Herbert Stinson (’75, history) is the head assistant coach and chairman of the board of directors at Aztec High School in Aztec, N.M., and was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) Hall of Fame on June 28, 2016, at the Galt House in Louisville, KY.
Stinson was introduced to wrestling as a high school sophomore at Aztec High School when coach Jerry Parker persuaded him to try out for the wrestling team. He made the team, went on to wrestle at Southern Utah University (SUU), and from there the stage was set for his high school coaching career.
Twelve wrestling state championships, three runner-up and three third place teams later, Stinson retired from New Mexico schools. He coached at Bayfield High School in Colorado for the next twelve years, building a solid competitive wrestling program there.
“There were so many people at SUU who played a role in molding me into the coach I am today,” says Stinson. “Some of these individuals include Coach Joe Lapour, Coach Kathryn Berg, Coach Tom Kingsford, Dr. Bruce Osborne, Dr. Morris Shirts, Dr. Steve Lunt and Dale and Suzanne Brinkerhoff. All of my team mates, but especially captain Ladd Holman, Ralph Harrison, Scott Teeples and Richard Tree.”
Stinson boasts 65 individual wrestling state champions, 208 individual place winners, 18 district championships, 19 High School All Americans, and 12 Academic All Americans. He ended with a 535-92-5 life time record. His teams of the 1990’s were ranked in the top 25 in the nation nine times and as high as number three in 1995 ending that season number seven.
He’s been inducted into four coaching hall of fames including SUU’s. He was selected as National Coach of the Year, in 1991, 1995 and 2000. In New Mexico he was AAA-A Coach of the Year six times and Coach of the Year three times. He was Teacher of the Year twice, once in Aztec and once in Bayfield.
Stinson also coached football for 39 years. He was the defensive coordinator for 10 head coaches. His defenses had 57 shutouts, and in his 33 years as a defensive coordinator, he helped put the football teams into 25 seasons of playoffs for a total of 50 extra games and 3 state finals. He coached baseball for 10 seasons and in all coached in 20 state final events combined in three different sports winning 12 state titles.
As Aztec’s chairman of the board, Stinson is currently working to raise the money to build a new 100’ x 50’ top of the line wrestling room for the future wrestlers of Aztec High School. His wife, Terry, is a second grade teacher. They have three grown children together, Tonya, Jeremy and Travis.
