Canutillo High to Honor Coach Brooks with Inaugural Outstanding Eagle Award

Canutillo High School will honor legendary head football coach Scott Brooks with the first-ever Outstanding Eagle Award during its Homecoming festivities the week of Sept. 14-18.

The Outstanding Eagle Award was established this year specifically to recognize Brooks and his extraordinary impact on Canutillo High School and the El Paso community. Brooks announced that the 2026 season will be his final season as head coach of the Canutillo Eagles.

Traditionally, the CHS student body honors an outstanding alumnus during Homecoming. This year, however, student leaders decided to set aside that tradition to recognize a coach who, while not a Canutillo graduate, has become an integral part of the school's identity.

“Coach Brooks has been a prominent figure in Canutillo for nearly 30 years, and he has done more than most in promoting the name of our school not just in El Paso, but throughout the state,” said CHS student body co-presidents Mia Valle and Elias Ocon. “Coach Brooks may not have graduated from Canutillo High School, but there’s no doubt he is a Canutillo Eagle.”

Brooks began his tenure as Canutillo’s head football coach in 1999 and has built one of the most successful and respected programs in El Paso. He enters the 2026 season with 195 career victories at Canutillo, just five wins shy of the prestigious 200-win milestone recognized among Texas high school football coaches. His players and coaching staff are confident they can help him reach the mark during his final season.

Brooks' Canutillo résumé includes a .650 winning percentage, nine district championships, 19 playoff appearances and five 10-win seasons. Before Brooks' arrival, Canutillo had recorded only one 10-win season from 1960 through 2006. Under Brooks, the Eagles have accomplished the feat five times.

He also led Canutillo to back-to-back regional semifinal appearances in 2021 and 2022 and was named District Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

Perhaps the most memorable achievement of Brooks' tenure came in 2014, when the Eagles finished 13-2 and became the first El Paso-area UIL football team to reach the state semifinal round. The historic run remains one of the most significant accomplishments in El Paso high school football history.

Brooks is also the fourth-longest-tenured active high school head football coach in Texas.

But his legacy extends well beyond wins and championships.

Generation after generation of Canutillo athletes have passed through Brooks' program, carrying with them lessons about discipline, perseverance, teamwork and leadership. His influence has helped establish Canutillo football as a source of pride for the school and the broader community while opening doors for student-athletes to pursue opportunities at the collegiate level and beyond.

The Outstanding Eagle Award will recognize that lasting impact and officially welcome Brooks into a distinction traditionally reserved for Canutillo alumni.

“Coach Brooks is a legend, not just in Canutillo, but throughout El Paso. He helped build a football culture that has given so many young athletes the confidence, discipline and opportunity to chase their goals,” said LJ Martin, BYU star running back and a Canutillo High School alum who played for Brooks. “I’m proud to call him my high school coach. This may be his final season, but his impact will last far longer.” 

Canutillo ISD Superintendent Dr. Josue Borrego said Brooks’ legacy will have a lasting presence at Canutillo High School and our entire community.

“Coach Brooks has spent nearly three decades building more than a football program,” Canutillo ISD Superintendent Dr. Josue Borrego said. “He has built a culture, developed generations of young people and helped put Canutillo on the map. He may not have been born an Eagle, but he has certainly earned his wings.”

Canutillo High School invites the community to join students, staff, alumni and supporters in celebrating Brooks during the Homecoming Parade and Community Pep Rally on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Coach Brooks is a legend, not just in Canutillo, but throughout El Paso. He helped build a football culture that has given so many young athletes the confidence, discipline and opportunity to chase their goals. I’m proud to call him my high school coach. This may be his final season, but his impact will last far longer.LJ MartinBYU star running back and Canutillo High School alum