Most students refer to him simply as Coach Klatt, whether they know him from the football field, the weight room, or the classroom. While many associate him with athletics, his story goes far beyond just coaching and winning games.
Coach Klatt teaches health, physical education, and ironworks classes including Ironworks I and III. He has also been the head football coach for 15 years. But long before football became such a major part of his life, baseball was what shaped him most.
Coach Klatt grew up in Arvada, Colorado, in a close-knit family with his parents Rita and Gary and his three siblings. His mom was a stay-at-home parent who worked for several years as a Kindergarten teacher, and his father worked as a teacher and football coach. The four siblings were often referred to as the “four J’s,” since all of their names began with the same letter: Julie, Jason, Jenny, and Joel. He shared that he was especially close with his older sister who was two years ahead of him in school. Having her there made navigating school easier and gave him a strong sense of support growing up.
Although his family did not have much money, Coach Klatt described his childhood as overwhelmingly positive, explaining that it was difficult to choose a favorite memory. One moment that stood out, however, involved Christmas, which he described as a major event in the Klatt household. “I had such a great childhood that it’s hard to pick just one memory,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot, but Christmas was always a big deal.” With four kids in the family, Christmas mornings were loud and full of excitement. He remembered waking up early with his siblings and gathering around the tree together, emphasizing that the time spent together mattered more than the gifts.
Sports were a constant presence in his life, and baseball quickly became the center of his world. “My life literally revolved around baseball,” he said. “Playing baseball, getting better at baseball, hitting the baseball. That’s all I did.” While some of his siblings excelled academically, sports gave him confidence and a place where he felt successful.
Coach Klatt attended Pomona High School, where his father also taught and coached. After graduating, he went on to play baseball at Arizona Western Community College before transferring to San Diego State University. He later spent two years playing professionally for the San Diego Padres. While pursuing baseball, he completed his education degree at Metropolitan State University where he ultimately graduated.
However, Coach Klatt explained that fear of failure followed him throughout his career and ultimately held him back from reaching the major leagues. “I was always afraid to fail,” he said. “If I struck out, that was a failure. If I made an error, that was a failure.” That fear pushed him to work harder, but it also caused him to dwell on mistakes instead of moving on. “The reason I didn’t make it to the big leagues is that I was afraid of failure,” he continued. “When I failed, I didn’t really know how to deal with it.”
That same fear showed up academically. Coach Klatt described himself as an average student who struggled in math and science and often felt behind his peers. While fear motivated him, it also created self doubt that stayed with him into adulthood.
One reason Coach Klatt chose teaching as a career is the supportive environment he experienced growing up. “I had a great childhood, and I wanted kids to feel safe and encouraged,” he said. He also wanted to help students who didn’t have as much support at home. Seeing his father as a mentor and teacher inspired him to provide the same kind of guidance and care to students and athletes alike, especially those from troubled backgrounds.
One thing that may surprise students is that Coach Klatt used to be extremely shy and uncomfortable with public speaking. He shared a memory from his college years when nerves caused him to blank out. The assignment was to stand in front of the class and talk for two full minutes. “I just stopped talking and stood there staring at the class,” he said. The moment eventually turned into laughter, helping him realize that mistakes did not have to define him.
Today, Coach Klatt uses his experiences to help students who struggle with fear, discomfort, and failure. “My job is to help people who don’t know how to move on from failure,” he added. “Because I was the same way.”
Coach Klatt’s story shows that growth does not come from avoiding fear, but from learning how to face it and move forward.
