N.M. Sports Hall of Fame to add Roanhaus

Add one more hall of fame induction for Clovis coach Eric Roanhaus.

On Saturday, he was one of eight named to the 2015 class for the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame, announced Saturday by the organization.

Roanhaus, no stranger to such honors in his 38 seasons at Clovis, called Saturday’s press conference one of the more humbling experiences he has had.

“I think like all of them, the quality of the people (you join is the biggest honor),” Roanhaus said. “You’ve got coach (Bill) Gentry, (Gary) Bradley, (L.G. and Cooper) Henderson and Ralph Tasker ... plus the quality of athletes, there are several outstanding athletes.”

link File photo: Kevin Wilson

Clovis coach Eric Roanhaus is one of eight members of the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame's 2015 class.

Roanhaus is New Mexico’s career leader in wins, with a 335-138-5 record over his 38 seasons, including a 10-9 record in state championships. He was inducted into the New Mexico High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1996, and the National High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002.

The New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame has approximately 130 nominees, including Brian Urlacher, Jim Everett, Lou Henson and Nancy Lopez.

“As always when you get any of these honors, it’s a result of being fortunate to coach good kids,” Roanhaus said. “Also, good parents, great assistant coaches and great administrators. It wasn’t any one thing I did.”

The 20-member board selects people who are either born in New Mexico or live there for a significant amount of time and make a significant and sustained impact on New Mexico athletics. The hall of fame began in 1974 with the inductions of Tony Wilson, Bobby Unser and Jim Clearly.

It’s rare, but not unprecedented, for a coach to be inducted while still active. Cooper Henderson, who led Artesia to the Class 5A title this year, was inducted in 2012 with his father for their sustained success with the Bulldogs.

The induction biography notes Roanhaus served as a graduate assistant at West Texas A&M and assistant coach at Canyon High School before joining Dunny Goode’s staff at Clovis in 1973. He took the head coaching position when Goode left for Eastern New Mexico University, and led Clovis to six state titles in his first eight seasons. He was named National High School Coach of the Year by the National Sports Service in Phoenix in 1985, during the Wildcat five-peat from 1981 to 1985.

Roanhaus has missed the playoffs just four times in his career, and is 28-1 in first-round contests.

The 2015 class, which will be inducted in April in Albuquerque, includes Roanhaus and:

• University of New Mexico baseball coach Ray Birmingham

• UNM strength coach and Olympic medalist Carla Garrett

• Former Farmington, Silver and Hatch Valley basketball coach Marv Sanders

• Former NBA and New Mexico State center Sam Lacey (posthumous)

• Former NBA and UNM center Luc Longley

• Broadcaster, and co-founder of Albuquerque’s first all-sports radio station, Henry Tafoya

• Former Roswell High volleyball coach and North-South volleyball all-star game founder Flo Valdez.