Legendary Permian football coach Gary Gaines has passed away at the age of 73|All Social Updates

Gary Gaines, a prominent Texas high school football head coach, died Monday at the age of 73, according to a statement from his family.

Gaine’s most notable achievement led Odessa Permian to a state title in 1989. In West Texas, he coached at two different levels of college and high schools for four decades.

He was one of the main characters in HG Bissinger’s 1990 bestseller, Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, which detailed the 1988 Permian campaign and West Texas’ football-loving culture.

What happened to coach Gary Gaines? Death at the age of 73 saddens everyone

Gary Gaines, the former head football coach of the Permians, passed away suddenly on Monday night. According to mrt.com, he fought a protracted battle with Alzheimer’s.

Jakob Brandenburg, the anchor of CBS7News, tweeted the depressing information on Aug. 23. “Coach Gary Gaines, of Friday Night Lights fame, passed away last night,” he wrote.

His followers and former teammates had paid tribute to him since it was officially announced that he had left this planet.

Greg Rajan, a Super Utility Manager for the HoustonChron said, “I did a story about the release of the movie ‘Friday Night Lights’ and how it compares to the 2004 novel. Gary Gaines was genuinely nice, even though he had raised it repeatedly for a decade, rest in peace.

The ACU football community sent their condolences to Gary’s family at this difficult time and expressed their sadness at the incident. “Heartbroken to learn of the passing of Texas coaching legend Gary Gaines, who contributed his five years at the helm of the Wildcat program,” the team wrote in a tweet.

Friday Night Lights Star Coach Gary Gaines Net Worth Might Surprise You

Gary Gaines is estimated to have a net worth of around $5 million due to his lengthy coaching career.

Gaines, who was born in Crane, began his industry career as a student at Petersberg High School, where he worked for 35 years.

Amarillo Tascosa, Monahans, Abilene, and San Angelo Central High Schools then hired him as their head coach. The next was Denver City High School.

For three years, from 1979 to 1981, he assisted head coach John Willins at Permian High School in Odessa.

Additionally, he spoke at high schools and universities across the country on collaboration, leadership, success and achievement on and off the field.

In 2013, popular head coach Gaines was inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor. He was also inducted into the Angelo State University Hall of Honor in 2019.

Speaking of his post-coaching career, he began working in 2005 as the athletic director for the Ector County Independent School District. He was also hired by the Lubbock Independent School District in 2007 in the same capacity.

Gary Gaines, a senior football coach with decades of experience, must have made between $35,000 and $45,000 each year.

His exact winnings have not yet been confirmed by the official websites. Still, according to ZipRecruiter, the median salary for a high school football coach in the United States is $42,675 a year and $3,556 a month.

In his early years, he coached the linebackers at Texas Tech for three seasons.

The Red Raiders had a 27-30 record and played in two bowl games, including the 1995 Cotton Bowl Classic, during his five seasons at Tech.

After leaving Texas Tech after the 1994 season, he later accepted the position of head coach at Abilene High School.

In January 2000, he was named the 17th Head Football Coach at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. Coach Gary finished the 2004 campaign with a five-season record of 21-30.

He led the Wildcats to a 6-4 win and the 2000 Lone Star Conference South Division Championship.

Gary Gaines has passed away

Coach Gary Gaines’ wife Sharon Gaines and his family in mourning – where are they now?

Gary Gaines, the football team’s head coach, was married to Sharon Gaines. Together they had two adult children and five grandchildren.

The Gaines family is currently asking for privacy as they deal with Gary’s death. His funeral plans are not yet complete.

The 73-year-old wife and children will continue to care for him. God give Gary’s family the strength to bear their loss.

