John Burson/ Sports Writer
A man who never won a state championship was the first high school coach inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Mahfouz has now been inducted into the Eunice High Sports Hall of Fame.
Mahfouz joins Dana Jenkins in receiving the honor.
Faize Mahfouz, a 1939 graduate of Bolton High School played quarterback on Louisiana Normal teams coached by Harry “Rags” Turpin.
Mahfouz launched a 35-year prep coaching career at St. Mary’s High following his graduation from Louisiana Normal. He spent 22 of those years at Eunice High School, moving to Eunice after four years at St. Mary’s. He compiled an overall record of 130 victories, 80 losses and four ties at Eunice High. His biggest rival in those 22 years was Opelousas High, coached by Payne Mahfouz, his brother.
Every year their mother sent both coaches a letter the week before game which always ended with “I hope you win, but love each other”.
After directing Eunice to 20 winning seasons in 22 years, Mahfouz gave college coaching a try. For one year he was an assistant to Stan Galloway at Southeastern Louisiana, but it wasn’t the same. He decided to takeon a challenge at New Iberia High School, a team that was on a 29-game losing streak and had lost 37 of its last 39 games.
Three years later Mahfouz’s system produced a 6-4 record which included a victory over state runner-up Sulphur High School. He was selected “Coach of the Year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
In his tenure at Eunice High School, Mahfouz led the Bobcats to two semifinal appearances, losing to Minden in 1954 and to Morgan City in 1957. He ended the 1954 season with a10-3 season record and he finished the 1957 season with an 8-3 record.
Mahfouz was known as an offensive innovator, introducing the Wing-T and Split-T to high school football. He spoke at coaching clinics throughout the nation. Jack Doland, who was head football coach at McNeese and later served as the school’s president said: “His won-loss record is not fantastic, but his contribution to high school athletics is truly phenomenal. He is the single best known high school coach in Louisiana and possibly in the nation.
Coach Mahfouz served as president of the Louisiana High School Coaches Association and was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.