Groton alum Charlie Case living his football dream

As soon as he graduated from Groton High School (GHS) in 2017, Charlie Case knew he wanted to coach football — and it became his dream.

Having lived in Groton all his life, Case always thought he would drive a truck or have a career in construction of some sort because his family was very involved in those fields.

Case’s grandfather, Richard Case Jr., owned Case Trucking in Groton from 1985 to 2011, and his grandmother, Peggy Case, was the dispatcher for the family business. Charlie’s father, Richard III, managed and ran the company from the late 1990s to 2008 and was the highway superintendent from 1999 to 2019.

Charlie’s maternal grandparents, Frank and Pauline Satterly, are also well known. Frank ran Frank’s Barber Shop on Main Street and was mayor of the village of Groton from 1969 to 1978. In fact, the bridge from Main Street to Conger Boulevard is named the Frank Satterly Bridge.

Pauline taught at Groton Elementary School from 1959 to 1999, and Charlie’s mother, Barbara Case, taught social studies at GHS from 1998 to 2005 and was its principal from 2009 to 2012.

In high school, Charlie was a three-sport athlete (baseball, basketball and football), but he also took piano lessons from first through 10th grade. Practicing piano with Pauline is one of Charlie’s fondest memories.

Charlie also played percussion and baritone in band, was in chorus and concert choir and played memorable roles in GHS musicals from eighth through 12th grade.

“I also attended TST BOCES for welding,” Charlie said. “I loved doing it, but I knew then that I didn’t want it for my career, and I wanted to pursue football.”

Charlie kept in touch with some former GHS football players — Isaiah Young and Kyle Reed — who, along with GHS football coach Mick LeVick, influenced Charlie’s college choice, Mount Ida campus of UMass Amherst in Massachusetts, because of its great football program and proximity to Boston.

“In April of my freshman year, UMass Dartmouth bought Mount Ida,” Charlie said. “They offered to have me enroll, and a lot of other colleges reached out to recruit me then, but I wanted to stay in Massachusetts, so I went to play offensive line at Nichols College in Dudley, Mass.”

In his sophomore year, Charlie worked his way up to the starting lineup, but that was a short-lived stint before he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

After surgery and rehabilitation, Charlie was a starter for the first five games of his junior year at Nichols. It was in game five that Charlie tore his right ACL — ending that season for him also.

“I had that surgery in January 2020, and then the corona[virus] hit in March,” Charlie said. “We didn’t know what would happen for our senior year that fall, but miraculously, we were able to at least practice. I knew I didn’t want to keep putting my body at risk, so that was my mental wake-up call to kick-start my coaching path.”

Charlie began assisting the Nichols coaches that year to get some good coaching experience and mentoring.

When Charlie graduated with his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in sports management in 2021, a former fellow Nichols teammate, Liam Gorman, called Charlie to ask him to join him as a volunteer coach at Northern Illinois University (NIU) — to which Charlie happily answered “yes.”

“That was a great year,” Charlie said. “It was the first time ever that a team did not win the FBS (football bowl subdivision) the year before but then won the FBS conference championship. It was so cool to be a part of that history.”

Just before Christmas 2021, NIU suffered a last-second loss to Coastal Carolina University.

“Right after that, my coaching hours started at 5 a.m. and went until 8 p.m. every day,” Charlie said. “Then, I would go to be a bouncer in a bar from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. to make money.”

The first week of March 2022, South Dakota State University (SDSU) posted a graduate assistant position, and Charlie jumped right on pursuing it. He remains grateful to his NIU coaches, who reached out on his behalf and secured a phone interview for him with the SDSU coaches.

“I had three separate interviews over three days,” Charlie said. “I spoke with the offensive coordinator, the line coach and the head coach. The head coach offered me the position during the interview, and I accepted!”

Charlie moved to South Dakota and started on March 11 with spring practices — very proud to be part of the SDSU Jackrabbits.

Charlie explained that a graduate assistant is heavily involved in the behind-the-scenes aspect of football.

“I have to break down all the film for upcoming games with opposing teams and put a presentation together for the full-time coaches to come up with a game plan,” Charlie said.

Charlie played center in college, so he works directly with SDSU centers during practices and also helps with recruiting while he simultaneously works on earning his master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.

“My dream is to one day be a Division I college head coach,” Charlie said. “But my ultimate dream is to coach in the NFL.”

Charlie said he has no regrets about not actually playing football and is very happy and content with where his life is heading.

“I visited GHS this past week,” Charlie said. “And I realized how much I’ve grown since my own young, immature high school days. I love coaching! I get to make a difference in students’ lives and push them to become something they might not be able to see themselves. I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for support from teachers, family and friends here in Groton and everywhere else I’ve traveled.”

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com or text or call Linda at (607) 227-4922.  

In brief: 
 
Clothing Closet to close its doors

After nine years serving the Groton community with free clothing for the entire family, The Clothing Closet on Main Street will close as of June 25.

The racks need to be emptied, so all are welcome to come and take whatever you and your family and beyond can use. Please stop by between 10 a.m. and noon on June 8, 11, 22 and 25 to help clear things out.

The staff thanks everyone who has been part of helping on “both sides of the counter” and hopes this is not a forever “goodbye” but instead a “see you later.”

Library happenings 

The Groton Public Library Garden Club will meet at 6 p.m. June 15 in the Great Room. Attendees will view and discuss the different sections of the library’s gardens.

GPL Book Club will meet in the Great Room at 7 p.m. June 16. This month’s book is “Neither Here Nor There” by Bill Bryson. Contact GPL staff by phone at (607) 898-5055 or stop at the front desk to ask for an available copy.

June Story Time will take place June 16 at 6 p.m. The theme for this month’s story time is World Ocean Day. Come in for crafts, games and stories. There is limited space, so register today by calling (607) 898-5055 or emailing director@grotonpubliclibrary.org.

TST/GHS Student of the Month 

The following Groton High School students were recognized as outstanding students of the month for April at the TST BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center: Cameron Brehm, Career Exploration Program; Brennan Brockway, Heavy Equipment; Isaac Hall, Welding; Madelyn Redfield, Early Childhood and Chayce Slaven, Outdoor Education.

These students are chosen based on qualities such as character, leadership, citizenship, work ethic and attendance and should be compassionate, honest, trustworthy, responsible and a positive role model.

Congratulations to each of these accomplished students!