletic Director which is a job I've never done before and is a new challenge and I'm always up to new challenges," Campbell said.
Campbell has been working at Casa Grande for over 20 years and during her time there she has put in a lot of time and effort. From being in the classroom to helping out with the athletes at sporting events all school year, she is looking forward to a lighter load at St. Vincent de Paul.
“It’s going to alleviate some of the stress from working 15 hours a day, which is what I've been doing for the last 20 years. I'm older now, so it's a little harder," Campbell said. "So the fact that I could still work with kids, which I absolutely love, and work with athletes, which I also love, made it a no-brainer for me.”
Campbell will also be teaming back up with Head Football Coach Trent Herzog. He spent 21 seasons coaching at Casa Grande, including being the head coach from 2009-2016, prior to coming to St. Vincent de Paul in 2018.
Since that 2018 season when Herzog arrived, Campbell has been working with St. Vincent de Paul as the football team's Athletic Trainer.
"I'm excited about who she is as a person but watching how positive she is and her organizational skills is a real benefit," Daly said.
She will also be working side-by-side with Principal Daly, who will relinquish his Athletic Director title at the end of the school year.
Daly is excited about having a new Athletic Director and knows with Campbell at the helm, the sky's the limit for athletics at St. Vincent de Paul.
“Just seeing how well she worked with our student-athletes, our coaches and the respect that she had for them, and how much respect they had for her,” Daly said. “She's bringing with her a great reputation, strong work ethic, intelligence and a great personality.”
There will also remain a high academic expectation from Campbell as she looks to continue the student-athlete's success in the classroom.
“To me, the students should always come before the athlete, I want to continue to build that, and continue getting banners where you're the highest GPA,” Campbell said. “Really focusing on fostering an environment where students and teachers feel supported and everybody feels a part of the big picture.”
One of Campbell’s main goals will be looking to enhance women's sports at St. Vincent de Paul. She hopes to begin building a strong foundation throughout those sports.
“I'd like to see the girls' programs start to go on an upward trend as well,” Campbell said. “We'll try to get some coaches in there that are willing to build a program from what we have now.”
It is safe to say that expectations are high from inside the school's athletics as Campbell is looking to keep the status of Mustang athletics on that upward trend.
“My expectations are that we just continue to grow, and that the programs continue to go in a positive direction,” Campbell said. “I want to keep putting out good athletes, and more than that, foster good human beings.”
Daly also is keenly looking forward to future seasons for St. Vincent de Paul athletics and is excited this move is occurring now.
“She understands how I want the athletic department to go. I want successful programs, but I really want quality programs for our student-athletes,” Daly said. “She's very capable at leading that.”
