Coaches rally
Carl Albert coach rallies alongside former students who are now fellow teachers
Tex Rollins brought his camera to the Capitol.
His camcorder, too. That’s how he captures memories and provides keepsakes from events where there are folks from Carl Albert High — and there were definitely Carl Albert folks at the state capitol on Day 3 of the statewide teacher walkout. Many wore the Mid-Del school’s familiar red and gray. Shirts with “Carl Albert.” Hats with “Titans.”
And many were there in part because of Rollins.
The longtime coach and teacher has been at the school for more than four decades. Ask those around Carl Albert, and they will say that no one has had more impact
on more kids than Rollins — and in many instances, he has motivated them to get into education.
Count Joshua Terry in that group.
“He’s tough, but he’s fair,” said Terry, who played football for Rollins, a longtime assistant, from 2001-03, and is now an assistant principal at Carl Albert after six years teaching science and special education. “He has expectations, high expectations, for all of our students.”
On a day when educators from across our state continued torally for more funding for our children, you couldn’t go far on the Capitol grounds without
running into a coach. They were outside on the lawn. They were inside in the halls. They were driving buses and meeting legislators and fighting for something better.
Many of those coaches got into the profession because of the people who coached them, people who changed their lives. People like Rollins. He moved to Carl Albert in 1976 becoming a football assistant andthe track coach. He was on the football staff until 2015 and is still helping with track. Over that time, he’s been around great athletes and not-so-great ones, but all of them received the same tough love.
Rollins always demands that theyfollow the rules and try their hardest.
Over the years, that mentality helped Carl Albert produce some of the most successful prep programs in the state. Football is a powerhouse. Track is pretty darn good, too.
But Rollins, who also teaches history, is way quicker to tout what his former players and students became.Business leaders. Community activists. There’s even one working on parachutes and propulsionwith NASA.
“Sometimes you don’t think you’re doing good ... “Rollins said, then stopped and shook his head. “We put out good kids.”
And a lot of them became coaches.
“Ada. Bristow. Duncan. Altus. Oklahoma City,” Rollins said, ticking off some of the districts where Carl Albert alums are coaching.
Rollins wasn’t the only one at Carl Albert who influenced that next generation of coaches. Gary Rose was the head coach of the football team for more than two decades. Mike Goff was an assistant during that same period. On and on goes the list of impactful coaches.
But none was any more of a mentor than Rollins.
“He’s at the top,” said Lenny Hatchett, a Carl Albert alum who is now the head boys basketball coach at Del City. “He’s definitely at the top.”
Hatchetthas tried to mentor his players the way Rollins did for him, but even now after two decades in education, Hatchett still gets advice and support from Rollins.
“He’s a father figure to me even at 43,” Hatchett said, laughing.
Carl Albert principalKristin Goggans said,“He’s an absolute legend.”
That was evident by the number of folks who approached Rollins on Wednesday. Teachers from other schools. Coaches from other districts. Teachers, parents and students from Carl Albert. They wanted hugs or pictures or both.
When Rollins wasn’t posing for a picture, he was taking one. He goes to nearly every event at Carl Albert whether sports or arts or academics, and he always has a camera. Hehas given away thousands of pictures at no charge over the years.
Wednesday, he snapped dozens more.
Rollins knows how important these days are. He rallied back in 1990 when the teachers walked out, and even though the fruits of this walkout aren’t likely to impact him much— at 70-plus, he doesn’t intend to coach and teach forever — hebelievesbeingthere is important.
“We need to do this for her and him and her,” he said pointing from one Carl Albert teacherto another.
Not so long ago, many of those educators were sitting in his class or playing on his team. Now, they are trying to have the kind of impact on kids thatTex Rollins once had on them.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/ JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok or view her personality page at newsok.com/jennicarlson.