A few days after watching his team fall in the Class 6A-II state championship game to Choctaw, Muskogee football coach Travis Hill is moving on and has accepted the head coaching position at Broken Arrow.
“I looked at this and decided that I was at the end of my career, and I saw it as an opportunity to be closer to home, you’ve got a different arena, we’ve accomplished a lot here at Muskogee and it’s a chance to coach at the top level of high school football in Oklahoma and the challenges that come with that,” explained Hill.
Hill began his high school coaching career at Stillwater where he was an assistant coach before taking on the head coaching, and eventually athletic director’s job, at East Central High School. His team won the Class 5A state title in 2005 and was the state runner-up in 2010 and he compiled a record of 138-34 in before coming to Muskogee as the defensive coordinator in 2015. He left for the same position in Broken Arrow before returning to Muskogee to re-join the staff of Rafe Watkins in 2018 and eventually became head coach in 2020 where he claimed a state championship last year and had a record of 35-13 in four years.
“Half of life is being in the right place at the right time,” said Hill. “When I first came to Muskogee, I worked for a wonderful man named Rafe Watkins and we had some success. Then I went to Broken Arrow and came back to Muskogee because it was the right time and the right place. When I became head coach, I was able to bring in the right people like Chris Risenhoover, but our young people struggled that first year, going 2-8. But we started pushing and shoving, and they started growing and buying in to what we were selling and suddenly they were ready. And between a new facility, a young man named Jamerian Ficklin and his supporting cast and a great staff, here we are. My belief has always been that my job in coaching is to be someplace where you can make a difference, and I’d like to think I’ve done that here at Muskogee and I’ll continue to try and do that at Broken Arrow.”
Muskogee athletic director Dr. Jason Parker said the search for a new head coach is already underway and he hopes to make a quick decision.
“I’d like to thank coach Hill for all that he’s done for our program here and wish him the best. We know that given what he has brought to our program along with a great facility and strong community support, that we’ll continue to have a strong program. We’ve formed a committee, and I hope to expedite bringing someone aboard to continue our success,” said Parker.
