Herb Stinson
Aztec High School
Impact Statement
“Get a high school education. Then, you are an athlete. Being an athlete is a privilege.” -Wayne Stinson
Biography
Coaching in a small school has its rewards and long-time Aztec High coach Herb Stinson has had his share of them. In his 22nd and final season as Aztec’s head wrestling coach (he was on the staff for 26 years), Stinson won his 11th consecutive Class A-3A state title and the 12th of his career. He is one of only four coaches to win his state’s championship every year during the decade of the 1990s.
Aztec also finished 25-1 in dual meets this year, giving him a final career record of 535-92-5. Stinson accomplished all this as a three-sport coach with three-sport athletes. He serves as defensive coordinator for a football team which has reached the state playoffs 10 consecutive years, and also coaches baseball.
Stinson has been recognized on several occasions for his coaching excellence. He has been awarded National High School Coach of the Year honors in 1991 and 1995, and was elected to the New Mexico High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor in 1998. His teams are listed six times in the national record book and hold two national records: His 1993 team won its 21 dual meets by an average of more than 63 points and his teams have won 122 tournament titles, including eight this year.
Over his career, Stinson coached 208 individual State Place winners, 19 All Americans and 12 Academic All Americans.
Photos
Community Service
Stinson founded the Aztec Municipal Schools Hall of Fame. He was also a board member of the New Mexico Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Founding Chairman of the Board for the Aztec Wrestling Program Building Committee.
