Anywhere in New Mexico, if you tell someone whom you are meeting for the first time that you live in Artesia, there is a good chance the word “football” will enter the conversation.
That is because the Artesia High School Bulldogs have won 33 state football championships, starting in 1957. This is the second-most titles among the more than 14,000 high schools in America that have an 11-player football program.
What might be called the “modern era” of Bulldogs football (and regular state championships) started in 1953 when Reese Smith became head coach. In the 73 years since, AHS has had just eight head coaches. That puts the average tenure at slightly more than nine years. All but one of those eight men led a team to one or more state titles. The first championship for the Bulldogs came in 1957, under Smith. Since then, the longest time span without a state championship is six years—1958-1963.
Former AHS head coaches Mike Phipps and Cooper Henderson—along with current head coach Jeremy Maupin—shared their thoughts on how the Artesia High School football program has achieved this level of success.
Cooper Henderson
(1989 – 2015, 14 state titles)
“As in many aspects of life, the year-round work by coaches and athletes has been a large part of the success of the Bulldog football program. Most athletes participate in year-round strength and conditioning as well as playing multiple sports to become better athletes. Coaches attend clinics, study video, and consistently look for ways to improve the program. The intermediate school, junior high, and high school programs are a coordinated system with similar expectations. The interest and expectations in the community of Artesia also motivate players and coaches. The Artesia QB Club and Booster Club show interest in the athletes becoming successful in sports and in life.”
Mike Phipps
(1974 – 1983, 7 state titles)
Mike Phipps experienced Artesia Bulldogs football as a player, assistant coach, and head coach. He attributes the program’s success to consistency. Phipps was a player on Coach L.G. Henderson’s 1964 team, which earned the Bulldogs their second state championship in school history. After finishing college, he returned to Artesia and went to work as a science teacher at Artesia High, where he was also an assistant football coach.
When his mentor, Henderson, left after the 1973 season, Phipps became head coach. “What he taught me, I just took it forward from there.” After 10 seasons, Phipps stepped away from coaching football and became a school administrator: assistant principal, then principal at AHS, followed by 20 years as superintendent of Artesia Public Schools. He stuck with the same philosophy that had served him well as an athlete and a coach. “Build the best situations for good learning experiences every day.”
Jeremy Maupin
(2021 – present, 3 state titles)
“I would say that having just eight coaches in that time span (73 years) is a huge reason for the success. Every coach, in essence, trained the next one to take over, either by coaching them or coaching with them. Each coach has continued traditions from a previous coach with his own added identity. This has created strong traditions and customs that have created continuity from today’s program going back to 1953. So, every coach has added to the tradition, facilities, and culture to expand Bulldog football’s mark.”
Again this fall, the lights will go on and the crowds will turn out at Bulldog Bowl—a stadium so famous that a photograph of it appeared in National Geographic magazine.
Go ‘DOGS!
| Titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Reese Smith | 1 | 1957 |
| L.G. Henderson | 5 | 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969 |
| Mike Phipps | 7 | 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983 |
| T.W. Harvey | 2 | 1984, 1987 |
| Cooper Henderson | 14 | 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2015 |
| Rex Henderson | 1 | 2017 |
| Jeremy Maupin | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2025 |
Article written by Tim Palmer and originally published in Focus on Artesia 2026 Fall edition.
Tim Palmer
Artesia High School had won 13 state football titles when we moved here in 1986. It picked up #14 in 1987 before we left in 1991. When we returned in 2024, the number had climbed to 32. Last year brought #33. Researching this article led me to conclude that quality people produce quality results.
