LOS FRESNOS — Legend and greatest of all time are two common ways admirers of Becky Woods have referred to the coach in recent days.
After 36 years at Los Fresnos, Woods retired Friday. She recorded 738 wins at the helm of the Lady Falcons’ program, making her the winningest coach in Rio Grande Valley volleyball history. Her wins total ranks No. 21 in the state, according to the Texas Girls Coaches Association.
Stepping away wasn’t an easy decision to make, but she’s at peace with the decision as she turns her focus to her health and helping her mother. Woods made her mark as the Lady Falcons’ volleyball coach, but the legacy she created goes far beyond the court.
“It was just time,” Woods said. “Everything I wanted to accomplish, I have, except to make it to the state tournament, but we came close. I really wanted to coach to 40 years, but sometimes your body just doesn’t let you. But we had a great run from 1985 to now. It’s been a journey.
“I never would’ve stayed this long if I didn’t love doing what I was doing,” she added. “I sure didn’t do it for the money. I just loved teaching the kids. Winning isn’t everything, it’s teaching the kids life skills so they can grow up to be wonderful human beings and teach their kids the same. Every single team I had, all those kids have been great. I’ve seen them grow up and become great mothers, good wives, and I’ve had their kids come through the program and have kids, too.”
Woods molded Los Fresnos into the model of consistency. She coached the Lady Falcons to 15 district championships and 26 playoff appearances. Los Fresnos recorded 19 bi-district titles, seven area titles and four regional quarterfinal wins under Woods, advancing to the Region IV tournament in 1991, ’96, 2011 and ’14.
As her program racked up success, Woods was often recognized for her leadership. She earned 13 district coach of the year awards and was a seven-time All-Metro/All-Area coach of the year. Twice she was the All-Valley coach of the year, and she earned top Class 6A coach honors at the All Valley Sports Award Banquet in 2016. That same year, Woods became a first-ballot inductee into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame.
On a wider scale, Woods was still considered one of the best. She was the Tip-Of-Texas volleyball officials coach of the year honoree in 1996, and in the same year she was honored as the high school coaches magazine coach of the year.
“As far as those wins, I credit my kids, I credit my middle school coaches, I credit my high school coaches, and most importantly I credit my club coaches,” Woods said. “There are so many people that played into the success. Our fans are awesome. They packed this gym for our games. The fans, the community, the administrators, I can’t thank them enough. Everybody played a hand in it.”
Woods started at Los Fresnos in 1985, shortly after graduating from Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa. While there, she played softball, basketball and field hockey. She later received a master’s in education from the University of Texas at Brownsville in 1998.
Her softball career led Woods to start the softball program at Los Fresnos in 1994. She was the Lady Falcons’ coach for three years and an assistant for six. Two years after starting the program, Woods led Los Fresnos to the playoffs.
She also served as an assistant basketball coach and swimming & diving coach. She helped both of those programs find success as well. But her footprint on Los Fresnos went beyond the sidelines.
In 2002, Woods made history by being named the athletic director at Los Fresnos. She was the first female athletic director in the Valley and one of just five in the state. Woods served for three years, splitting duties with Jeff LaFever in later years, and was the athletic coordinator from 2006-07.
Even with all the wins and accolades she and her teams racked up, Woods said the thing that always mattered most was giving girls a chance to play. The program has around 130 girls come out every year, aside from the 2020 season due to COVID-19, and Woods didn’t cut an athlete that wanted to play.
The impact Woods had on her athletes will remain as she leaves, particularly through her assistant varsity coach and former player, Norma Pena.
“It was great coaching with her,” Pena said. “I admire her so much. She’s very special to me, and I’m going to miss her. The way she impacted me, I hope I can impact my athletes like that, too.”
As she departs, Woods finds comfort in knowing she developed a culture at Los Fresnos that will keep the girls winning even without her leading the way. The way her final season played out because of the COVID-19 pandemic made her think twice about giving it one more year, but she knew it was time to hang up the whistle.
Retirement doesn’t mean Woods will be staying too far away from volleyball. She’s going to remain in the Valley, and observers can bet she’ll be following and supporting the Lady Falcons, and enjoying the opportunity to watch the powerhouse she built continue to thrive because of her impact.
“There are some great players coming up,” Woods said. “I want to see how this group develops, because a lot of the varsity girls are coming back. It doesn’t matter who gets this program. These kids want to win, and they’re going to win. The tradition has been set.”
