Odessa College head golf coach Paul Chavez has announced his retirement.
The announcement came in a press release from the college Wednesday afternoon.
Chavez’s retirement comes after 26 years as head coach at Odessa College and 31 years total at OC.
His resume with the Wranglers includes three NJCAA Division I National Championships with 2004, 2005 and 2017.
“I offer congratulations to Coach Chavez and wish him the very best as he begins this next phase of his life” Odessa College President Dr. Greg Williams said in the release. “Coach Chavez served our college and community very well for decades. His contribution to Odessa College and to golf will be acknowledged and celebrated for years to come.”
Chavez has been honored five times as the NJCAA National Coach of the Year and has been inducted into the NJCAA Golf Coaches Hall of Fame (2007), the Western Junior College Athletic Conference Hall of Fame (2014), the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame (2017), and the Odessa Athletic Hall of Fame (2021).
“Coach Chavez is synonymous with OC Golf, and national prominence” said Athletic Director Wayne Baker in the release. “The level of success attained by Paul in his 25 plus years at Odessa College will most likely go unmatched. I appreciate his quest for excellence and his knowledge of the Permian Basin Golf community.”
Chavez has coached 41 NJCAA All-Americans, 30 GCAA All-Americans, 12 NJCAA Academic All-Americans, 64 All-Region, 49 All-State, and 81 All-Conference players. Over 121 Odessa College golfers have continued their athletic and academic careers at the four-year level and seven (7) former Wranglers are playing professionally on the PGA Tour or LIV Tour.
Chavez helped guide the Wrangler men’s golf team to a second place finish at this year’s NJCAA championships in Newton, Kan.
The OC women’s golf team finished their inaugural season with a fourth place finish at nationals earlier this month in Garden City, Kan.
