The Southeast Texas Coaches Association will enter four coaches into the Hall of Honor on Saturday, Jan. 31 beginning at noon at the Elegante Hotel in Beaumont. They include Ed Dyer, Willie Wilson, Bobby Woodard, and the late Ben Stewart. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $20. Below is information on each member entering the Hall of Honor.
ED DYER
Edward Dyer was born in Abilene, Texas, in 1970 on the Dyess Air Force Base to Gloria and Ernest Dyer, Sr. After graduating from Little Cypress Mauriceville in 1988, Edward was offered and accepted a full football scholarship to McNeese State University. He played for 5 consecutive years at McNeese State and graduated in May 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Performance. While there, Edward was awarded the W.T. Burton award for player of the year.
Edward married his college sweetheart, Rebecca, in 1991. She was a 1988 graduate of Berwick High School, in Berwick, LA, and graduated from McNeese State in 1991 with an Associates in Business Administration and in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Education. She enjoyed a 28-year teaching career at Little Cypress Mauriceville High School before retiring in May 2023. Together they have three beautiful daughters, Katelyn Kay, married to Scott Kay of Silsbee, TX, Makayla Dyer, and Kayley Grace Dyer. All three girls have followed in their mom and dad’s footsteps by pursuing careers in education.
Edward started his coaching career in the fall of 1993 at Elton High School in Elton, LA. After completing a year at Elton, he relocated to Vidor High School in the fall of 1994. He remained there until the spring of 1995 when he then accepted a position for the West Orange Stark Mustangs that would forever change the course of his career. While at WOS, he was able to be a part of 3 state championships games resulting in being runners-up and 2 state championship games which resulted in two state championship titles. He was also able to be a part of a 40-game winning streak which lasted from 2015 to 2017.
Throughout his many years at WOS, Edward coached on both the offense and defense side of the ball. He spent his first several years at WOS coaching defensive positions before moving to the offensive side of the ball. While coaching defense, Edward accumulated numerous accolades. WOS was named the #1 Defense in Class 4A in 1997 and 2000 and was the #1 Defense in Class 3A in 2007 and 2008. He also had the opportunity to be a part of a 119-game shutout streak. For the last 11 seasons of his career at WOS, Edward was given the offensive coordinator position. While holding that position, the Mustangs had a staggering 129 wins and only 22 losses resulting in a .854 winning percentage. Also in those years, the Mustangs also had an astounding district record of 53-0. They outscored their opponents 5,587 to 1,688 and had a playoff record of 41-9.
Edward retired from WOS in 2022. He went on to coach a year in Sulphur, LA, and returned to Texas in the fall of 2023. He is currently coaching the Defensive Ends at Little Cypress Mauriceville High School in Orange, TX.
He and his wife Rebecca, who have been married for 34 years, love traveling all around the country and visiting national parks. They love going to church, serving on the church board together and love spending time with their family.
BOBBY WOODARD
Bobby Woodard’s passion for athletics began at Silsbee High School, where he excelled in football, baseball, and track. A 1972 graduate of Silsbee High, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health from Lamar University in 1976. Coach Woodard began his career in 1976 at Silsbee ISD under Coach Ray McGallion. Over the next 38 years, he established a remarkable legacy of leadership and success. He served as defensive line coach in football, helping lead the Tigers to the playoffs 34 times. In addition, he guided programs as head baseball coach for two years, head track coach for ten years, and head golf coach for twelve years. Under his leadership, the Silsbee girls’ golf team advanced to the state tournament three times, and he was twice named Southeast Texas Coaches Association “Girls Golf Coach of the Year.”
A highlight of his career was the opportunity to coach alongside his brother, Coach Charlie Woodard, from 1977 until Charlie’s retirement in 1998. After retiring from Silsbee in 2016, Coach Woodard continued his calling at Buna ISD, where he coached for seven more years. At Buna, he served as defensive line coach, defensive coordinator, and head coach for boys’ and girls’ track and golf. His boys’ 4×100 relay team earned a berth at the state meet, and his golf teams continued the tradition of
excellence. He concluded his distinguished coaching career in May 2024, completing 45 years of service to Texas high school athletics.
Coach Woodard has been married to his wife, Gretchen, for 29 years. Together they raised four sons—Curt, Clint, Jason, and Andrew—and are the proud grandparents of five granddaughters: Ellison, Brynli, Callyn, Oaklee, and Arabella.
Throughout his career, Coach Woodard was privileged to mentor countless athletes, many of whom went on to compete at the collegiate and professional levels. He also formed lifelong friendships with the men he coached beside, a testament to the bonds forged through the game. His impact on generations of young athletes and coaches alike stands as a lasting legacy to the profession.
WILLIE WILSON
I would like to thank each of you who had something to do with this award. I feel like this is an award that goes to families, players and coaches who gave me the opportunity to have an effect on many young people’s lives. It seems like coaches have had an effect on my life forever.
