Marble Falls boys soccer’s Hoover ‘retires from coaching’

CAPTION: Rick Hoover (front) announces he is stepping down as the boys soccer head coach at Marble Falls High School. File photo

Marble Falls High School boys soccer head coach Rick Hoover announced he is “retiring from coaching.”

He told his players of his decision April 11 after 11 years of guiding the program.

“I contemplated it the last couple of years,” he said. “I’ve really had this decision made, to be honest, since last year. I didn’t want to put it out there. I didn’t want the attention away from the boys.

“Just to be 100 percent clear,” he added, “my stepping down has nothing to do with the changes in athletic administration. (Athletic director and football head coach Keri) Timmerman is going to an excellent job for Marble Falls.”

Under Hoover’s leadership, the Mustangs recorded accomplishments that were firsts.

He guided Marble Falls to the playoffs six times for a total of 18 postseason matches and 12 victories. His best playoff finish was in 2018 when the Mustangs reached the Class 5A Region IV semifinals.

The 2024 season saw the Mustangs ranked No. 1 in the region before losing in tournament play. These Mustangs repeated as District 25-4A champions, giving the program its only two district titles. Hoover’s teams finished as district runners-up four times. This season, Marble Falls lost to Boerne High, No. 1 ranked team in Class 4A in the state, in the third round of the playoffs.

And though he’ll say the program’s accolades aren’t about him, his peers disagree. Hoover, who has a 70 percent winning percentage as the Mustangs’ head coach, was the district coach of the year twice, the regional coach of the year once, and the Texas all-star game coach. Two publications named him the coach of the year.

“We have the largest program on campus with 125 kids, sometimes more,” Hoover said. “That hasn’t always been the case. Our numbers have grown significantly.”

Four of his players went on to compete at the collegiate level. And that brings up what the coach may be the most proud of as he reflected on his decade at the helm.

“Academically my first year here, we were struggling to fill the team because kids struggled with grades,” he said. “(Now) I don’t remember the last time I lost a kid to grades. Six of my seniors this year are in the top 10 percent, which is huge. Some of them are in the top 3 percent. That’s a big number. They are tremendous student-athletes. That speaks for itself. The shift on the academic side of this is significant. That’s what it’s all about. Cause 99.9 percent aren’t going to make a living in sports.”

His mind, which is at peace, is made up, he said.

“It’s time because I’m a little over a year from retiring completely,” he said. “I need to have time for (Marble Falls Independent School District) Central Office to get everything ready for when we’ll get that set as well.”

Officially, Hoover serves as the district’s director of Special Programs. Under that comes director of safety, director of security, truancy officer and emergency management coordinator.

“Safety and security is different now,” he said. “Truancy officer is why I’m in court every Wednesday. I manage attendance and deal with kids who aren’t coming to school. I make home visits. We have kids who are out of school for two weeks and we don’t know why. I track them down. Nine times out of 10, it’s no big deal. Somebody has to do all that. Emergency management coordinator is floods, tornadoes, extreme freezes, chemical spills.”

With all that he does, Hoover believes that stepping down as head coach now will give the school district an invaluable asset — he’ll be around to offer his knowledge and help.

“I felt like now is the time with over a year left that will give me time to focus on what I need to focus on and allow me to be available for the soccer transition,” he said. “I’m a resource if they are needing anything. I would like to step up and make this last year more of a transition year for everybody.”

He said he hadn’t thought about his legacy or how he wants to be remembered.

“That’s something we’ll have to come up with,” he said. “My philosophy is do the right thing, and that seems very open ended. If you do the right thing, you can’t go wrong. I love what I do. When you find something you’re passionate about, it’s no longer work. Hopefully that shows in my character and relationships with kids, coaches and the community.”

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