With four coaching vacancies at the same time, Illinois State head coach Denver Johnson turned to help from a former college teammate and Mike Menefee responded by becoming the newest addition to the Redbird football coaching staff.
Menefee, who previously served as the head coach at Edna High School in Edna, Texas, will coach the cornerbacks for the Redbirds. He, along with Johnson, played collegiate football at Tulsa. Menefee started two seasons at free safety with the Golden Hurricane, after transferring from Kilgore Junior College.
Mike and I played together at the University of Tulsa where he was a great player, Johnson said. He has great intensity and a passion for the game. He really understands, because we have a similar background and a similar genesis in our coaching from coach (John) Cooper, what Im trying to accomplish. Mike is going to do a great job for us and brings a lot to the table on our defensive staff.
A native of Edna, Texas, Menefee is looking forward to his reunion with Johnson.
"Denver offered me a position last year and I turned him down," Menefee said. "But at this stage in my life, you never know if this kind of an opportunity will come along again. I figured if I was going to take this plunge, I better take it now."
Menefee, who became head coach at Edna midway through the 2000 season, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Tulsa working with the defensive secondary. He coached the secondary at Texas A&M-Kingsville before getting out of coaching and returning to Edna in 1982. He joined the Edna coaching staff in 1999 and took over as athletic director and head coach midway through the 2000 season.
Menefee led the 2000 team, which had started the season 2-4, to a 3-1 finish. The Cowboys then went 5-5 in 2001, before snapping an eight-year playoff drought in 2002 with a 7-4 mark. Edna returned to the playoffs in 2003 with a 6-5 record.
During his prep coaching career, Menefee has sent 18 of his players from Edna on to the collegiate level, including
Garry Roberts, a current Redbird running back.
Menefee earned his bachelors degree in education from Tulsa in 1981. He and his wife, Shelley, have two children, Garrett and Mary Kathryn.
