DRIPPING SPRINGS — Carl Waits, 83, came to Dripping Springs from his small hometown of Rogers in 1965, when he would begin his 60-year career with the school district until he decided that it was finally time to hang up his cap.
Waits, lovingly known as “coach,” has spent the majority of his life involved in Dripping Springs ISD. Starting out as a teacher and assistant football coach in 1965, he made his way up to head football coach from 1969-1980, but over the years, he wore the coach title for several sports: basketball, baseball, track and golf. Several teams made their way to district championships under his tenure as their coach, according to DSISD.
Boys golf: 1966, 1971, 1972, 1976 and 1979; Regionals in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1979
Boys track: 1971 through 1974
Football: 1970, 1973 and 1975; Playoffs in 1970 and 1973
Boys basketball: 1969; Playoffs in 1969
Baseball: 1968; Playoffs in 1968
In his educator stint, he taught multiple subjects, including driver’s education — which used to be a component of the high school curriculum — physical education, Texas history, world history and U.S. history, Waits said.
Pictured is the 1973 Dripping Springs Tiger football team, who captured the District 29-A Championship and finished as regional finalists with an 8-4 record under coach Carl Waits’ leadership
Before coming to DSISD, Waits graduated from Rogers High School in 1959 and then, he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1963 and Master of Education from Sam Houston State University, where he enjoyed learning from two of his high school coaches from Huntsville, who had attended the college. He knew that he wanted to move somewhere just far away enough from his hometown, but still close enough to travel back to visit family, making Dripping Springs the perfect place to call home.
“One bit of advice was to get as many teaching fields as possible and it would give you a better chance of getting a coaching job because, in those days, they filled their teaching needs first,” he said. “So, I went on to get my Master's and added social studies and driver's education to the list.”
Waits was an educator and coach with DSISD for 30 years, retiring from those positions in 1995, but he still recalls the close relationship that he developed with his students when he was coaching.
“You get to watch them grow in their ability and effort. It is always a good feeling to watch them improve and have pride in their efforts. They always gave me the best of their efforts and that will always be remembered,” he shared. “We had good years and not so good years, but when you go back over the old films, it was never for a lack of effort.”
After his retirement from teaching and coaching, Waits took on the role of being a bus driver, beginning in 1995 because it wasn’t too far removed from the classroom and he was still able to interact with students. Then, he officially decided to retire this year, which went into effect May 23, totaling 60 years of working in the same school district.
Looking at what DSISD was like in 1965 compared to now, Waits said that it’s night and day, adding that there were only approximately 300 students in the school system when he first arrived. He recalled that there was not much in the way of facilities, with very little chance to improve them at the time, but most of the general work was done by the coaches and students. He said that the first dressing room for the football team, called the Dungeon, was below ground under the stage of the gym, which stayed damp and sometimes stood in water.
“It was seven years later that we actually got a fieldhouse. As the school system grew, bonds were passed to build a new high school in 1985. Even so, it was hard to keep up with the need in facilities,” Waits said. “Even today, expansion is trying to keep up with needs and is plenty good enough for the time being, but [there is] always a need for more. The competition is such today that no one accepts just getting by. Doing the best you can with what you have is no comparison to the old days.”
While most of the activities that he has been involved in were school-related, as the school was the center of activities in Dripping Springs, Waits also: served on the committee that decided to renovate the Pound House into a museum; organized an adult softball league in 1975 and ran it for 46 years; and “quite by accident,” he kept a chronicle of the town’s history for 13 years and published a book, titled “The Complete History of Dripping Springs, Texas and the P. A. Smith Survey.”
Now that he is fully retiring after six decades of dedication to DSISD, Waits still says that the saying fits the bill: Find a job you love and you won't have to work a day in your life. According to him, it seems like he has been on vacation the whole time because he has enjoyed it so much.
“It also gave me a chance to have lifelong friends and that is worth it all. What I have always liked about DSISD is the people that you got to work with. In the early days, it was one family where you knew everyone that worked there, literally,” Waits said. “All grades were on one campus, along with the administration. At the same time, the parents took you in as well. The community was just one family.”
As he looks at his time with the community fondly, so do those who shared special moments with him.
Missy Henager Lehman, 58, shared that ever since she was 15 years old, Waits has always been “coach.” She said that she has enjoyed knowing him as a community member, coach, co-worker and friend; to her, he is a Dripping Springs icon.
“In my younger years, I played softball in the adult league he operated. My three adult sons have also been a part of the softball league. I have worked as a [special education] bus aide for the last eight years and got to see Coach every day at work,” she said. “You can guarantee he will greet you with that radiant smile every day at work.”
Dripping Springs Middle School teacher Carolyn Haire has known Waits since he was her bus driver when she was in school; she recalled that he started her day with a wave and smile most mornings. Now, in her adult life, she moved back to the Dripping Springs community and, after hearing that Waits was coaching an adult softball team at the time, her husband decided to join.
“You can take a man out of coaching, but you can never take the “coach” out of a man. Happy trails, Coach Waits. And thank you for the gift you have given so many,” Haire said. “Dripping Springs would not be the same without you!”
Another community member, Lila Wilds, also recalled that Waits drove her bus in the '90s when the previous driver retired. She said that he was always listening to the radio station, Magic 95.5, and that he even drove her sons on the same route.
Hope Boatright, a lifelong resident of Dripping Springs, graduated from high school in 2008 and she said that she will never forget Waits pointing out the dewberry flowers on the bus ride home.
“I was the last stop, so we got to spend a brief moment just the two of us in the bus each spring. When I see the dewberries blooming, I always think of him. Gentle, kind and a firm leader is how I will remember him,” Boatright said. “I will miss waving to him on the road, but I'm sure I'll get to see him at the post office.”
As for the school district, superintendent Dr. Holly Morris-Kuentz said: “"On behalf of Dripping Springs ISD, we extend our deepest gratitude to Coach Waits for an extraordinary 60 years of dedicated service to our district and community. His contributions as a teacher, coach and bus driver have left a lasting impact on generations of students and families in Dripping Springs. He's not only helped shape young minds in the classroom and on the field, but also ensured their safe journey to and from school, always with a steady hand and a kind heart. We will forever be grateful."
Currently, Waits does not have any plans for after retirement, but he said that he does plan to continue to be involved in the Dripping Springs community as much as he can.
