Student Body Right? School Board Lets Students At Texas High School Pick New Football Coach In Election

There are lots of Texas towns where the high school football coach is popular enough to get elected mayor. Taft might be the only town where the football coach was elected coach.

Freshmen, sophomores and juniors at Taft High School selected Keno Aleman, an assistant coach in nearby Corpus Christi, over two other candidates to serve as head football coach and athletic director.

Taft superintendent Don Madden said he and a selection committee came up with a list of 10 qualified candidates after Rick West resigned in September.

The list was whittled to three before students were allowed to vote Feb. 7. The school board unanimously endorsed their choice Feb. 8.

Madden admitted to some trepidation before the unusual, if not unique, vote.

“It scared the heck out of me because what if something went wrong?” Madden said. “These kids are going to make or break this guy. I would not do this with a teacher or assistant coach or anything.

“It’s the kids’ school. The most important thing we have going for us are these kids. The football team is the school’s … but it’s not run by the city.”