Dunbar High School coach wins 1,275th game to break national record

Jet, March 3, 2003

Fort Worth (TX) Dunbar High School head boys basketball coach Robert Hughes has secured his place in sports history. The "dinosaur," as he is affectionately called by his former players, recently won his 1,275th game to become the winningest coach in the country, breaking ttie national high school record.

"Hot dog and hallelujah! I'm glad it's over with. I tried to play it offlike it wasn't there," said Hughes who over time justly earned his nickname.

The 74-year-old coach stands at a commanding 6-foot-5 and is known for. his icy stare, his grueling practices, and barking plays from the sideline.

That's partly why he's called the "dinosaur," reveals Wayne Lewis, center coordinator at Fort Worth's Martin Luther King Community Center, who played on Hughes' 1965 championship team at I.M. Terrell High School and gave him the name.

"I had to come up with something that was completely fitting for coach Hughes; something that would also give attention to his demeanor. And the only thing that I could think of was the dinosaur which was the last of a gigantic living breed. I thought of how they roamed the country and from the beginning all the way to the end they never changed.

"And coach was like that to me because of the fact that he has never changed. He's always been the same. And after 40 plus years of coaching basketball, his theory has been the same, his ideology of the game has been the same," Lewis told JET.

With this recent victory, Hughes surpassed Hall of Famer Morgan Wooten of Maryland's DeMatha Catholic. Wooten retired last November with a mark of 1,274-192.

Hughes has only 248 losses and has earned 175 more victories than the closest active coach.

After he was given a trophy, a plaque at the end of this historic last regular-season game, Hughes the standing-room only crowd at the 7200-seat arena, "It's been a great ride, and thank you."

"There's a lot of positives to breaking this record," Hughes said. "It's great for the kids, the school, the community and all followers of high school basketball. It definitely outweighs all the minuses."

Dunbar, the top-ranked Class 4A team in Texas, moved into the play-offs, becoming the 36th team Hughes had guided to the postseason. He has a total of four state championships, one since he started at Dunbar in 1973.

Bill Farney, executive director of the University Interscholastic League, congratulated Hughes "not only on winning on the court but teaching young men how to win in life."

Hundreds of Hughes former players share the same sentiment. Though this unprecedented feat has shaped a worldwide claim-to-fame for him, most of those who know him, will always tbink of him as a father figure, older brother or a friend who has had a great influence on their lives.

Hughes said he plans to keep coaching. "I still love coaching, and I'll still do it as long as my health holds up," Hughes said. "But I've told some of my former players to let me know when I need to call it quits. They promised they'd leave three or four fishing poles outside my door in case I'm in denial. When that happens, I know it will be over."