Nine individuals were selected as members of the Class of 2026 Texas High School Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 9, in Waco. Among them were Canadian High School’s now-retired Head Coach and Athletic Director Chris Koetting.

Those honored during the induction ceremony held in the SWC Gallery of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame were:

• 1969 & Before: Dickey Morton — Justin F. Kimball High School, Dallas
• 1970s: Alfred Anderson — Waco Richfield High School
• 1980s: Edwin Simmons — Hawkins High School
• 1990s: Dane Johnson — Southlake Carroll High School
• 2000s: Andy Dalton — Katy High School
• Dave Campbell Contributor to the Game: Mike Gerik — Texas Farm Bureau Insurance
• Dave Campbell Contributor to the Game: Dallas Huston — Announcer, Brownwood
• Eddie Joseph/THSFHOF Coach: Terry Cron — Bartlett, Commerce & Mart High Schools
• Eddie Joseph/THSFHOF Coach: Chris Koetting — Canadian High School

Koetting was head football coach at Canadian from 2010 to 2022, and those 13 seasons were the greatest high school football dynasty in Texas Panhandle history. 

Koetting came to Canadian from Hereford in 2003 as offensive coordinator. The 2007 team, the first to go from a ground-oriented attack to a wide open one-back five-receiver set, won the school’s first Class 2A state title with a 15-1 record.

Two seasons later, Koetting became the head coach of what would become the most remarkable sustained success in Panhandle football history. In that span, the Wildcats were 165-24, an 87.3 winning percentage. His teams won 121 of their last 136 games until his retirement in April.

In that span, Canadian won additional state championships in 2014, 2015 and 2020.  The 2015 team that finished 16-0 and defeated Refugio, 62-20, for the state title was widely considered the greatest Class 2A team in state history. 

His three state titles tie him with Blair Cherry of Amarillo High for the most in the history of the area. Canadian teams weren’t loaded with superior college talent, but had a system supervised and taught by Koetting that frequently baffled opponents and maximized player strengths.

With five other state semifinal and one state title appearance, just a small break on several occasions could have added to the three state titles in Koetting’s career. His remarkable 49-10 playoff record are the most postseason wins by any coach in Texas Panhandle history.

Koetting is a native of Panhandle. He was one of very few freshmen to start for head coach Stocky Lamberson. As a cornerback and slotback, he started on the 1984 Class 2A state finalist and on a 1986 quarterfinal team.

He and wife Rosemary have three grown children – daughter Lauren and twin sons Jack and Bill.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://www.texasfootball.com/hof/