Who tops the list of Yoe coaches?

My last column ended a 68-year history of Yoe football (1949-2015).  Now I would like to recap those years and rate the head coaches on their total records while at Yoe High.  The first was Paul Smith (49-50-51).  His record was (21-9-2) which would rank him ninth out of seventeen.

Leo Jackson return to Yoe High for a six-year stint and his (30-30-1) would put him at number seven.  Jim Spear would take over for two years (7-10-3) for a #15 ranking.  Billy Bates took over in 1959 and his two-year stay resulted in a (12-7-1) record, good for number 12.

John Roberts Short one year stay (4-6) would put him in last place (17th).  George Kirk would come in at number 10 (21-10-2).  He was followed for the next two years by Ken Fuqua, one of his assistants, with a (12-8-1) record and would rank number 13.

Rockdale native Hal Stanislaw would be next in line at Yoe High.  He would finish at number 11 with a four-year mark of 20-19-1.  Ed Cauley’s five year record of 38-12-6 would put him at sixth overall.  He was followed by his defensive coordinator Max Graham, whose three-year record would include an undefeated (10-0) season and a 16 game winning streak.  That would give him number eight on the list (23-8). 

Jim Smith would take over in 1980 for a one-year stay (6-4), ranking 16th.  He was followed by the number two ranked coach at Yoe High, Toby York.  His (76-11-2) mark included a state championship in his first year (1981) and a perfect (7-0) playoff run. 

The number four ranked Tom Ed Gooden took over next and fashioned a (45-19-2) record, going (10-0) in his second year while finishing with five straight playoff years.  When he left in 1995, Yoe High brought in an up and coming young man in former longhorn quarterback Todd Dodge.  He would stay only two years and his (8-12) record would rate him number 14.

The next hire would be a local favorite, former player and Yoe High veteran assistant for 15 years - Randy Sapp.  It was one of the best decisions ever as he would lead the Yoemen to a seven-year record of 61-24 and be number three on the all-time list.  His average would round out to (9-3) with six good playoff runs.  He would even stick around as offensive coordinator and finally special teams coach for the next 10 or more years.

Coach Sapp would step aside for offensive coordinator Mike Mullins, who would finish number five on the all-time list (43-26) before taking the head job at 5A Killeen Harker Heights, leaving room to hire Rick Rhoades. As I said before, the rest is history, as he moved to number one on Yoe High’s list with an (82-17) record in his seven-year career, including three state championships and two runner-ups. 

So who is the greatest?  Of course, being fresh on everyone’s minds, Coach Rhoades (number one) would the easiest pick, but many would say Toby York (number two), at such a young age would get plenty of votes.  But let me remind you of Coach Randy Sapp’s accomplishments.  Not only was he the number three winningest coach, he was also on the staff of number one Rhoades, number two York, number four Tom Ed Gooden and number five Mike Mullins.  That’s mind boggling.  Go Yoe.  Beat Woodville.