Flores and staff excited about future of Red Raven football program

December 7, 2011

Aaron Flores gets his first chance to head up a college football program. His stellar resume as an assistant includes three national titles and nine conference championships from 2001 to 2010 at Butler Community College.

New Coffeyville Community College Head Football Coach Aaron Flores has a stellar resume as an assistant coach. Flores, who was the offensive coordinator this past season at Itawamba (Miss.) Community College, served as the offensive coordinator at Butler Community College in El Dorado from 2001 through 2010, winning three national championships and nine Jayhawk Conference titles in that time period. Now, Flores will have the opportunity to duplicate that success, but this time as a head coach.

“Coffeyville has had a strong program for a long time with Dick and Skip Foster and continuing with Jeff Leiker and that was one of the reasons I was interested in this position,” said Flores. “Knowing Coach Leiker for as many years as I have known him, I felt comfortable this was the right time to do this.”

Leiker, Coffeyville Community College’s Athletic Director, and Flores first met when Flores was Butler’s quarterback and Leiker was the quarterback coach at Butler in 1991. The pair later coached together on the Missouri Western staff in 1997.

While the last five seasons haven’t been as strong for the Red Ravens, Flores is confident he has hired the assistant coaches who can help build Coffeyville back into an elite program. “I am really excited about the coaches who are coming here with me,” said Flores.

Assistants joining the staff include Offensive Coordinator Matt Mattox, Defensive Coordinator Paige Anders, Defensive Line and Strength and Conditioning Coach Harland Bower, and Wide Receivers Coach Jim Henry. Maurice Gray will join the staff as a dorm resident assistant and will work with the defensive backs. Dickie Rolls will continue to volunteer as the Running Backs Coach, his 24th year of assisting the Red Raven program.

For the past five seasons, Mattox has been a member of the Butler Community College coaching staff. For his first four seasons at Butler, Mattox worked with the offensive line and tight ends. This past season, he added co-offensive coordinator to his list of duties at Butler.

During his five seasons at Butler, Mattox has coached 29 All-Jayhawk Conference linemen and tight ends. In his first four seasons, Mattox coached five NJCAA All-American offensive linemen.

In the spring of 2011, Anders coached linebackers at Texas Tech University as a graduate assistant. Prior to Texas Tech, Anders coached four seasons at Butler where he worked with the defensive backs. In his first two seasons, 2007 and 2008, the Grizzlies won back-to-back national championships. In his four seasons at Butler, the Grizzlies also won three Jayhawk Conference championships, three Region VI championships and compiled an overall record of 42-5.

While at Butler, Anders coached 14 All-Jayhawk Conference players and five NJCAA All-Americans.

Bower is the only coach hired who has not coached previously with Flores. “Coach Anders’ brother has coached with him, so that is the connection there,” said Flores.

Bower worked at Murray State University in 2011 as the defensive ends coach and assistant strength and conditioning coach.

In 2010, Bower was the defensive backs coach at Georgia Military College. While with the Bulldogs, he also served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach.

Henry comes to Coffeyville after one season as the Running Backs Coach at Butler. This past season Henry coached three All-Conference running backs. Henry played quarterback and A-back for three seasons at Georgia Tech under Head Coach Chan Gailey and later Paul Johnson.

Henry was a part of four straight bowl teams, including the 2009 season where Georgia Tech won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and received a berth to the BCS Fed Ex Orange Bowl.

Gray was the cornerbacks coach at Butler Community College in 2011. Gray played defensive back for the Grizzlies during the 2006 and 2007 season, helping the Grizzlies to two conference championships and a national title, as well as earning NJCAA All-American Honors in 2007. He then transferred to Oklahoma State University to play his final two years of college football.

“We are all excited as a staff about getting back together, and all of our families are excited about getting back together,” said Flores.

Flores has been on campus for just over a week, but has already been impressed with the support shown to students on campus. “From the President on down, it’s students first,” said Flores. “Everybody I have met has been gracious and with the staff we have coming in, student-athletes will know they are first.”

Offensively, Flores expects to run a hurry-up offense. “We’ll be a no huddle, multiple formation offense designed to take what the defense gives you,” said Flores.

Flores has a history of directing prolific offenses. In his last seven seasons at Butler, Flores’ offenses finished in the top three in the country in total offense three times. His last team at Butler in 2010 set a school record with 31 passing touchdowns and scored more than 30 points in eight games and more than 50 in three games, and Butler led the Region VI and Jayhawk Conference in total offense.

Flores coached eight All-Americans at Butler including QB Zach Mettenberger and wide receiver Marcus Kennard in 2010. Flores coached three Region VI Offensive Players of the Year at Butler, and he was named 2003 Offensive Coordinator of the Year by American Football Monthly Magazine.

Defensively, the Ravens will run a 4-3 scheme with players who will run to the ball and force turnovers. “It will be a very aggressive type of defense,” said Flores.

The key to successfully running the planned offensive and defensive schemes lies in recruiting the right match of players, said Flores. “We have to find the right kind of student-athlete, guys who will buy into the program,” said Flores, “and guys who are committed to the program and not already looking ahead to four-year programs.”

While recruiting incoming players will be a focus through early February for the coaching staff, Flores and staff are interested in seeing players sticking around from last year’s team in spring ball. “Hopefully the core guys will buy into what we’re doing,” said Flores. “You’ve got to have sophomores to win in this conference; you can’t do it with just freshmen.”

With Flores’ Butler ties, and with several former and current Butler assistants joining Flores with the enemy in Coffeyville, stepping foot on the Butler campus might be an awkward experience for Flores in the near-term.

“I talked with the President and one of the V-Ps at the Butler bowl game in Pittsburg this past Sunday,” said Flores. “We had a good relationship when I was there and we still do.”

“Butler will always be home,” added Flores. “I owe Coach Troy Morrell a lot of gratitude for what he did for me and my family while I was there,” said Flores.

Flores is eager to get out into the local community and meeting Raven faithful. “We’re excited about being a part of the community and we are excited about meeting as many people who are passionate about the program,” said Flores.

Although the 2012 schedule has not been finalized and is subject to change, the early version has the Ravens starting the season in late August at Hutchinson. The week two match-up will likely be a home opening non-conference tilt against Trinity Valley, Texas in early September. The final schedule should be released in the next couple of months.