RIO RANCHO, N.M. – A New Mexico high school football coach with 51 years of experience is one win away from capping his career with a state championship. Eddie Kilmer, head coach of Cleveland High School, will lead his team into the Class 6A State Championship game this Saturday.Kilmer, who has coached in both Texas and New Mexico, has built a legacy spanning more than five decades. Though he admits he wasn’t a standout player himself – “I was slow and skinny and just wasn’t any good,” he said – he discovered a passion for the strategy and development inherent in coaching. His defensive ideology centers on reaction and aggressive play. “On defence, It’s reaction. We’ve taught them that we’re going this way or we’re doing this thing. All they have to do now is just go hard and be fast and mean,” Kilmer explained.
Throughout his career, Kilmer has served primarily as a defensive coordinator, most recently with the Cleveland High School Storm.A championship victory this weekend would represent a fitting conclusion to a career recognized with inductions into multiple halls of fame.
“I never worked a day in my life, I got to have fun. I got to do a kids game every day. How can you beat that?” Kilmer said.
His influence extends beyond the high school level; among his former players is Lincoln Riley, currently the head football coach at the University of Southern California. Kilmer shares a regular tradition with Riley, texting him a message of encouragement every Saturday: “G-A-T-A,’ wich means get after their fanny.”
Kilmer frequently enough tells his players about three unforgettable days in life: “The day you get married, the day your kids are born and the day you win the state championship.” He now has the possibility to experience that third day himself.