CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Calallen High School head football coach and athletic director Steve Campbell is retiring.
Campbell roamed the Calallen sidelines for four decades, 38 seasons as an assistant coach and two as head coach for the Wildcats. He took over as head coach in the 2022 season, replacing his longtime friend and colleague, Phil Danaher, the winningest coach in Texas high school football history.
Under Campbell and Danaher, the 'Cats have reached the playoffs for 39 straight seasons, the longest streak in Texas football history. Calallen went 13-1 in Campbell's debut season before sliding to 7-4 this past season. The Wildcats' bi-district loss to Beeville Jones in November was the first time the program had suffered a first round exit since 1989.
Campbell is a graduate of Ray High School and served as an assistant as Tuloso-Midway before joining the 'Cats under Danaher. He also served as the school's track coach for 16 years.
Steve Chapman, the head coach of the Calallen baseball team, is the assistant athletic director. Chapman is the winningest coach in Texas baseball history. Calallen athletics have enjoyed multiple state titles over the years, a trend that continued once Campbell took over athletic director duties. Softball won its first championship this past season.
3NEWS Sports Director Chris Thomasson broke the story and will have full coverage on 3NEWS at 6 p.m.