Everyone here at Texas HS Football was saddened to hear about the passing of legendary head coach Gary Gaines this past September. With so many accomplishments as a Texas high school football coach, it’s our wish to memorialize his life and legacy and challenge us all to lead lives of similar character and significance.
Photo by Frank Christlieb
My favorite quote from Coach Gaines:
“Remember that whatever you do, you will represent yourself,
your family, your team and school, and the God that blessed you with all of the abilities you possess. Sometimes you must be different from the crowd in order to be the type of person you want to be. You should not be afraid to be different. This is what leaders are made of”
Gary Gaines was the head coach of the Odessa Permian High School football team in Odessa, Texas, from 1986 to 1991. He was made famous by the book and movie Friday Night Lights, which chronicled the 1988 Permian Panthers season.
Growing up in the small West Texas town of Bronte, the mystique of MOJO was well established by the time I started playing high school football in 1982. Doug McCutchen, the odd man out for Midland Lee in the infamous coin toss, just happened to be a standout athlete from my hometown. After high school, I found myself living in San Angelo when Gary was head coach at San Angelo Central and later in Abilene when he was at Abilene Christian. As I tuned into the local news to hear about the sports of the day, I remember how whenever the sportscasters spoke of Gary, it was always with such respect. It seemed that integrity just followed him wherever he went.
Then, in 2004 the movie Friday Night Lights was released. I had never read the book, but the movie had quite an impact on me and solidified Gary Gaines as a living legend.
Coach Gaines was known for his faith, leadership, discipline, and ability to motivate his players. He was a firm believer in the importance of academics and was a strong advocate for his players to stay in school and get their education. He was known for his tough love and for always putting his players first.
I got a little more insight into this dynamic from my recent interview with Bradley Gaines, Gary’s only son. Bradley played for Permian under his dad as a sophomore for the 1988 season and was later on the undefeated State Championship team of 1989.
Bradley remarked that as a coach, his dad was a “man of few words but truly lived his faith” He mentioned that at the funeral, person after person would come up and share about how Gary had made a difference in their lives and impacted their spiritual walk and journey.
Gary Gaines was a great coach, and even more, he was a great man who had a lasting impact on the players, the schools, and the towns where he coached. He is remembered for his dedication to the team and to the development of his players.
Bradley stated that his dad was often noted for saying, “it takes a team.” I like to think that in locker rooms across Texas, today’s coaches would continue to echo the sentiment of Coach Gaines in that being perfect is not about winning or losing. It’s about accountability and your relationship with yourself, your family, and your friends.
As we learned from the movie, being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything that you could. There wasn’t one more thing that you could’ve done. Can we live in this moment, as best as we can, with clear eyes and love in our hearts? With joy in our hearts? If we can, then we will be perfect.
RIP Coach
