Chama Valley Superintendent Casados Inducted into NMAA Hall of Fame

To be considered for the New Mexico Activities Association’s Hall of Fame, an individual must have at least 20 years service in the state of New Mexico with interscholastic activities and athletics, share great support for the NMAA’s objectives and philosophy and have had involvement in formulating regulations and procedures. 

When the NMAA’s Hall of Fame Selection Committee completed it's screenings of candidates in October, it was easily able to check all the boxes for Chama Valley Independent School District superintendent and current NMAA Board of Directors Vice President Anthony Casados.

Casados — along with Scott Affentranger and Don Gerheart — was selected to join the group of 105 Hall of Fame members and was honored for his illustrious career as an educator, coach, administrator and superintendent during the 2019 Hall of Fame introductory press conference at the NMAA Hall of Pride & Honor Dec. 5 in Albuquerque. 

 “When I got the phone call from Sally (Marquez, NMAA executive director) and she told me, I thought I misunderstood her," Casados said. "I thought she was asking me a question about the Hall of Fame and what the requirements are. I started focusing on what she was talking about and it started to become a reality.”

If it wasn’t for his high school counselor from Escalante High School, where he was a 1983 graduate, Casados may have taken up a career in veterinary medicine.

The University of New Mexico didn’t offer the degree, so Casados pursued education and received his bachelors from UNM in 1987 and then his masters from New Mexico Highlands University in 1996.

He took his first job back home, serving as the principal and athletic director at Escalante, with the latter position being all so familiar, as his father was the athletic director at the school before his retirement in 1992.

“I remember sitting in his office watching him do schedules and those sorts of things,” Casados said. “I thought he was the greatest and I knew that it was something I wanted to do.”

Not only did Casados return, but he has never left and has spent a total of 32 years with the District.

He’s been a principal at the elementary, middle and high school level, assistant superintendent and has held the superintendent position since 2010.

Casados’ work with the NMAA stretches back to his time on the Commission from 1997-2000 and his role on the board of directors since 2011 as the vice president.

“He’s got the heart for kids,” Marquez said. “He understands what activities and athletics does for the school environment and he gives himself up to everyone in New Mexico, not just Escalante. He is what we call the NMAA, he’s passionate and he cares and he knows what the impact is on kids.”

Casados was a first-team all-state selection as a defensive tackle on the football field and was involved in the national honor society and school’s chess club as a student, but said his favorite memories take him back to his time coaching girls basketball for the Lady Lobos. 

He was named the 1994-95 District 1-2A coach of the year and also coached boys basketball for one season and both boys and girls track and field for four seasons.

He also had the honor of watching all four of his children graduate from Escalante.

“Seeing all of them graduate from the same place I did was very memorable,” Casados said. “The younger two of them, I was fortunate to be the superintendent at the time. When you’re up in the stage and watching your kids walk through, It’s something you will always remember.”

Casados helped bring new life to the school’s athletic facilities with the building of the $2.6 million football stadium and track and field complex in 2015.

“That was something that was long and overdue at Escalante High School and Chama Valley,” Casados said about the complex. “I was very fortunate to be part of it and very grateful that my supporting cast and the community was tremendous.”

Escalante Athletic Director Dusty Giles is currently in his second stint as the Lobos head football coach, having returned in 2012 after spending time at Estancia High School. He was responsible for nominating Casados to the Hall of Fame, without his boss’ knowledge.

Since his return, Giles has had other opportunities to move elsewhere with his career, but said Casados has allowed him to “flourish” and that he does so with all the employees of the District.

“He’s one of the main reasons that I’m still at Escalante,” Giles said. “I’ve had some opportunities where I could have moved on and done some different things, but I learned a long time ago to work for good people, and Anthony is good people.”

Casados said the moment had yet to sink in at the podium but the pride of the Chama Valley was evident in his voice during his entire induction speech

“It’s a prestigious honor, it really is,” Casados said. “I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way than to go back home to where I went to elementary, where I graduated from and be part of that community.”

Affentranger has over 27 years of experience in education in New Mexico and currently serves as the principal of Cleveland High School.

The athletics program at Cleveland has won over 30 state championships since the school opened in 2009.

“The greatest challenge and career-making opportunity I’ve had was to open up Cleveland High,” Affentranger said. “I was told when we opened Cleveland High, it would take us at least 10 years to be competitive and that didn’t really sit well with me."

Gerheart spent a majority of his career in the Los Alamos School District, beginning in 1966. He worked as an instructor, band director, District music coordinator and activities director.

Gerheart also served on the NMAA’s Activities Council, Commission and as the Master of Ceremonies for the NMAA State Choir.

During his introductory speech, Gerheart’s phone rang and the ringtone was a musical tune, which NMAA sports information director J.P. Murrieta referred to as Gerheart’s final sound off of his career.

All three men will partake in the ring ceremony March 14 during the state basketball championships at The Pit-Dreamstyle Arena.