Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Deputy editor
A pair of Eastern New Mexico University graduates were named National Federation of State High School Associations national coaches of the year in their respective sports.
Artesia football coach Cooper Henderson and Roswell boys basketball coach Britt Cooper are the fifth and sixth New Mexico coaches to earn national honors, and the first two to win in the same year.
The coaches, both state-level winners in previous years, were notified of their national awards Tuesday by Buster Mabry of the New Mexico High School Coaches Association.
“To win the national award, that was a little bit of a surprise,” said Cooper, a Floyd native and former Dora coach. “That’s great recognition for New Mexico; that’s an honor.”
Henderson, who claimed NFHSA’s state and regional award in 2007, is the first New Mexico coach to earn the national honor for football. Cooper, a 2010 state winner, is the second basketball coach to win the honor after Gallup’s John Lomansey won for girls basketball in 2006.
Other New Mexico coaches to take the national award are Becky Robertson (2004, golf), Jim Ciccarello (2012, track and field), and Margaret Stanley (2013, golf).
Henderson, fourth in state history with a career record of 293-103-1, has led Artesia to 14 of its 29 state championships since his arrival in 1989. He also holds a state championship from Ruidoso in 1985 and is a member of the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame with his father, former Artesia coach L.G. Henderson.
“I think any time you get an honor, you just feel blessed,” said Henderson, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from ENMU in 1977 and 1979, respectively. “Those things don’t happen without lots of people being involved. The community, the young people you work with, your coaching staff and your administration. And I’m sure Buster played a role in making it happen.
“You’re just appreciative of all of those people.”
Cooper, who led Floyd to a 1982 Class 1A title game appearance in his senior year, attended ENMU for a year before transferring to Sul Ross State to play basketball for two seasons. He returned after his basketball time, and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1986 and a master’s in 1993.
“It’s a great place to go,” Cooper said. “I was raised in Floyd, so I was a Roosevelt County kid anyway. There’s a lot of good people, not only at Eastern, but across the state. It’s what keeps me in coaching.”
Cooper, who didn’t win a state title until his 18th season coaching, has won three in his last seven seasons and has the Coyotes off to a 9-1 start heading into a back-to-back Friday against Odessa Permian and Saturday at Clovis.
“It’s just a case of building the program over the years,” said Cooper, who claimed his 400th career win last season. “This is my 22nd year as head coach. When I took over, we had a lot of work to do. I think over the last 15 years, the success has come. Winning breeds winning.
“These kids expect to win every time we go out there. That doesn’t always happen, but that’s the mindset the kids have.”
