Glenrock football coach Ray Kumpula, who built a legacy of hard-nosed, championship football in two separate stints as the Herders’ head coach, will retire at the end of the season.
The Douglas Budget’s Eddie Poe first reported Kumpula’s retirement on Twitter after the Herders’ 61-8 victory against Moorcroft on Friday in Glenrock’s final regular-season game.
.@GRockFootball HC Ray Kumpula will be retiring from coaching at the season’s end. Kumpula is currently 5th on the list of active all-time winningest coaches in Wyoming with 133 wins. #wyovarsity
— Eddie Poe (@edpoe_junya) October 20, 2018
Heading into the Class 2A playoffs as the No. 2 seed from the East Conference, Glenrock will be trying to win its fourth championship under Kumpula. He led the Herders to state championships in 2002, 2003 and 2008.
Kumpula’s all-time record of 133-87 unofficially places him tied for 14th all-time among the state’s coaches. His victory total is fourth among active coaches statewide, behind only Cokeville’s Todd Dayton, Natrona’s Steve Harshman and Southeast’s Mark Bullington.
Kumpula started as Glenrock’s head coach in 1990. He led the Herders to three playoff appearances in seven seasons before stepping down after the 1996 season. He re-assumed the position of head coach prior to the 2002 season, winning titles in his first two seasons back as head coach.
He also led Glenrock to title-game appearances in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2015 and 2017.
Glenrock will host Big Piney in the quarterfinals of the 2A playoffs on Friday.
A replacement for Kumpula has not yet been named.
–patrick
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