Rex Sanders ('72)
Rex Sanders began his coaching career for the Texas Department of Corrections, coaching in Matesona “farm” team when he was a student at Sam Houston State University. After graduating in 1972, he taught and coached at New Caney High School (1972–73), Huntsville High School (1973–77), and Terrell High School (1977–79). In 1979, he became the head baseball coach at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station, where he remained until his retirement from coaching in 2003. His career record stands at 462-231. Fourteen former players have been drafted into professional baseball, and more than 70 have played college baseball. Several former players have become coaches. Highlights of his coaching career include coaching his son, Kyle, in the state baseball tournament in 1990; coaching the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star team in 1990; hosting former President George Bush and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev at a baseball game at A&M Consolidated’s Tiger Stadium in 2001; coaching the Houston Area All- Star team in 2003; being selected to coach the West team in the first National All- American game held at Yogi Berra Stadium in June 2003; receiving the Ray Knoblauch Award for excellence in coaching by the Houston Area Sports Foundation in 2004; serving as FCA Huddle Coach and on the Coaches Outreach Coaching Board; and working with outstanding assistant coaches and quality young men. Sanders was honored by being selected to the 2005 class of the THSBCA Hall of Fame.
In 2009 he was inducted into the National High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in Tucson, Ariz., as the first coach from Texas to be selected to its Hall of Fame. Sanders has served the SBCA as poll director, secretary, treasurer, and now that he has retired from teaching, he is the executive director of the 3,000-plus member association with an office in College Station. Sanders met “the love of his life,” Judy, in Miss Condray’s English class his first semester at Sam Houston State University. He said he made a“ ”in the class, but she made an “A” and he knew that he “needed her.” They dated and married while attending Sam, and his grades improved significantly. He knows that the quality instruction that he received at Sam Houston, especially in its education department, prepared him to enter the classroom and coaching arena with the tools he needed to be a strong teacher and successful coach. He and Judy have three children and seven grandchildren.