Eric Roanhaus Earns 300th Career Victory
30 seasons of 10 victories or more each season have placed Head Clovis Wildcat Football Coach Eric Roanhaus at 300 career victories. Last night's 40-0 win over Alamogordo has pushed him into the record books as only the third New Mexico High School Football Coach to reach the 300 career victory mark. Former Head Mayfield Football Coach Jim Bradley has 310 career victories which ranks first in the New Mexico prep level followed by Albuquerque Metro Great Bill Gentry who has 305 career victories.
"Well I don't think about the 300th career victory much. It's not something you think about when you start coaching. This is just something that has happened along the way while I was working with the kids and working with the coaches. It's nice to get it out of the way so we can focus on some other things at hand. One of my assistant coaches told me the other day "Don't you wish you would not have played all those Texas teams in the early part of your career?" I said that is what made us better back then, we won five state titles in a row in the 80's from playing that level of competition," Commented Coach Eric Roanhaus on his 300th victory.
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Coach Eric Roanhaus has been Head Coach of the Clovis Wildcats since 1978 after taking over for Dunny Goode in 1977. The Wildcats went 12-1 in Roanhaus' first season as a Head Coach and won the then 4A State Title. Clovis has won 13 State Titles since 1960, Roanhaus has won 10 of those since taking over. During the 80's Clovis went on a historic run winning five State Titles in a row ('81-'85). Former Star Running Back and now Clovis Wildcat Assistant Coach Darren Kelley who was a member of three of those State Titles in the 80's and who has coached under Roanhaus for 19 seasons has a wealth of knowledge on Roanhaus' career success.
"During my team's back-to-back-to-back state title run it was hard to think that not all 17-year olds experienced the same thing growing up. We won five in a row during that time, so it was almost expected to win the Blue Trophy as it still is to this day. The major factor I think that has contributed to his and Clovis' overall program success is simply consistency. It's nearly the same exact practice as it was in the 80's when I played under him. How many programs out there continue to rotate Head Coaches after three our four years? It's the consistency of the his program that has made Clovis the program that it is today. You also have to realize that Coach Roanhaus does not want to brag or boast about winning 300 games, it's just not him and that is why it's sometimes tough for him to talk about his success," commented Darren Kelley.
Over the years Coach Roanhaus has formed some very talented teams a few that are always in discussion as the best prep football team of all-time here in New Mexico. Clovis Wildcat coaches always debate the best of the best. Roanhaus could not pick one team as the best, but mentioned several that stood out "The '81 team that beat the Hobbs Eagles and stopped Timmy Smith, the '85 team that won our fifth in a row, the two years that Michael Thompson played in '90 and in '91, and the '01 team which is my only undefeated season as a Head Coach," said Roanhaus about the best Clovis teams ever.
Thomas "Buster" Mabrey who is the Executive Secretary of the New Mexico High School Coaches Association had this to say about Coach Eric Raonhaus, "Eric Roanhaus who is in the New Mexico High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor has always showen us that he is committed to the State of New Mexico. He has been a Head Coaches since the late 1970's and he has been a great example for our younger coaches to look up to. He is a star in our State and one of those types you look up to and learn something from."
Special Thanks To: Eric Roanhaus, Darren Kelley, Drew Hately, Thomas "Buster" Mabrey, and the entire Wildcat community. Kyle Henderson is the publisher of NMPreps.com and can be reached at nmpreps@yahoo.com.