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1,000 Wins For Robert Capello

7 years 2 months 2 weeks ago Tuesday, January 10 2017 Jan 10, 2017 January 10, 2017 1:16 PM January 10, 2017 in Sports

ELSA – January 6, 2017 will be a day Robert Capello remembers forever. Inside the Jackets’ gym, Edcouch-Elsa beat Pace 88-83, giving Capello his 1,000th win.

“This is not a one person achievement, I mean there's hundreds of other people involved that helped me. I was kinda like the bus driver. I was there for the kids and still am,” said Capello.

Long before Capello’s coaching days, he grew up in the small town of Lasara working the fields with his family.

“I am a migrant,” said Capello. “We really didn’t have much of a chance as far as the economics. If it hadn’t been for sports, I probably would have never finished high school.”

The Jackets coach graduated from Edcouch-Elsa in 1960, where he was an all-star quarterback. He went on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree at Texas A&I and Sam Houston State respectively.

In 1965, he began what would be a legendary coaching career.

“I chose coaching because it was a lot of fun,” said Capello. “I enjoyed the competition. I actually kept playing in the game through my boys.”

According to the  National Federation of High School record books, Capello is the fourth high school coach in Texas to reach 1,000 wins. He’s now among the top 15 winningest high school coaches in the nation.

Among his long list of accolades, Capello is most proud of helping student athletes excel in life.

“Many of them came from Mexico and didn't know any English at all and now I see them at the universities. They're doctors. That really motivates me and makes me real happy because Ii know that these kids and hopefully I might had a little something to do with their motivation,” said Capello.

Capello is the winningest, active Hispanic high school basketball in the nation.

He tells CHANNEL 5 Sports, this will likely be his final season. 

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