BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
After 37 years of coaching football, PSJA North’s Jorge Peña came to a profound realization over the Holidays while spending time with family in Austin.
“My oldest grandson was three inches taller since the last time I’d seen him,” Peña said. “That’s totally unacceptable.”
That moment caused Peña to reflect on the delicate balance between his love for the game and his resolve to remain tethered to the people closest to him. Peña announced to players and coaches on Monday that he was retiring.
Peña coached PSJA North for two seasons, finishing with an overall record of 10-12, going 8-4 in District 31-6A. The Raiders made back-to-back appearances in the bi-district round after going 0-10 the year before Peña’s arrival.
“We never lost to an Edinburg school,” Peña said about the team’s success in district competition. “Only the Weslaco schools can say they beat us, and we’re the only team that beat Weslaco (High).”
Peña finishes with a career record of 91-76-2. His first head-coaching stint came at Rio Grande City in 1989 and lasted until 1994. After a one-year stop at Zapata in 1996, Peña returned to Rio from 1998 to 2001 before coaching at Hidalgo from 2005 to 2008.
Peña’s arrival at North brought him back to the same program where he served under longtime Valley-coach Bruce Bush, who Peña refers to as a mentor.
“I’m very fortunate to be able to do the same thing as him,” he said. “We had a 10-0 season in 1982, and I love the community of Pharr and the people. To be able to finish here was a blessing.”
The decision to leave the game was discussed between Peña and his wife, Dr. Leticia Peña, who is the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for PSJA ISD. Peña said his wife backs him up 100 percent and that now is the time to support her career with equal measure.
“When I played the game at Texas state, I played as hard as I could,” Peña said. “When I played my last game, I left no unfinished business. I love the game, I gave it everything I had. As a coach, I have the same feeling right now. I coached as hard as I could and gave it my very best effort and made sure that every kid had a level playing field. I feel very good about that.”