By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Del Rio’s new head football coach may be a familiar face to some longtime Rams fans.
Fiacro H. Ramirez Jr., a former Rams football player and assistant football coach, was unanimously approved Monday night by the San Felipe Del Rio CISD Board of Trustees to become the newest head football coach/athletics coordinator. Board vice president Diana Gonzales made the motion to approve the recommendation to hire Ramirez with board member Emilio Galindo seconding.
Ramirez played on the defensive line for the Rams in the 1980’s under head coach Cozel Foster. He’s a 1985 graduate of Del Rio High School. He briefly served as an assistant football coach in the mid-1990’s.
Ramirez was most recently the defensive coordinator at Canutillo High School in El Paso. Canutillo went 10-3 this season, winning the District I-5A, Division II title and advancing to the regional semifinals before falling to Abilene Wylie, 22-18.
Ramirez’s defense was a big part of the Eagles’ success. The team recorded five shutouts during the season and allowed an average of just over 11 points per game. The last shutout was a 28-0 win over Palo Duro in the bi-district round of the playoffs. That performance helped Ramirez win the fan vote and be named the Dairy Max Built by Chocolate Milk Assistant Coach of the Week.
Ramirez also had a taste of head coaching when he led the Eagles to a 27-24 win over Amarillo Randall in the Area round of the playoffs in 2021 after Canutillo head coach Scott Brooks was forced to miss the game due to COVID protocols.
San Felipe Del Rio CISD Athletic Director Frenchey McCrea Jr., said 18 people applied for the Rams’ head coaching vacancy. While he wasn’t the only person who had a say in who would be recommended for the job, McCrea said he liked Ramirez because of his proven track record as a coach.
“Overall he’s just an outstanding guy. I feel that by hiring him it puts us in an excellent position to succeed. He brings a great work ethic and a strong culture to the program, and his connection to the program is an asset,” McCrea said following the school board meeting. “He should be here in a couple of weeks once he closes out ties where he’s at now.”
Ramirez replaces Roderick “Rod” Taylor who was reassigned from the head coaching position in November after four years as Rams head coach. Taylor has since accepted an assistant coaching position at Yoakum High School and will be joined by his son, and former Rams starting quarterback, Zach Taylor.
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