Royce Glen West

Funeral services for Coach Royce Glen West, 80, of Aledo, Texas will be 2:00 p.m. Sunday, December 29, 2019, at the Croley Funeral Home Chapel in Gladewater. Interment will follow at Wood Cemetery in Gladewater. Coach West passed away Friday, December 20, 2019, in Aledo.

Remaining here until it is their time to join him at “THE GATE”:
Baylor University four years’ college sweetheart and marriage companion of fifty-eight years for a totally devoted true love story of sixty-two years, Dr. Syntha Jane Traughber West.

Older son, Rock, fiancé, Thelma Holt, and sons Xander and Jett
Younger son, Royal, daughter-in-law, April, and sons Cade, Colton, Keaton, and Weston.

Oldest brother, Kenneth, wife, Claudette, and their extended families.

Middle brother, Donald, his late wife Sandra, and their extended families.

Noted every July the bonded West Families meet for a weekend of coming together and reminiscing.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be offered in Royce's memory to Ms. Texas Senior America Pageant since Royce knew how much the pageant and its causes mean to Syntha. Make check payable to: Ms. Texas Senior America Pageant and mail to: Director Sarah Senter, 1307 Medical District Drive, Dallas, TX  75207.


Royce Glen West/A Football Life
How to win State Football Championships His 50’s version
Royce wrote these notes on the eve of being interviewed and then selected the next Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Waskom High School. At the time, he was being noted by media as a top potential and proven winning coach. So these are some of his highlight points.

1. Begin in Eighth setting goals of actually winning State Football Championships
2. Organize off-season programs during school, summers, and weekends when allowed and approved through weights, quickness, and agility drills.
3. Play high-quality rated teams to gear up for stiff competitions.
4. Set a mind-set football is fun and appreciated in Texas like no other small school activity.
5. My 1955 junior year at Stamford H.S., our first state championship, we defeated the past 2-AA State Champions, Phillips, the past 3-AAA State Champions , Breckenridge, then as we gained momentum with these superior successes, in the Semi-Finals, our fullback, Don Wills, scored the winning touchdown with a broken collar bone showing determination and not letting anything get in the way of finishing successfully!
6. That year we beat Hillsboro 39-7 to win it all, the first of Coach Gordon Wood’s eventual nine State Football Championships.
7. During my senior 1956 season, we beat Hillsboro 39-7 to win it all, back-to-back, with a thirty-five game winning streak noted still in some history legendary writings.
8. Every weekend during football season, we team members would meet at someone’s house, on our own, on Thursday nights and pep each other up. We would say, “Who’s going to make the BIG PLAY?” Without any prompting from anyone, all of us would shout, “I AM, I AM!!”
9. Before every game the cheerleaders and pep squad would stand outside our dressing room, coaches would turn off all the lights, and we would hear those sweet girls’ voices sing The Lord’s Prayer. We would all be so fired up ready to compete knowing God was on our side!
10. Coach Gordon Wood was one of the greatest coaches of the century and he is still my best coach so long ago. He was the most caring coach in my fourteen years of playing football!