(The Dallas Examiner) – The UIL State Championship game was a historic day for high school football in Texas as five of the six head coaches were African American. In an era when the college ranks and the NFL are known to not promote heavily and give equal opportunity to African American head coaches, the high school ranks have opened their doors and the coaches have proven themselves there.
Highlighted below are coaches Reginald Samples, Jason Todd, Claude Mathis, Willie Gaston, and Kenny Harrison.
Head Coach Reginald Samples
Duncanville High School Panthers
Considered one of the most prestigious coaches in the country along with the winningest African American coach in Texas sports history, Panthers head football coach Reginald Samples led his team to its second straight UIL State Class 6A Division I state title game this year winning back-to-back state championships.
Samples has been with the program for six years as its varsity football coach and helped rebuild and revamp the team. His efforts were noticed on the field immediately when the team had one of its best records in 2017 followed by an appearance in the state championship game in 2018 and 2019 but just falling short of victory. He also led them to the state semifinals in 2020.
Before taking over Duncanville, Samples worked in the Dallas Independent School District for 25 years, nine of which were with Skyline High School where the team participated in the state playoffs every year accumulating 19 playoff wins in six seasons along with winning six straight district titles.
He has served 33 years in coaching with a record of over 300 wins.
Head Coach Jason Todd
South Oak Cliff High School Golden Bears
SOC’s head football coach Jason Todd is in his 23rd year of coaching. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1995 and received his bachelor’s degree from Texas Southern University as an administrative justice. In 2015, he received his master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from Texas A&M Commerce.
His teaching and coaching career began at Lincoln High School on Aug. 1, 2001, where he served three years as a special education teacher and assistant football coach.
From May 2005 to April 2014, he was the defensive coordinator and linebacker’s coach for Skyline High School where he also got to train under Samples.
In May 2014, he became South Oak Cliff’s assistant head coach and linebacker’s coach.
In March 2015, he took over as head coach at SOC and has served as their leader for the past nine years, winning two state titles in 2021 and 2022.
Todd is also SOC’s assistant athletic director.
His overall coaching record at SOC is 96-24.
Coach Claude Mathis
DeSoto High School Eagles
Varsity head football coach Claude Mathis is a four-year letter winner and graduate of Texas State University, where he played running back for the school from 1994 to 1997. Mathis won his second straight UIL State Championship title by crushing the Summer Creek Bulldogs of Humble 74-14 in the UIL Class 6A Division II State Championship game in Arlington.
Mathis is the Southland Conference all-time leading rusher and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL in 1998. He received third place for the Walter Payton Player of the Year Award.
He graduated from Texas State with a degree in exercise and sports science in 1998.
Mathis is currently the head football coach, track and field assistant coach and athletic coordinator of the DeSoto Eagles.
Along with his football state titles, he also coached the DeSoto Eagles 4×100 and 4×200 track teams to the state championship last year.
Other schools he has coached at include SMU’s running backs, Anderson High School, Somerville High School and LBJ High School.
He is committed to community service and volunteers his time with charity events and provides mentoring for students through his church while also volunteering in the DeSoto Food Pantry, food drives and the DeSoto Eagle Olympics.
His record at DeSoto High School is 119-27
Head Coach Willie Lee Gaston
Northern Shore Senior High School Mustangs
Gaston is serving his first year as head coach of Northern Shore where he has taken his team all the way to the UIL State championship game where his team lost to Duncanville, 33-49.
Gaston is a former football cornerback who was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and is a graduate of the University of Houston where he played college football.
Gaston is a graduate of Northshore High School in Houston where he lettered in football and played quarterback. He was also named MVP of his team twice.
He returned to the classroom in 2008 to coach and teach and was named head football coach of North Shore Senior High School and took the football team all the way to the championship game.
The Touchdown Club of Houston named Gaston one of two UIL Coaches of the Year.
North Shore is ranked sixth nationally in the USA Today high school football rankings poll.
Head Coach Kenny Harrison
Summer Creek High School Bulldogs
Harrison was named one of two UIL Coaches of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Houston.
He took his team to the state title game where they lost to DeSoto High School this season.
As a child, Harrison started watching and attending football games with his family in Port Arthur.
Harrison started his coaching career at Port Arthur Memorial High School Titans from 2009 to 2017 and in 2011. He led the Titans to the Class 6A state semifinals against Cibolo Steele.
In 2018, Harrison became the head coach of Summer Creek High School in Houston where he also serves as its athletic campus coordinator. His overall record is 48-26 at Summer Creek.