Adcox resigns as Sandia High football coach

Chad Adcox couldn’t say for sure if this was his final stop coaching high school football.

He could only say he was done coaching the Sandia Matadors.

Adcox, 51, told the Journal on Tuesday that he was resigning as Sandia’s head coach.

“It was the best thing to do for the kids,” Adcox said, adding that he was going to remain Sandia’s athletic director. He had been doing both jobs, which he said was becoming a burden.

“I felt like the demand of both jobs was pretty tough,” he said. “I’ve been able to make it work, and I thought maybe I could do it one more year.”

He had knee replacement surgery late last year, which factored into his decision to leave the coaching position, Adcox said.

“If I was gonna step down, now is the time,” he said. “Going to April or May to see how I felt … that wouldn’t be fair to the kids.”

Adcox was 26-29 in his five full seasons with Sandia, including three playoff appearances. His record also includes two games in the spring of 2021, the extremely shortened pandemic season in which schools were given the opportunity to play just a handful of games.

Adcox also was the head coach at Manzano for six seasons, and led the Monarchs to the 2017 Class 6A state championship. Adcox left early in 2018, and didn’t coach the 2018 season.

Sandia was 5-6 last season, losing to Rio Rancho in the first round of the playoffs.

“I’m never gonna say never (to a return to coaching),” Adcox said. “I stepped away from Manzano and it was only a year.”

Adcox said he was enjoying the AD part of his assignments, and said it was less demanding of his time, and not year-round as his football duties were.

“I just felt like AD is the job I like right now,” he said.

The football opening at Sandia will be advertised immediately; Adcox said his resignation would become official Wednesday. He said the window to name his successor would probably take three to four weeks.