In the midst of a football year so magical he pinched himself to make certain it’s been real, Columbine coach Andy Lowry walked the Las Vegas Strip as a man who hit the jackpot.

“And now I’m going to the Super Bowl?” he exclaimed over the phone. “Can you believe it?”

Isn’t it the coolest when good things happen for good people?

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To recap a 2023-24 calendar befitting a man who has served Columbine’s kids for 30 years as a teacher and six-time state champion coach:

• With only 40 players on a roster so tough and together it didn’t require a Division I signee, the Rebels went 14-0 and won the Class 6A state championship.

• The Broncos honored Lowry and Arvada West’s Mario Lopez, a flag football coach, as their 2023 high school coaches of the year.

• The NFL then honored Lowry as the first Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year from the state of Colorado — with a $15,000 award for the Columbine program, $10,000 for his own self.

• Lowry, who turns 60 in March, was awarded four tickets to Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday.

“We are very proud of coach Lowry, his staff and the Columbine football program for this incredible honor,” said Bobby Mestas, Broncos director of youth and high school football.

On second thought, don’t pinch yourself, coach. Let it ride.

“The Broncos have just treated us like kings,” he said. “They’ve made a dream come true.”

Before an all-expenses-paid trip to the big game in Las Vegas, Lowry was invited to the NFL’s Pro Bowl in Orlando.

He met and took photos with Broncos and NFL royalty, from Peyton and Archie Manning to Pro Football Hall of Famers like Ray Lewis. He attended a Pro Bowl practice and was interviewed on NFL Network by Michelle Beisner-Buck, a Green Mountain High graduate.

And you want to know the best part?

Lowry shared the experience with his best buds. Tom Tonelli, a football coach at Columbine for all 30 years, soaked in the Vegas vibes with Lowry throughout Super Bowl week.

“My wife (Janet) was gracious enough to let us enjoy this moment together,” he says.

It’s no joke these days when a high school program continues success across three decades.

Talented classes always graduate, and coaches move on.

Credit Columbine’s longevity to a group of community servants who love what they do and do what they love, Lowry said.

Columbine Athletics Director Derek Holliday actually played for Lowry back in the day, and he was teammates with Scott Thomas, a football assistant. Coach Ivory Moore “has been with us since Day One,” Lowry said. Apologizing if he forgot to mention someone, Lowry rattled off the likes of Frank DeAngelis, Lee Andres, Rick Anderson and Principal Scott Christy as reasons the Rebels keep it rolling.

“You can’t do this without the best support system,” Lowry said.

“It was God that put me in this position,” he added. “The last 10 years this has been a vocation, not a job. And it gives you a peace of mind when you realize that we’re not in control even when we think we are. And I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

Now for the hard part: Who better to predict the Super Bowl than a man who hit the jackpot?

“We’ve got to root for the Colorado guys with the 49ers. But you can’t bet against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes,” Lowry said, adding, “The nice thing is we can be at the game and root for both teams. We can’t lose!”

While the Broncos navigate their way back to a winning path on the field, the franchise still dominates the game off the field, connecting with the folks who make our community go.

“How many teachers get to go to the Super Bowl?” Lowry said.

One is a longtime PE teacher whose beloved football players remain No. 2.

“My football guys would tell you: They come in second to my unified PE class,” Lowry said.

Good things for good people. Isn’t that the coolest?

(Contact Gazette sports columnist Paul Klee at paul.klee@gazette.com or on Twitter at @bypaulklee.)

Columbine football coach Andy Lowry was named the first Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year award winner from the state of Colorado.  

Courtesy Columbine High School

Columbine football coach Andy Lowry was honored as Colorado’s first winner of the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year.

Courtesy Be Feral Media

Columbine football coach Andy Lowry was honored as Colorado’s first winner of the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year.

Courtesy Be Feral Media

Columbine football coach Andy Lowry was honored as Colorado’s first winner of the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year.

Courtesy Be Feral Media