FORNEY, Texas — Long-time Forney athletic director and head football coach Raymond "Mel" Maxfield passed away at the age of 64.
FORNEY, Texas — Long-time Forney athletic director and head football coach Raymond "Mel" Maxfield passed away at the age of 64.
Maxfield passed away peacefully on December 11, 2022, according to his obituary.
"He dedicated 40 years to his life’s passion- football," reads his obituary. "He spent his career at multiple school districts; Weatherford ISD (8 years), Forney ISD (15 years), Burleson ISD (8 years), Amarillo ISD (9 years), and Monahans ISD (1 year) before retiring in 2019."
In retirement, Maxfield went on to coach three more years at Keys ISD and Bangs ISD.
Maxfield achieved over 250 career wins, making him one of the winningest coaches in Texas high school football history. Those wins translated themselves in Forney and the Texas panhandle — the winningest head coach in Forney with a record of 129-42-1, of the games recorded by MaxPreps.com, and the winningest coach in the Texas panhandle at the time of his retirement with a record of 239-113-1, according to Amarillo.com.
During his coaching career, Maxfield won multiple coaching awards including the Tom Landry Award presented by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, the 2006 Nike Coach of the Year award, multiple UIL Coach of the Year awards.
"He was a devout Christian and despite his incredible contributions to Texas high school football, his greatest pride in life was his family," continued his obituary.
Mel is survived by his wife of 31 years, Jill Maxfield; children, Payton Maxfield of Rockwall, TX, Kylie Maxfield of Fort Worth, TX, Max Maxfield of Crested Butte, CO, and Reece Maxfield of Cleburne, TX. He was preceded in death by his parents, G.W. and Ann Maxfield of Gorman, Texas.
"The family appreciates the countless family and friends who have expressed their condolences and shared memories of Mel," states his obituary.
Maxfield's life and legacy will be honored with a memorial on Monday, December 19, 2022, at 3 p.m. in the sanctuary at the Pathway Church in Burleson, Texas, located at 325 NW Renfro Street.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to the Clay Jones Legacy Foundation P.O. Box 631 Forney, Texas 75126 OR The Maxfield Memorial Scholarship P.O. Box 8 Gorman, Texas 76454