Ruidoso, New Mexico

I graduated from California State University at Fullerton in August of 1975. Shortly after that we moved to Ruidoso, New Mexico, a resort town in Southern New Mexico. My wifes parents had moved there and we knew it was a place that we might like to live. We had been there on spring break to ski and fell in love with the place. The plan was for Jackie to get a job in a bank and for me to find a job using my newly acquired Bachelor's degree in sociology. While part one came together quickly, my finding a job using my degree was another matter entirely.

Fortunately I had an electronics background after four years in the Navy and I was able to use that to get a job working for the local cable television company, Cablevision of Lincoln County. It was a very small company with only six total employees and although the pay was initially poor, I was just glad to have a job. I made some good friends there and they helped us get more integrated into the community.

This building housed Cablevision of Lincoln County

The next thing that happened along my journey to becoming a coach was another of those "accidental" things. I attended a men's breakfast on Wednesday mornings sponsored by the church that we attended. Each week a different member would give a talk to the group after breakfast and before we all left to go to work. On this particular morning the speaker was a teacher and coach from Ruidoso High School, Dub Williams. He spoke about how much he loved teaching and what a rewarding career it was. His talk moved me so much that I went home that night after work and told my wife that I wanted to become a teacher. Coaching still didn't enter the equation at this point, I just knew that I wanted to experience what he had shared that morning at breakfast.

Fortunately I was still eligible for some GI benefits from my service in the Navy and my job was willing to let me come home from school on the weekends and work so we decided that I should try going back to school to get my teacher certification. It involved going to school over 90 minutes from home at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. My memory isn't good enough to remember details about the decision but obviously the decision was made that I would go back to school.

When it came time for me to do my student teaching I had to fight to be allowed to student teach in Ruidoso so that I could be home with my family and continue to work at Cablevision after school and on weekends. They university finally agreed to allow me to student teach there the fall semester of the 1976-77 school year. While I was doing my student teaching, Williams who was the junior varsity girl's basketball coach told me that he didn't want to coach that season and asked if I was interested. While I didn't know anything about playing let alone coaching basketball the head coach, James Sanchez who was a counselor at the school was willing to give me a chance. Since I was going to be coaching the junior varsity and we practiced with the varsity he felt that it would work out ok.

While I don't have any documentation of my junior varsity team scores I know that we lost more than we won and it was in my role as varsity assistant that I really got to feel what it was like working with a successful program. That year we were District Champions, Regional Runner Up and finished 4th in the State Tournament that was held at ENMU.

Ruidoso New Mexico 1976-1977
District Champions - Regional Runner Up - 4th at State

My experience working with those athletes convinced me that I wanted to not only teach but coach as well. Fortunately when I completed my student teaching and received my teaching license there was going to be a social studies position opening at the school the 1977-78 school year. Unfortunately when I applied I didn't get it. I applied at other schools close enough that we would be able to continue living in Ruidoso but there were no job openings anywhere.

By the way, a motivator for me taking the job initially was that it paid $300 dollars for the season. I knew after that season that I would like to coach again but I had no idea that coaching would be such a major part of my life for almost 30 years. I still exchange Christmas cards with a member of that team almost 40 years later.

Head Coach James Sanchez - Assistant Coach Dana Anstey