Ranking the top 25 coaches in Wichita Falls ISD history

No one seems to be exactly sure when the first organized sport was played by a team from Wichita Falls High School.

The Wichita Falls ISD record book only goes back to 1911, showing that the football team played four games, including three against Henrietta. WFHS had a 2-2 record that season, going 2-1 against Henrietta and losing to Frederick, Okla., 50-0.

But we know that wasn’t the first year of organized football at the school. Texashighschoolfootballhistory.com lists the first season occurring in 1903.

There is no other information readily available about that team nor any other before 1907.

There’s also no chance that the boys who formed that team in 1903 could have known the storied history of athletic success they were giving birth to.

Now, 120 years later, Wichita Falls ISD is engaging in a transition that few cities in this state have ever experienced.

This is the final academic year for Wichita Falls High School, and Rider and Hirschi will be converted into junior high schools.

In August 2024, WFISD will officially open Memorial High School and Legacy High School. New traditions will be created.

It’s a highly divisive topic, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss.

Over the next few days, TRN Sports will be celebrating the incredible history of WFISD athletics.

More: What to expect from TRN Sports for the 2023 high school football season

We are achieving this by ranking the top 25 WFISD coaches, Hirschi athletes and Rider athletes, and the top 40 WFHS athletes to ever grace the playing fields and gyms.

This list focuses on the top coaches to ever lead teams in the district.

The oldest archive of newspapers available in Wichita Falls are 1907 editions of the Wichita Falls Times.

Under a headline reading, “High School Boys Will Play Foot Ball. Team Light, But Fast.” reads a story that lists all 11 members of the team.

A similar story can be found in the following years, but each one doesn’t list what we now consider a key figure to every great team.

A head coach.

The WFISD record book shows J.S. Cantwell was the football program’s first head coach. He also led the basketball team.

Texashighschoolfootballhistory.com shows Herman Keunhe as the program’s first head coach in 1914.

In 1909, Fred Householder, a local attorney who played at the University of Texas, is referenced as performing coaching duties but isn’t named as a coach. Householder served as the referee in some games.

The first coach to lead the WFHS athletic program for more than a season was A.Y. “Bud” McCallum, who was there from 1923 to 1928.

McCallum did not make the TRN Sports list of Top 25 coaches in WFISD history. But this was an elite list to make.

A panel of nine current and former members of the local media voted for these rankings: TRN sports writer Jonathan Hull, former TRN sports writer Zach Duncan, TRN sports freelancer and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football writer Cory Hogue, former TRN sports editor Andy Newberry, former TRN sports assistant editor Jeff Milam, KFDX sports director Tobin McDuff, ROHO Sports Network owner Marty McBride, WFHS radio announcer Chris Koetter and WFISD multimedia specialist Chad Johnson.

1. Joe Golding (WFHS football 1947-61)

Golding spent 15 years as the head football coach and athletic director at Wichita Falls High, from 1947 to 1961. Under Golding’s leadership, the Coyotes boasted an impressive 153 wins, the most by any football coach in WFISD history. His team lost just 25 times and recorded two ties. Winning 85 percent of his games, it’s the best mark in Coyotes' program history.

The legendary head coach led his teams to six state title games, winning four state championships across three different decades. First, in 1949, the Coyotes repeated as champs in 1950, won again in 1958, and a fourth time in 1961.

After the 1961 season, Golding took over as the WFISD athletic director, a position he held until 1979. The field at Memorial Stadium is named after Golding. Golding is in the Texas Football Hall of Fame, Texas High School Coaches Hall of Honor and the Texoma Sports Hall of Fame.

2. Joe Bob Tyler (Rider football 1961-68, WFHS football 1981-89)

When his playing career ended, his coaching career began, Tyler took over the Burkburnett program in 1949. After six seasons, he joined the staff at Wichita Falls High, working under Golding.

In 1961, Tyler was named the first football coach of the Rider Raiders. He went 46-29-5 in eight seasons, making one playoff appearance in 1965.

He later returned to Old High as head coach in 1981, coaching nine seasons and accruing a 47-42-5 record. Tyler led the Coyotes to two district titles and made a state quarterfinal appearance in 1986.

He later served as an assistant at Midwestern State University in the early 1990s. Tyler is in the Oil Bowl Hall of Fame, the University of Louisiana-Monroe Hall of Fame, the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor and the Texoma Sports Hall of Fame.

3. Kenny Catney (Rider boys soccer 1987-2006)

Catney was the program's first coach and also the winningest in WFISD history. Over 20 seasons, Catney went 405-69-37, establishing Rider as a perennial state contender.

He finally won that elusive state championship in 2000. The Raiders made the playoffs in every season with Catney, winning 18 district titles. The Raiders also made four state tournaments and nine regional tournaments.

Catney was WFISD athletic director from 2006-15. He was inducted into the TASCO Hall of Fame in 2015.

4. Larry Menefee (WFHS boys basketball 1991-2005)

Menefee is the winningest boys basketball coach in the WFHS boys basketball program's history, winning 299 games against 126 losses in 15 seasons. He won 70.4 percent of his games.

