Jeff Traylor, who built the Gilmer High School football program into a state powerhouse, was inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Associations Hall of Honor during a ceremony on Saturday night at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio as part of the organization’s 93rd annual THSCA Coaching School and Convention in San Antonio.

Traylor, who is currently the head football coach at The University of Texas at San Antonio, was part of the 2025 class that also included Don Brooks, Brad Davis, Steve Warren and Rodney Webb.

A longtime Texas high school coach, Traylor, guided his hometown Gilmer Buckeyes to three state championships. This is the second Hall of Fame induction for Traylor who was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame during a May ceremony in Waco.

Traylor put Gilmer football on the map during his 15-year tenure guiding the Buckeyes. He posted a 175-26 record (.871) and led Gilmer to state titles in 2004, 2009 and 2014, to two additional state title game appearances in 2007 and 2012 and to 12 district crowns.

In 2004, Traylor led his Buckeyes to their first state championship in 2004, capturing the Class 3A Division II title to cap a 16-0 campaign. Gilmer claimed its second state crown five years later, as the 2009 squad went 15-0 to win the Class 3A D-I Championship. In 2014, Gilmer boasted one of the most prolific offenses in Texas prep history, scoring 950 points — the second-most at that time in state history — and averaging 59.4 points and 536.1 yards per game en route to the Class 4A D-II State Championship. The Buckeyes surpassed 60 points nine times, including two 80-point performances.

Following his high school coaching career, Gilmer renamed Buckeye Stadium to Jeff Traylor Stadium.

Traylor has received numerous accolades for his prep coaching career including Tyler Morning Telegraph Coach of the Decade for the 2000s, Texas High School Coach of the Year four times and District Coach of the Year a dozen times. He was inducted into the East Texas Coaches Association Hall of Honor in 2019.

In five seasons as UTSA’s head coach, Traylor had led the Roadrunners to a 46-20 record, the most wins among FBS teams from the state of Texas since 2020. Additionally, UTSA is 29-3 at home in the Traylor era, the third-most home wins among FBS teams during the past half-decade, trailing only Alabama (32) and Ohio State (30).

Under Traylor’s leadership, UTSA has captured a pair of conference championships, earned five straight bowl berths with back-to-back bowl wins over the past two seasons and made a combined 23 appearances in the three major national polls. The four-time national coach of the year award finalist and two-time conference coach of the year has led the Roadrunners to 15 All-America accolades and 91 all-conference selections during his time in San Antonio.

Before becoming head coach of the Roadrunners, Traylor was an assistant collegiate coach at Texas, SMU, and Arkansas.

He began his coaching career as assistant coach at Big Sandy (1990-93) and Jacksonville (1994-2000).

A 1986 graduate of Gilmer High School, Traylor earned both undergraduate (1990) and graduate (2002) degrees in education from Stephen F. Austin while playing football as a walk-on.

He and his wife, Cari, have three children: Jordan, Jacob and Jaci.

Other honorees were:

Don Brooks

Brooks began his coaching career in Oklahoma before moving to El Paso in 1969, eventually becoming head football coach at El Paso Coronado High School in 1977. Over 35 years, he led the team to a record of 229-148-3, nine district titles, and 21 playoff appearances. He was inducted into several Halls of Fame and honored with the renaming of Quarles-Brooks Stadium. His legacy continues through the Coach Don Brooks Scholarship Fund and his son Scott, also a high school football coach.

Brad Davis

Davis has been a Texas high school football coach for 37 years, beginning his career in 1986 under his father at Frenship ISD. He served as Frenship’s Head Coach from 2006–2017, leading the Tigers to an 80% win rate (126-36-0), eight district championships, and multiple deep playoff runs. After joining Grandview High School in 2017, he guided the Zebras to a 2018 Class 3A State Championship — the school’s first in 109 years. He was 25-4 at Grandview. Davis has received numerous accolades, including several Coach of the Year honors, and served on the THSCA board from 2005-2008. He joins his father, Bobby Davis, as a member of this THSCA Hall of Honor.

Steve Warren

Born into a family of coaches and teachers, Coach Warren began his football journey playing for his father at Lockney HS and later walked on at Angelo State. He launched his coaching career there in 1982 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a head coach at Wall HS by age 24. Warren’s most notable tenure came at Abilene High, where he served as head coach from 1994 to 2015, leading the team to 16 playoff appearances, nine district titles, and a 2009 state championship. He retired with a 175-68 record at Abilene and 190-87 overall. Warren served on the THSCA board from 1997-2000 and as President in 2013-2014.

Rodney Webb

Coach Webb has had a distinguished 36-year coaching career, with 23 years as a head football coach and athletic director. He holds a career record of 179-91 and a playoff record of 33-19, leading four programs to regional finals and three to state semifinals. Webb’s coaching stops include Rockwall-Heath, Denton Guyer, Rockwall, Mesquite Horn, and Royse City, with his most notable achievement being a run to the 6A state finals in 2021 with Guyer. He’s coached seven NFL players and 27 future coaches. A Tarleton State Hall of Fame inductee, Webb is also recognized in the Garland and Royse City Halls of Fame. He served on the THSCA board from 2013-2017 and as President from 2019-2021 (due to the pandemic).

Other THSCA Award winners:

Athletic Trainer of the Year in collaboration with Dell Children’s Ascension — Wendy Svoboda, Stephenville High School

Curly Hays Officials Award — Van Newberry

Distinguished Service Award — Robert Brown, Prairie View Interscholastic League

Putt Powell Sportswriter of the Year — Daniel Youngblood, Big Country Preps

Tom Landry Award — Lee Wiginton, Allen High School

Jody Conradt Award — Paige Hershey, Spring Branch ISD

Coaching Beyond the Game — Brian Randle, Randle High School