Deming Basketball Icon Frank Dooley, Four-Time State Champion Coach, Dies at 93

Dooley led Deming to four state championships during the 1970s and spent decades shaping New Mexico high school athletics as a coach, teacher and mentor.

Frank Dooley, who coached Deming High to four New Mexico boys basketball state titles, is being remembered a legendary figure after his passing at the age of 93. | Dooley Family

New Mexico high school athletics lost one of its most accomplished and influential coaches this week with the passing of Frank Dooley. The longtime Deming High School boys basketball coach, who guided the Wildcats to four state championships during a dominant run in the 1970s, died Sunday of natural causes at the age of 93.

As the week has rolled on, many have come out to honor and say kind words about Dooley, as it is hard to tell the story of New Mexico high school athletics without him.

A Coach Who Came Home

Born in Deming in 1933, Dooley was an alum of Deming High School, going on to coach his alma mater.

After graduating from Deming, Dooley attended Western New Mexico University, where he played football and met his future wife, Norma Chaudoin. After serving in the U.S. Army, Dooley earned a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Northern Iowa before returning home, in 1963, to begin a long career as both a teacher and coach.

Hero on the Hardwood

After eight seasons without reaching a championship game, Dooley's Wildcats broke through in 1971 with a state title before repeating in 1972. Deming added two more championships in 1974 and 1976, giving Dooley four state crowns in a six-year span.

Dooley’s first state championship topped West Las Vegas High School in the high-scoring 1971 final, 108-99. The edged Silver High the following year for a repeat, before winning state crowns two more times in the next four years.

Leaving Deming

He is responsible for four of Deming’s five state titles in boys basketball. He would leave the position in 1979 and go on to have coaching stints at Alamogordo, Silver, Mayfield, St. Pius and Cibola. But he will always be remembered for what he did with the boys in cardinal red and navy blue.

Lasting Legacy

It was just five months ago that Dooley and his 1976 Deming team were honored at the NMAA State Playoffs at UMM’s The Pit, marking the 50th anniversary of their run to a fourth trophy.

That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Dooley’s honors.

Deming High School named its new gymnasium after Dooley, calling its hardwood “Frank Dooley Court” in 2010, opening the new gym in 2017, and naming the entire facility after its former coach.

Dooley was inducted into the Western New Mexico University Hall of Fame for his football career, adding to a long list of honors recognizing his contributions to athletics.

He received numerous accolades over the years, including New Mexico Coach of the Year (1971-1972), National Basketball Coach of the Year Southwest Region (1972), New Mexico High School Coaches Hall of Fame (1990), and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2025).

Deming High School has yet to make a formal announcement, but the community is welcome to contribute to the Frank Dooley DHS Scholarship Fund, which was established in 2013 to benefit Deming High School graduating seniors.