Richland Springs Football Coach Suspended for Rules Violation

AUSTIN, TX — Richland Springs head football coach and athletic director James McIntyre on Friday received a public reprimand, three years probation and a two-game suspension for violating UIL rules.

The suspension won’t be served until the 2027-28 school year.

The punishments were handed down by the UIL State Executive Committee after Richland Springs was found to have used a college student as a participating player during football practices in August.

Assistant coach Adrian Rosales was also punished by the UIL’s SEC with a public reprimand and three years probation, though he avoided a suspension.

The football team, which is ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 1A Division II, was spared of any penalties and will head into the playoffs as one of the favorites to win the state title.

The Richland Springs ISD athletic program, however, was also given a public reprimand and three years probation.

Curtis Culwell, one of the members of the SEC, stated that if Richland Springs has to appear before the committee again in the next three years, he’ll move to shut down the athletic program.

Richland Springs is home to one of the most storied six-man programs in the history of Texas football with nine state titles, but it has also had its share of controversies.

In 2022, then-head coach and AD Jerry Burkhart was suspended for three years after it was determined he had committed a recruiting violation.

Last year, then-defensive coordinator Mike Watkins was also disciplined for a recruiting violation and suspended for the school year.

“We’ve dealt with Richland Springs way too many times,” SEC chair Mike Motheral said Friday.

McIntyre and Rosales are both in their first year with Richland Springs. However, they arrived at the school while under investigation by the Texas Education Agency following an incident at their last coaching stint in Rocksprings, where a student was killed while helping carry a telephone pole that weighed 700 pounds.

That incident was not brought up during Friday's SEC meeting, but the safety of the athletes at Richland Springs was talked about as the main concern when letting an adult practice on the field with them.

McIntyre and Rosales each admitted that the violation occurred, saying they were unaware it was againstUIL rules.

The college student reportedly practiced with the team for two days as a scout team quarterback and defensive back.

"What we're going through today borders on ridiculous," Motheral said.

The fact that the coaches didn't know it was a rules violation was also a source of ire for the committee, which discovered the coaches had never received training and certification over the summer that was required by the UIL and state law.

Lohn superintendent Kay Shackelford, who serves as the chair of District 8-1A Division II Executive Committee, said she learned of the incident in late September when she received a letter from Richland Springs superintendent Bobby Fryar, who informed her of the allegation, which had been turned over to the UIL.

"I really kind of thought, 'Wow, that was nice of him to let us know the UIL is investigating," Shackelford said.

About a month later, however, she said she received a call from the UIL asking why the matter hadn't been investigated and learned the incident hadn't been self-reported as she thought.

After the DEC investigated, it was determined that a rules violation had occurred, and it was then escalated to the UIL's SEC.

Motheral addressed Fryar and Richland Springs principal Roger Roesler at the end of the meeting and stated:

"Get things straightened out at Richland Springs, and do it quickly," Motheral said.

The competitive advantage Richland Springs' football team gained from the illegal practices was discusses, but it was determined forfeiture of games wasn't appropriate.

Richland Springs has a record of 8-1 overall and is 3-0 in district. The Coyotes will complete their regular season when they host Lohn tonight before heading into the playoffs.