Menefee won eight district titles and led the Coyotes to the playoffs 12 times. He got them to the regional tournament twice, including a state tournament appearance in 1995, when the Coyotes lost in the semifinals.

Menefee continues to work for WFISD in an administrative role.

5. Donnell Crosslin (WFHS football 1965-79, WFHS golf 1960-62)

Crosslin spent 15 seasons as the Coyotes' football coach, matching Joe Golding for longest tenure in Old High’s illustrious history. He led the Coyotes to 108 wins, compared to 46 losses and 13 ties, including the 1969 Class 4A state championship.

The Coyotes returned to the state title game in 1971, losing the first-ever high school football game played at Texas Stadium. Crosslin was also Old High’s first golf coach.

Crosslin is the the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

6. Ervin Garnett (Booker T. Washington football 1955-68)

Garnett won two state titles with Booker T, going undefeated in 1960 and 1966. He had a team that could contend for another title in 1969, but integration closed Booker T and many of his athletes helped Wichita Falls High win a state championship instead.

Garnett was integral to the desegregation of WFISD. In 2011, WFISD named the stadium behind McNiel Junior High after him. He has been elected to the Prairie View Hall of Fame, the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame and the Texas High School Football Coaches Hall of Honor.

7. W.D. “Dub” Largin (Hirschi baseball 1964-68; Hirschi football 1972-84)

Largin was Hirschi’s first baseball coach, leading the Huskies to a 54-31-1 record. But Largin’s bigger impact is as the Huskies’ winningest football coach of all time with a 74-59-5 record.

Largin won six district titles, including four straight to end his career. Largin took the Huskies to the regional finals in 1984. He could often be found at Hirschi games, cheering on the Huskies throughout the rest of his life.

8. Leo Brittain (WFHS football 1996-2000, Rider boys track 1969-73)

Brittain had already experienced a hall of fame coaching career before he took over the Coyotes in 1996. He spent 19 seasons at Vernon, turning the Lions into a state power and winning a state title in 1990 a year after losing in the championship game.

The Coyotes were struggling when Brittain arrived in 1996 and went 0-9-1 in his first season. He turned them into a state power again and led them to the state semifinals in 2000, winning the first 14 games of that season.

Brittain holds a 207-107-12 overall record. He went 31-26-1 in five seasons with the Coyotes, including 24-4 in the final two seasons. He is in the Texas High School Coach Association Hall of Honor and Texoma Sports Hall of Fame. The football field at Vernon's Lions Stadium has been named after Brittain.

9. Morris Mercer (WFHS boys basketball 1960-66, Rider football 1969-83)

Mercer is the winningest coach in Rider football history, attaining a 92-55-11 record in 15 years leading the Raiders. The Raiders won four district titles and made five playoff appearances in Mercer’s career. They reached the regional finals twice.

Before becoming Rider’s head football coach, Mercer was a football assistant at Old High and spent seven seasons as the Coyotes' head basketball coach, going 83-68 and leading them to two district titles. The practice field at Rider is named in Mercer's honor.

10. Donald Hedge (Hirschi basketball 2005-23)

Hedge is the winningest basketball coach in WFISD history with a record of 344-222. He built the Huskies into a state power, taking them to the state tournament in 2022, when they fell in the state title game.

The Huskies won nine district championships and advanced to the playoffs every season but three under Hedge. He led the Huskies to the regional tournament six times.

11. Carl Wiersema (Rider girls soccer 1995-present)

There have only been two head coaches in the history of the Rider girls soccer program. Wiersema is the second, and he’s held the reins for the past 29 seasons.

During that time, he’s won more games than any other coach in WFISD history, regardless of sport, going 566-141-59. The Lady Raiders have advanced to the playoffs every season during his tenure. They’ve appeared in 12 regional tournaments and three state tournaments. The Lady Raiders played for a state title in 2008.

12. Scot Green (Rider baseball 2007-13)

Green took over the Rider baseball program from Kerry Hargrove and didn’t just maintain its success, he took the Raiders to a new level.

Green guided the Raiders to a state title in 2011. They returned to the state tournament in 2013. Green went 181-81 in his tenure with the Raiders, winning 68.6 percent of his games.

Green was TSWA Coach of the Year in 2011. Rider made the playoffs in each of Green’s seasons, winning two district titles.

13. Jim Garfield (Rider football 2010-13)

Garfield only spent four seasons leading the Raiders, but those four seasons rival any period in the program’s history. Garfield went 39-15 and owns the best win percentage (72.2) in program history.

Rider made its first appearance in the state semifinals in 2012 under Garfield. The Raiders lost a heartbreaker to Lancaster, 26-19, in double overtime.

Garfield came to Rider in 1998 as an assistant. He left for one season to be head coach and athletic director at Flour Bluff ISD but returned in 2003 when Scott Ponder was hired and became defensive coordinator. Garfield is currently athletic director at Abilene ISD.

