Muskogee Names Travis Hill Associate Head Football Coach and Athletic Coordinator
MUSKOGEE, Okla. - Muskogee Public Schools announced Tuesday during a Special Board of Education Meeting that longtime Tulsa area high school football coach Travis Hill will return to Muskogee joining the Roughers football coaching staff as Associate Head Coach and Athletic Coordinator.
“We are excited obviously adding another great coach to our staff,” said Muskogee head coach Rafe Watkins. “I’m tickled to death to have Travis back. He left a great program and a great situation. It just goes to show how things are changing here in Muskogee. We passed a bond through the people here in Muskogee and getting the new stadium. There are great things out on the horizon on all facets.”
Hill joins Muskogee after spending the past three seasons at Broken Arrow High School as the Defensive Coordinator. He helped lead the Tigers to their first football state championship in school history.
Prior to his time at Broken Arrow, Hill was the defensive coordinator for Muskogee from 2015-2017. As an assistant, the Roughers reached the state semi-finals in 2016. Hill spent nearly four years working in the private sector before joining coach Rafe Watkins staff at Muskogee in 2015.
“I want to thank Dr. Jarod Mendenhall, Jason Parker, Coach Rafe Watkins and James Platter for their consideration to have me here and it’s an honor,” said Travis Hill. “I go back many, many years ago when I was a player and played against the Muskogee Roughers and understood what Coach Freeman and the tradition, pride and how tough this program was and how good they were. I could always sense that in my time here that they always wanted that and it was important to the community.”
Hill was head coach of Tulsa East Central High School from 1998-2011. In 14 years as head coach of the Cardinals, Hill led East Central to 14 state tournament appearances including a Class 5A State Championship in 2005 and compiled a 138-34 record. His teams at East Central reached the state semifinals seven times including three championship appearances.
“They’ve also given me an opportunity to make a difference, this is what it’s all about. When you start off coaching, we’re young coaches we want to win and it’s an ego thing. As we mature and process through what our opportunities are to work with young people, we realize how important and unique it is to make a difference,” said Hill. “I look forward to the opportunity to come here and hopefully make a difference.”
A 1980 graduate of East Central High School, Hill was an assistant coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M for ten seasons helping the Norseman to a National Championship in 1991 before taking the helm at his alma mater. He began his coaching career in 1985 as an assistant coach at Stillwater High School.
A graduate of Northeastern State University, Hill has coached numerous players who have played collegiately and professionally. Hill’s pupils include former New Orleans Saint Charlie Clemmons, former Oakland Raider Carl Kidd, Oklahoma State’s Sim Drain, University of Tulsa defensive end Popsey Floyd, Arkansas Razorbacks’ David Gordon and Kameron Curl, and University of Alabama’s Matt Parker.
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