Trinity Trojans football coach announces retirement

Euless Trinity coach Steve Lineweaver announced his retirement Tuesday, Hurst-Euless-Bedford athletic director Mike Fielder said.

Lineweaver, 68, led Trinity to Class 5A Division I state titles in 2005, 2007 and 2009 and coached Commerce to a Class 3A Division II title in 1999. Trinity also advanced to a title game in 2010, as did Commerce in 1995 and ’97.

Lineweaver, who compiled a 259-43-2 record in 22 years as a head coach, notified Fielder of his decision Tuesday morning. Lineweaver was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

At Trinity, where he started coaching in 2000, he went 176-29. The Trojans, who rose to national prominence under Lineweaver, won 10 or more games in each of his last 11 seasons. This year, they went 12-2, losing to Allen in the Class 6A Division I quarterfinals.

Lineweaver made previous stops as an assistant at Trinity and Southlake Carroll, and he has been a coach and educator for 47 years.

During Lineweaver’s time at Trinity the team enjoyed many memorable moments, such as the title games and playing the first game at AT&T Stadium, beating South Jordan (Utah) Bingham 42-21 on Labor Day 2009.

Lineweaver also embraced the team’s Tongan traditions. The team began performing a pregame Haka dance in 2005 to motivate players and get the crowd involved. The ritual was later featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. In 2011, Trinity became the first high school to wear Nike Pro Combat System of Dress uniform. The Trojans were also featured in a Gatorade commercial during Lineweaver’s tenure.

There were lows, too. In August 2013, two of Lineweaver’s recently graduated players were killed in an automobile wreck in New Mexico.

Lineweaver’s legacy

This story was originally published December 17, 2014 at 8:16 AM with the headline "Trinity Trojans football coach announces retirement."