American football coach Gary Gaines died on August 22, 2022 (he was born on May 4, 1949). Gaines was the 1988 head coach of the Permian High School football team, which was the subject of the 2004 film Friday Night Lights starring Billy Bob Thornton and the book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by HG Bissinger. His four-decade coaching career spanned eight Texas high schools and two colleges.

career as a coach

Gaines coached West Texas high school football for a total of 30 seasons at various high schools. After beginning his teaching career at Fort Stockton High School in 1971, he taught at Monahans High School for five years. 1977 was his first year as head coach at Petersburg High School. He then became the head football coach of Denver City High School in 1978, Amarillo Tascosa High School in 1982, the Monahans in 1983–85, Abilene High School in 1994–95, and San Angelo Central High School in 1996–99.

Odessa Perm

Gaines achieved his greatest success during his time at Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. Between the 1979 and 1981 seasons, he served as an assistant coach under the direction of head coach John Wilkins for those three years. In 1980, the Permian coaching staff, which included Gaines, led the school to the 5A State Championship in Texas.

Gaines returned to Permian as head coach after Wilkins retired at the end of the 1985 season, taking over a program that had featured in the state title game for the 5A Division for the previous two straight years. (In 1984, the game ended in a 21-21 tie, and both Permian High School and Beaumont French High School were crowned co-champions. However, in 1985, Permian High School and Beaumont French High School were won by the Houston Yates Defeated High School.

Gaines was one of the main characters in the book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by HG Bissinger, published in 1990. The book told the story of the 1988 football season at Permian High School and the football-obsessed culture of West Texas. The following year, Gaines led Permian to a perfect 16-0 season and the 1989 5A state championship under the head coach’s direction. Gaines left Permian after the 1989 season, having posted a record of 46-7-1 during his time there.

Return to Perm

Following Darren Allman’s departure for Austin Westlake, Permian High School announced on March 9, 2009 that Gaines would serve as principal. It had been 20 years since Gaines left Permian, and it had been 10 years since he had coached high school football. The Panthers finished the four seasons with a record of 23-21, with just one win in the postseason. This wasn’t enough for them to replicate Gaines’ success in the 1980s. Gaines resigned from his position as head coach at the end of the 2012 season and stated his intention to retire from coaching. Gaines compiled a record of 69-28-1 while he was head coach at Permian, which is part of his overall record of 127-93-5 during his tenure as head coach for a total of 20 seasons.

college coaching

After completing the 1989 season, Gaines accepted his first collegiate coaching position and was hired by Texas Tech University as a linebacker coach under the direction of head coach Spike Dykes. (In the early 1980s, when Gaines was an assistant coach at Permian High School, Dykes was the head coach of Permian’s rival school, Midland Lee High School.) During his five years as head coach at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders went on to record 27-30 and competed in two bowl games, one of which was the 1995 Cotton Bowl Classic. Gaines resigned from his position as head coach at Texas Tech at the end of the 1994 season and accepted the same position at Abilene High School.

Abilene Christian

In January 2000, Gaines received the position of 17th head football coach at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. ACU struggled during Gaines’ first two seasons as head coach, losing 17 of 21 games during that streak. Despite initial difficulties, the Wildcats bounced back in 2002, posting a 6-4 winning record and winning the Lone Star Conference South Division Championship. This was the first championship of any kind for the Wildcats since 1977 when they won their lone and only Lone Star Conference Championship. Gaines decided to step down as head coach after ending the 2004 season with an overall record of 21-30.

Career after coaching

Gaines became the athletic director of the Ector County Independent School District, the same school district where Permian High School is located, in 2005. During his tenure there, Gaines oversaw all extracurricular activities at the high school. In 2007, he was hired by the Lubbock Independent School District as the district’s athletic director.

Gaines was not only an author but also a speaker. Gaines shared his wisdom on the importance of collaboration, leadership and winning on and off the field during presentations he gave at high schools and colleges across the country.

Personal life and death

Gaines was quarterback at Angelo State University from 1967 to 1970 and received a letter for every four years he played that position. Gaines was born in Crane, Texas.

He was married to Sharon Gaines and the couple were parents to two children and grandparents to five grandchildren. He was inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor in 2013 and Angelo State University Hall of Honor in 2019.

In 2017, Gaines announced to the public that he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Gaines died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease on August 22, 2022 at the age of 73.