Legendary Texas high school football coach announces retirement after 23 seasons

One of the most successful high school football coaches that Texas has ever seen is calling it quits after 23 years.

On Wednesday, Ennis High coach Sam Harrell announced that he will be stepping away from the sidelines after more than two decades to continue his battle with health complications related to multiple sclerosis.

“In every coach’s life, there comes a time to turn in the whistle and pass the baton,” Harrell said in a press release from the Ennis ISD. “Well for me that time has surprisingly happened twice, both times while at Ennis HS and both times because of MS. If I could, I would coach another five or ten years, but it’s time for me to turn these good kids over to someone who is healthier. I never wanted to do anything but coach, so these 40-plus years of coaching have been so very special to me. Thanks to everyone who played a part — from Plainview ISD, Brownwood ISD, Reagan County ISD, Fort Worth Christian, SAGU, and Ennis ISD. I have great memories with wonderful kids and super coaches.”

Harrell previously left the program in 2010 after an initial diagnosis in 2005, but returned to the game in 2018 and has coached the Lions since then.

He began his head-coaching career at Reagan County, where he posted a 36-8 mark with three bi-district championships in four years before arriving in Ennis in 1994. Under his watch, the Lions were one of the early adopters of the “spread” offense, leading the program to three state titles (2000, 2001, 2004) — their first since 1975.

During his first 16-year stint, Harrell’s teams had a 146-46 record with 13 straight years of playoff appearances.

Harrell helped to redefine high school football in the Lone Star State

His son, Graham, played quarterback in the system from 2001-2003, leading the team to a 4A state championship as a sophomore.

With Sam coaching and Graham throwing, the younger Harrell set state records for: passing yards (4,825 in 2003 over 13 games); career passing yards (12,532); single-season touchdown passes (67 in 2003); Career touchdown passes (167); and single-season pass completions (334 in 2003).

Graham also went on to become one of the most prolific passers in NCAA history at Texas Tech, setting records for passing completions (season and career), most games with 400 or more passing yards in a season, and most seasons with 4,000 or more yards of total offense in a career.

Those records have since been surpassed, but Sam Harrell’s offense was far ahead of its time at the high school level, and is now mimicked by coaches across the Lone Star State and the country.

Harrell is also a member of the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame and the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor.

Over the course of his 23-year career, Harrell has won 239 games with two games left before the end of the season.