NOTE: This story appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of The West Texan. To read the full issue and other recent editions, click here.

CANYON, Texas — Josh Lynn doesn’t remember a time in his life when he wasn’t around football.

Lynn, now 45, spent evenings as a young kid at the fieldhouse of a small-town high school while his father, a lifelong high school football coach, led practice in the stadium. Lynn later would play on that field for his father and as a two-time team captain in college, before beginning a career in coaching himself.

“We’re a football coaching family,” Lynn said. “That’s the culture I was always surrounded by, and I’m so grateful for that.”

Lynn brings that legacy of football coaching to West Texas A&M University this year as the university’s new head football coach. Named to the position in December, Lynn is the 29th head coach in the program’s history. His first home game is Sept. 9 in Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium on the newly renamed First United Field.

Lynn comes to WT after six seasons as head coach at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, but he’s a product of this region: “This whole area of Eastern New Mexico and West Texas, I consider this home.”

Lynn graduated high school from Eunice, New Mexico, and attended Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, where, in addition to playing tight end for the Greyhounds, he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a master’s degree in sports administration.

“What we needed was a head coach who understands Division II football, who can build a quality team, and who has some experience in this region,” said Michael McBroom, WT director of athletics. “As we went through the search process, Josh was one of the first we contacted.

“We’re blessed that he was willing to make this move.”

In his coaching tenure at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Lynn turned the team into a national contender.

Under Lynn’s direction, the Lopers, an NCAA Division II team in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, had an overall record of 35-25. His success with the team led Lynn to be named MIAA Coach of the Year in 2021.

Lynn’s coaching career also includes stints at ENMU, Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, and the New Mexico Military Institute.

Since being announced as WT’s new coach, Lynn has put his focus on “building a winning culture,” he said.

For Lynn, that means recruiting and training student athletes to succeed on the field, in the classroom, and personally. It requires setting a high standard of excellence, he said.

“That’s something that has stuck with me from my dad,” Lynn said. “You have to make sure you form a team where everyone is going in the same direction.”

A slate of new assistant coaches for the team, including four who have previously worked with Lynn, will bolster that effort.

“It brings some stability to the program, to have coaches who you’ve been together with and know well,” he said.

A winning culture, Lynn said, can lead to a winning record.

“The expectation is to win more games than we lose next season,” the head coach said. “We want to put a foundation together where we can get this program rolling again.”

Lynn recalled the University’s stretch of winning seasons in the mid- to late 2000s, an era many WT football fans recollect with fond nostalgia.

“There’s a standard here that people remember, and I’d like to get back to that high quality standard,” he said.

Lynn’s presence on the WT campus has already helped create a sense of that winning culture, McBroom said.

“The foundation for the football program here is good,” McBroom said. “Everything is in place for success, and now with Josh’s arrival there’s a new level of energy and excitement and enthusiasm.”

Lynn’s family (wife Pam, and kids Bryson, Carly and Levi) joined him in Canyon this summer. The family is eager to make West Texas their new home, he said, meeting neighbors, putting their kids in local schools and finding a church to attend.

“We’re excited to be a part of this entire community,” Lynn said. “We’re going to be all about Buff football and the community that supports it.”

The Buffs opened the 2023 season on Sept. 2, traveling to Gunnison, Colorado, to take on the Western Colorado University Mountaineers.

“Under the leadership of Josh Lynn, our fans can expect to see a team that has worked hard, but is also having a good time,” McBroom said. “A lot of people are looking forward to September.”

Lynn is certainly one of them. Stepping into the Bain-Schaeffer Buffalo Stadium was a much-anticipated highlight for the new coach, he said.

“I’m most excited about being on the field,” Lynn said. “We’re getting a team ready to go, ready to match the support that this program has been given. I believe we could be a Top 10 team, if we do it right.”

Recruiting and retaining excellent staff is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021— has raised more than $125 million and will continue through 2025.