Longtime Bowie resident Randy Rayburn will be on the coaching staff of his alma mater this Friday when they play in the 5A Oklahoma state title game in football.
Rayburn, who has lived in Bowie for 13 years, where his wife Cindy works and his daughter Moriah goes to high school, has commuted to Ardmore, OK for the last six years as a history teacher and assistant football coach.
After coaching under Brad Keck’s staff from 2006-2009 at Bowie High School, Rayburn bounced around before eventually making it back to his hometown.
“Ardmore is my home,” Rayburn said. “I went to school at Ardmore. I played football at Ardmore. Graduated from Ardmore.”
After his father passed away, Rayburn’s position at Ardmore also has allowed him to keep an eye on his mother as well.
Still, the Rayburn family lives in Bowie. With his wife enjoying her job at Legend Bank and his daughter playing volleyball for the Lady Rabbits, a sport that Ardmore and many schools in southern Oklahoma do not offer, Rayburn has been the one to make the 84 mile commute on weekends for the good of his family.
He is reaping the rewards now since the Tigers are playing in the school’s first state title game since 1992.
Undefeated and ranked number two in the state for most of the season, they are on a collision course against the number one ranked team in the state and also undefeated Carl Albert. They play at 7 p.m. on Nov. 30 at Edmond Sata Fe High School.
Still, Rayburn hopes to one day make it back to Bowie.
“I really enjoyed my time at Bowie High School,” Rayburn said. “If the opportunity ever presented itself I would love to come back to Bowie.”