Booneville football coach Mattox announces retirement
Nov. 10—Mike Mattox had to spend a few hours on his tractor Thursday afternoon.
It's what he does when his mind is weighed down. And in this case, it was weighed down by the fact that he had just announced his retirement after 31 years as a football coach at Booneville High School, including the last 13 as head coach.
"It's therapy. I go up to my farm and work when I need to kind of ease my mind," Mattox said. "It's peaceful. Those cows don't challenge you. They just sit there and look at you. It helps me relax my mind."
Booneville is the only place Mattox has coached. He started there as an assistant under Jim Drewry in 1993 and helped the Blue Devils win two state championships. Mattox took over the program in 2010 after Drewry retired with 346 career wins, which at the time was a state record.
Following a legend wasn't easy, but Booneville remained competitive under Mattox, who had a 90-55 record with three division titles and 13 playoff appearances while at the helm. The Blue Devils were 4-7 this season and lost to Independence in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs.
"I feel like the program, I left it in better shape than when I took it over," Mattox said. "That's always your goal."
Mattox encountered health issues in 2018 as he battled pneumonia and pleurisy. But that turned out to be his best season as a head coach, as Booneville went 11-1 and lost to eventual state champion Water Valley in the playoffs.
That didn't convince him to retire. What ultimately did convince him were his daughters, Erin and Lauren. Erin is a senior at Booneville, and Lauren is in fourth grade.
"After I sat there and thought about it, 31 years in education and coaching and 13 as a head coach, the time seemed right. ... I didn't want to wait too long. I just want to enjoy my daughters a little bit," Mattox said.
Mattox, 55, is a 1986 graduate of Kossuth High School, where he played for Drewry. He later graduated from Mississippi State.
When Mattox joined Booneville's staff, the Blue Devils were three years removed from a 2A state title. The next championship came in 1999, when Booneville went 15-0, and then a repeat came in 2000.
Drewry went 13-1 in his final season and led the team to the 3A North final. Mattox's first team went 5-6, but he quickly got the Devils back to winning regularly.
"It wasn't easy following coach Drewry, especially after you moved up from 2A to 3A," Mattox said. "I felt our coaches and kids did a good job."
