CBS 7 - Your Eye on West Texas

Gary Gaines Retires from Coaching Football 12/18/12

Whitney Harding
CBS7 Sports Director

Gary Gaines announced to CBS7 Sports this afternoon that he is retiring.

Gaines said that he has enjoyed his entire team as the Mojo football coach, and felt this was the right time to make the move. After four years of not going deep into the playoffs, Gaines said some new blood needed to be brought into the program.

"When you flounder around here for four years and jockey around a 500 season, it's not what the school needs and what they expect," Gaines said. "It's certainly not what I expect."

Gaines has brought a lot of prestige to the Permian program in the three stints he's been the head coach. In 1989 he brought a State Championship to West Texas and boasts a 69-28-1 record in 8 seasons at the helm.

"This school is special to me," he said. "I've coached here three times. I've coached at this school more than any other school I've been at. It's special. It gets in your blood."

Gaines began his coaching career at Petersburg High School in 1977. He also made coaching stops at Monahans, Abilene High and San Angelo Central. He even made it to the college ranks, serving as an assistant coach for Texas Tech from 1990-93, and then the head coach for Abilene Christian from 2000-04.

"Who knows what the good Lord has in store for me," Gaines said. "I'll miss it, but it's time."

CBS7 Sports also spoke with ECISD Athletic Director Todd Vesely about Gaines' departure.

"Coach Gaines is a quality remarkable man with a remarkable career," Vesely said. "I think it’s important that we respect his decision to move forward and we will move forward as well."

When asked if a coaching search had already begun, Vesely said the job has not been posted on the ECISD web site yet.