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THSCA Hall of Honor Inductees and Award Winners

THSCA ANNOUNCES 2013 HALL OF HONOR INDUCTEES AND AWARD WINNERS

The Texas High School Coaches Association proudly announces the 2013 Inductees into the THSCA Hall of Honor. These inductees will be honored at a luncheon on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 in Fort Worth at the Omni Hotel at 1:00 pm.

The inductees are:

MIKE COPELAND

Mike Copeland has been a teacher and coach at Stephenville for 37 years. He has served as head girls’ basketball coach for 9 years winning the district title every year, head girls track coach for 13 years and boys and girls golf coach for 2 years. He won 13 district titles in track and coached 6 state champions. Copeland was AD/head football coach at Stephenville from 2000-2003 and compiled a 26-9 record. He served as defensive coordinator for over 24 years which included 5 state championship teams. He has served on the THSCA Board of Directors from 1996-99 and served as president of the THSCA in 2002. He coached in the THSCA All-Star game in 1993 and in the FCA All-star game in 2001. He was also named the Tom Landry Award winner in 2012. The Stephenville ISD has further honored Coach Copeland by naming the SHS indoor practice facility/weight room the “Mike Copeland Athletic Complex”, an honor befitting a man who truly is a living coaching legend.

GARY GAINES

Gary Gaines has had coaching stints at the high school and college level. He has held head coaching jobs at Petersburg, Denver City, Amarillo Tascosa, Monahans, Permian, Abilene and San Angelo Central. After leading the Permian Panthers to the state championship in 1989 he left to become linebackers coach at Texas Tech University and from 2000-2004 he was head coach at Abilene Christian University winning the Lone Star Conference South Division in 2002. In 2005 Gaines moved on to serve as athletic director for Ector County ISD and in 2007 took the same position at the Lubbock ISD. In 2009 Gaines returned to Permian as head coach and just recently announced his retirement.

RODNEY HAYDEN

Rodney Hayden began his coaching career in 1965 at Gonzales Junior High. His first varsity assistant job came at Seguin High School where he remained from 1967-73. During his tenure at Seguin, the Matadors made the playoffs six out of 7 years. In 1974, Hayden became the AD/head coach at Clemens. After Clemens he had coaching stops at Seguin, Madison, Breckenridge, East Central and Sam Houston High Schools. Hayden served on the THSCA Board of Directors from 1983-86 and has been a member of the THSCA for 43 years.

LARRY PULLIN

Larry Pullin began his head coaching career at Floresville in 1970 after spending 5 years as defensive coordinator at Lubbock Coronado. His moved on to Cuero from 1980-85 and compiled a 51-19 record with several playoff seasons and the 1985 state finals where the Gobblers fell to Daingerfield. His next coaching stop was Abilene High from 1985-90 and in 1991 came to San Antonio John Jay where he coached for 13 years and had a 71-63 record. After serving as assistant athletic director in the Northside ISD, Pullin retired in 2004. He served on the THSCA Board of Directors from 1988-91 and the Football Advisory Committee in 1991.

CLARENCE “BUCKSHOT” UNDERWOOD

Underwood began his Texas high school coaching career in Port Arthur at Thomas Jefferson High School in 1956, after serving as head line coach at the University of Kentucky under Coach Bear Bryant. He was the AD/head coach for 10 years winning 6 district championships, 3 semi-finals appearances and one state finals appearance. He was the first high school coach to install the 27-defense in Texas. In 1966, Underwood returned to Kentucky as head line coach until 1978 when he again returned to Texas to coach at Klein. He moved to Tomball in 1982 where he coached with Lynn Etheredge until his death in 1985. He served on the THSCA Board of Directors from 1959-61 and also coached in the 1960 THSCA All-Star game. He is a 2001 inductee to the South East Texas Coaches Association Hall of Honor.

CURLY HAYS OFFICIALS AWARD
Kyle Rutherford, Tyler

PUTT POWELL SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Matt Wixon, Dallas Morning News

2013 TRAINER OF THE YEAR
Jill Carver
New Deal High School

2013 TOM LANDRY AWARD WINNER
Sam Harrell, Brownwood High School

2013 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD WINNER
Grant Teaff, AFCA

 

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