When I was in the sixth grade, I met a man by the name of M.G. Fabriguze. I made up my mind that I was going to be a coach. This desire never changed. In 1965, my coaching career began at Hull Daisetta. It was a dream job because they were the small school giant in the area. What seemed like a long term job turned into a shorter than expected job. We, as a coaching staff, were headed to Orangefield.
When I look back now, I can see God putting wonderful coaches in my path. I would like to “shout out” one of these coaches. Joe Evans became my mentor or “go to” coach. As a young coach I had tons of questions. Joe would not only explain what we were doing but why we were doing it. He told me,”It’s all about the kids.” This became my go to phrase.
After this stay at Orangefield, my wife and I were off to Kountze. Kountze really had good athletes at this time. This stop allowed me to coach a state semi-finalist in football, a state champion in basketball, and a state caliber track team. We only had three coaches on the high school male coaching staff at this time.
In 1971, I became the AD and head football coach at Woodville. We had no facilities, but a wonderful administration. This stop allowed me to develop a program that made great strides athletically. This stop took a terrible reverse turn when the superintendent of 35 years had to retire because of health issues. Good administration became a thing of the past. This was a hard but great learning process.
My next stop was back in Kountze as AD and head football coach. This showed me that God has a sense of humor. He gave my wife and me two wonderful daughters and again put wonderful coaches in their path. The three finest coaches in the state passed through Kountze during this time; Joyce Wilson and Rosetta and Angie, who produced numerous state champs.
I was able to hire a really good coaching staff at Kountze and each program made great progress. My legacy was probably that when I moved to a new job, I left the last one better than when I arrived. Thanks to all the coaches God put in my path to help me achieve my goal of helping kids become the best that they could be. Again, I want to thank my wife of 60 years for putting up with me and allowing me to do something I truly love.
BEN STEWART
Born on November 19, 1948, Coach Stewart was a servant leader who dedicated his life to his community with honor and pride. Coaching wasn’t just what he did – it was who he was. Coach Stewart devoted thirty-eight years of his life to building unified teams, molding athletes and students, and instilling a deep love of the game that inspired multiple generations. From his early days as an assistant football coach to leading Colmesneil to six state baseball tournament appearances and four championships, Coach Stewart’s career was defined by passion, discipline, and integrity.
Coach Stewart grew up in the small town of Rockland, Texas. His childhood days started before dawn, feeding the hundreds of chickens on the family farm, followed by a full day of school at Colmesneil Independent School District. He spent his afternoons participating in every extracurricular sport offered, and finally returning home in the evenings to tackle more chores on the farm. He often spoke of how tough life was and he knew early on that he wanted to devote his life to sports. He credited his young life with forging him into the man he became, especially in building his work ethic, dedication, and drive.
Upon graduating high school, he moved straight to Nacogdoches, Texas to attend Stephen F. Austin State University. Mornings were spent in class, and evenings were for working at the local lumber yard to support himself and his high school sweetheart. He earned his B.S. in Education and Kinesiology from SFA in 1970. He coached one year at Mineola, Texas, then moved to Corpus Christi for one additional year before finally obtaining the opportunity to return to the town he loved the most, Colmesneil, where he lived, taught, coached, and inspired countless students. He aspired to always better his education and eventually returned to SFA to obtain his Master’s and PhD.
Coach Stewart is most known for his love of his family, students, and colleagues he has had the opportunity to lead throughout the years. He devoted his life to a love of all sports, but especially football and baseball. Along with the enormous amount of lives inspired by Coach Stewart, he is most known for his role as the baseball coach with 6 State Baseball Championship appearances (1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1990) and 4 State Baseball Championship titles (1980, 1985, 1986, and 1990), and being one of the first Class A State Baseball Championship coaches with a back-to-back win in 1985 and 1986.
Coach Stewart was a character – truly one of a kind. He had a tradition of watching the same movies on repeat every Friday before his games to get fired up. During the state baseball tournaments, his superstitions were so intense that he would make his wife wash his underwear in the sink – he refused to change a thing if his team was on a winning streak. One of his favorite stories he loved to share was how he introduced the song “Gonna Fly Now” from the movie Rocky to Colmesneil to pump up his athletes – a tradition that lives on in his hometown even today.
After 38 years, Coach Stewart retired as an educator, coach, and principal from the Colmesneil Independent School district. He spent the last years of his life loving his grandchildren and spending time with family. Coach Stewart entered into eternal rest on December 11, 2023. He wasn’t just a coach, but also a mentor, role model, and pillar to his family and community. His legacy lives on in the countless athletes, students, and colleagues he inspired. The values he instilled – hard work, integrity, and heart – continue to shape those who had the privilege to know him. Coach Stewart’s story doesn’t end with his passing-it lives on in every athlete who still runs onto the field with ‘Gonna Fly Now’ playing in their hearts.
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