Monday marked the end of a football era at Coppell.

Coppell head football coach Mike DeWitt announced on Monday that he is resigning at the conclusion of the school year. DeWitt, who is also Coppell High School boys athletic coordinator, intends to finish his contract with Coppell ISD, which ends in June.

“I know I’m not going to coach here next year and so I think the best thing to do is to announce it now and for the sake of everyone so we can move forward,” DeWitt said. “I have an office full of coaches [and] obviously that decision affects them. The kids in the program, obviously that affects them. I want to make sure Coppell has ample time to find my replacement and it gives me the opportunity to look for jobs and not feel like I’m trying to hide something.”

DeWitt, who previously served as the defensive coordinator for former Coppell coach Joe McBride, has been the Cowboys’ head coach since 2014. In eight seasons, DeWitt compiled a 54-35 record. DeWitt led the Cowboys to back-to-back double-digit win seasons in 2016 and 17. Coppell made the playoffs in 2020, but finished this season with a 4-6 record (3-4 in District 6-6A) and missed the playoffs. 

According to Texas Redzone Report, DeWitt is the winningest head coach in Coppell football history. McBride accumulated a record of 50-10 in his five years at Coppell. Former Coppell coach Mike Fuller, who was at Coppell from 2000-2006, earned a record of 49-30 in seven years at Coppell. 

Prior to his time at Coppell, DeWitt also served as an assistant at Frisco Liberty and Hebron.

According to DeWitt, his career, family and personal best interests all played a part in his decision to resign.

“I still want to coach and I want to find a place where I can put down the roots for my young family,” DeWitt said. “I’m looking forward to the next opportunity.”

Players reacted to DeWitt’s announcement with gratitude and best wishes for DeWitt’s future success.

“I just want to say thank you. I think he did a lot for me as a man; he did a lot for me in just teaching me everything I’ve learned [here],” Coppell junior kicker Nicolas Radicic said. “He also built some relationships for me through some college coaches and I just want to say thank you for that and good luck to him in the future.”

Aside from DeWitt’s defensive mind, DeWitt’s message was to grow the players as men off the field. 

“I’d like to say thank you to coach DeWitt;  he’s taught me lots of lessons,” Coppell junior running back Michael Rodriguez said. “He’s definitely made me a way better man and he taught me a bunch of life lessons that I’ll probably carry on for the rest of my life.”

Coppell safeties coach Karl Pointer, who came to Coppell with DeWitt in 2009 and has worked with DeWitt for 13 years, expressed shock and gratitude after DeWitt’s announcement.

“Coming into Coppell, I had the opportunity to work with different defenses and I had a great opportunity to learn his version of the 3-4 [defense], the way we did it and to learn his thought process, how he called defenses and how he prepared,” Pointer said. “He does a great job, he’s very thorough and meticulous in his thought process. [He] just helped me grow as a coach and I appreciate the time and the things that he shared and the knowledge he gave.”

As his tenure at Coppell comes to an end, DeWitt echoes messages of gratitude.

[My time here has] been great,” DeWitt said. “I’ve enjoyed my time here. It’s great people here. The kids have been great. I’ve enjoyed my time and had a lot of great experiences. I’m grateful for my coaches. Every year, we’ve got a great group of men that pour into kids and they’re in coaching for the right reasons. I’m really grateful for all their hard work and efforts. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be at Coppell.”

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