14. Ted Jeffries (WFHS football 1932-43)

Jeffries led Old High to its first state championship in 1941, defeating Temple, 13-0. Jeffries also took the Coyotes to the state title game in 1937, falling to Longview, 19-12.

Jeffries led the Coyotes to the playoffs six times, accruing an 87-40-7 record in 12 seasons. Jeffries later coached at Lamar University and Stephen F. Austin.

15. Chuck Avera (WFISD tennis 1954-84, WFISD swimming 1957-59)

Avera spent three decades coaching tennis at all three WFISD schools, including 20 years (1954-74) at WFHS and eight years at Hirschi (1976-84). He also coached a season (1964) at Rider.

Avera coached six state championship singles players or doubles teams at Old High and four team tennis district championships at Hirschi. The tennis courts at WFHS are named in his honor. He was also the district’s first swim coach, coaching two state championship relays and an All-American.

16. Marc Bindel (Rider football 2014-present)

Bindel is second in wins (73) and third in win percentage (62.9) in program history. He’s won more playoff games (20) than any other coach in Rider history. The Raiders have made the playoffs every season under Bindel.

He was hired at Rider as an assistant coach by Scott Ponder and became offensive coordinator under Jim Garfield, whom he inherited the program from in 2014.

17. Kerry Hargrove (Rider baseball 1998-2006)

Hargrove is the winningest baseball coach in WFISD history with 216 wins against 89 losses and four ties. His 69.9 win percentage is the best in Rider history.

The Raiders made the playoffs in eight of nine seasons under Hargrove, advancing to the state semifinals in 2005. He won five straight district championships to end his tenure at Rider.

18. Joe Golding (WFHS girls basketball 1997-2016, WFHS softball 2014-15, WFHS golf 2016-21)

The son of Old High’s legendary head football coach, Golding is the winningest girls basketball coach in WFISD history with an overall record of 321-246. He has the best win percentage of any WFHS girls basketball coach.

His 20-season tenure at the helm of the Lady Coyotes resulted in 11 playoff appearances and three district titles. Golding started at Old High as an assistant to boys basketball coach Larry Menefee.

19. Alysha Humpert (Rider volleyball 2012-21)

Humpert has more wins than any other volleyball coach in WFISD history, claiming the best win percentage, too. She won 70 percent of her matches with a 268-113 record in 10 seasons.

The Lady Raiders made the playoffs every season during her tenure, winning five district titles. Rider had 10 playoff appearances in its history before Humpert took over.

20. Patrick McCauley (WFHS boys soccer 2013-22, WFHS cross country 2012-21)

McCauley is the winningest coach in the WFHS boys soccer program’s history and has the best win percentage (72.7) after going 161-50-34 in 10 seasons.

He developed the Coyotes into a program that could challenge rival Rider for district championships, winning eight in 10 seasons. He led the Coyotes to two regional tournaments and one state tournament in 2017. The 2021 team won its first 24 matches before getting upset in the third round of the playoffs.

21. Cliff McGuire (Rider boys basketball 2013-22)

McGuire is the winningest coach in Rider history, going 192-102 in 10 seasons at the helm of the Raiders. He took the program to the regional tournament twice. The Raiders won five district titles and made eight playoff appearances under McGuire.

22. Ramsey Ghazal (Rider girls basketball 2010-16)

Ghazal has the best win percentage of any WFISD basketball coach, winning 85.8 percent of his games, going 174-30 in seven seasons. The Lady Raiders made the playoffs six straight seasons under Ghazal, qualifying for the first regional tournaments in program history in 2015 and 2016.

Both years the Lady Raiders lost to eventual state champion Canyon, giving the Lady Eagles their toughest competition of the season. Ghazal coached seven all-state players during his tenure and one TABC Class 5A Player of the Year. He was named TABC Coach of the Year in 2015.

23. Jess Stiles (Hirschi football 1962-67)

The Huskies had their first undefeated season in program history in Stiles’ final season, going 8-0-2 but missing the playoffs. Stiles went on to coach a season at Borger before joining the Texas Tech coaching staff.

Stiles was Hirschi’s first head football coach, setting a high standard for the program early on. The Huskies won a district title in their second season and played in the state semifinals in their third season, losing a heartbreaker to Palestine, which went on to win the state championship.

24. Scott Ponder (Rider football 2003-09)

Ponder set a new standard for the Rider program, turning it into a perennial regional contender shortly after his arrival. Ponder coached two seasons in Petrolia before coming to Rider, winning a state title in 2002.

Ponder went 57-30 in seven seasons at Rider. The Raiders made the playoffs in six of those seasons, winning five district titles. He led the team to the state quarterfinals three times.

25. Randy Byers (Hirschi boys basketball 1980-87)

Byers won more than 75 percent of the games he coached for the Huskies, leading them to a 157-52 record during his eight seasons. Hirschi won six straight district titles from 1982-87 and advanced to the regional finals in 1984. Byers coached WFISD’s first basketball All-American, Darion Newsome, in 1987.

Byers was employed by WFISD for 30 years, including the last seven as Rider principal.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls ISD top 25 high-school coaches of all time