It didn’t take long for Mike Salinas to become emotional as he was officially presented as the 12th head coach of the Javelina program on Jan. 6.
Salinas is an alumnus of the 2000 Javelina graduating class, and he played football here from 1995 to 1999. After graduating, Salinas became an assistant coach for two years at TAMUK. During his short time, Salinas helped lead the Javelinas into four appearances in the NCAA II Division Playoffs and the Lone Star Conference Championship. Salinas then went on to implement his coaching capabilities at several universities and high schools throughout Texas. Salinas has been able to lead teams to championships.
“The emotions involved in this process, was like a rollercoaster. You know that you are coming back to a place that is near and dear to your heart. You know that you are coming back to a place that you invested time and effort as a player and coach. The most unique part is that you are coming back to a place where you have relationships,” Salinas said.
Nearly two decades later, Salinas is now returning to his alma mater with a vision to impact and lead the Javelina football team toward success. Salinas is planning on building intentional relationships with student athletes and enforcing the line of offense in efforts to improve the overall performance of the Javelinas.
With more than 140 applications, Salinas was determined to be the best candidate because of his innovative thinking and future plans for the Javelina football team.
“I think it’s because we share a very similar vision about how to build the program. He’s going to build it with building relationships with student athletes, really pouring into them and developing them as men first and football players second, and I truly think that’s the equation to building a successful program,” Executive Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation Steve Roach said of Salinas’ selection.