Art Briles has been appointed as the new head football coach at Eastern New Mexico University, according to an announcement made Monday by Director of Athletics Kevin Fite.
"I am excited to welcome Art (Briles) to Eastern New Mexico University," Fite said. "He is an excellent coach, and I look forward to the future of Greyhound football."
Briles brings more than four decades of coaching experience. He was named the 2013 AP College Football Coach of the Year and previously led programs at the University of Houston from 2002 to 2007 and Baylor University from 2008 to 2015. During his time at those institutions, he guided teams to ten bowl games and achieved a combined record of 99-65.
While coaching at Baylor, Briles compiled a record of 65-37 over eight seasons. His teams won two Big 12 championships and appeared in six bowl games. In 2011, quarterback Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy under Briles’ leadership.
At Houston, Briles helped the Cougars achieve a 34-28 record over five years, which included four bowl appearances and a Conference USA championship.
Throughout his career, Briles has coached several quarterbacks who went on to start in the NFL: Kevin Kolb, Case Keenum, Robert Griffin III, and Bryce Petty.
Briles also has extensive experience at the high school level with a record of 185-49-1. His head coaching career began at Hamlin High School in 1984, followed by positions at Georgetown (1986-87), Stephenville (1988-99), and Mount Vernon (2019-20). At Stephenville High School, he led teams to four state championships across twelve seasons. The local school district recently named its stadium after him.
Fite and Briles previously worked together at the University of Houston; Fite served as associate athletic director for compliance and eligibility while Briles was head football coach.
Briles is married to Jan. They have three adult children: Jancy Briles, Staley Lebby, and Kendal Briles. His son-in-law Jeff Lebby is currently head coach at Mississippi State; Jeff’s father Mike and brother Kyle both played football for Eastern New Mexico University. Kendal Briles serves as offensive coordinator at TCU.
Briles holds degrees from Texas Tech (bachelor’s) and Abilene Christian (master’s). He grew up in Rule, Texas, about four hours from Portales.
An introductory press conference will be held at 2 p.m. in the Becky Sharp Auditorium in ENMU’s College of Business. The event is open to all attendees; media representatives are asked to contact assistant athletic director Jose Montoya regarding attendance details. The press conference will be streamed live on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/live/w6d1QC1Q68w
Additional branding materials for Eastern New Mexico Athletics can be accessed via https://goeasternathletics.com/sports/2016/12/15/media-relations.aspx
For further information or media inquiries about this announcement or ENMU athletics programs overall, contact Jose Montoya by email or phone.
