Mark Barousse is stepping down as head coach of the Poplar Bluff football team.
After leading the Mules to their third unbeaten, untied regular season that featured a SEMO North Conference title, Barousse said Friday it was time to "give somebody else a shot."
Barousse's run at Poplar Bluff featured a 77-47 record over 12 seasons with two district championships and three conference titles. His career win total was second only to Dutch Wyatt who won 20 more times in 15 seasons over two tenures.
Barousse, who recently turned 57, said he will remain with the school as a teacher and coach track.
"I wanted to give it some time after (the season)," Barousse said of his decision. "I don't bounce back as quick as I used to."
Poplar Bluff Athletic Director Kent Keith said Friday he did not want to comment until he received Barousse's resignation letter.
Barousse told returning players and coaches of his decision Friday and said he would submit his letter Monday.
"I think it was the right time," he said.
Barousse was named the SEMO North Coach of the Year this season as the Mules finished 9-1 with four conference wins to earn Poplar Bluff's first title since 2006.
Like Wyatt, Barousse had two tenures leading the Mules, first from 1997-2001 and since returning in 2011. He was also an assistant coach when Poplar Bluff went unbeaten during the 1990 regular season when the Mules finished 11-1 and reached the state quarterfinals before leaving in 1992 to take a head coaching job elsewhere.
Barousse left Poplar Bluff following the 2001 season to coach his alma mater in Lafayette, Louisiana before returning.
In all, Barousse had a 122-117 record as a head coach.
"Never planned a bunch of it," Barousse said of his moves. "It would all just fall into place."
The Mules were coming off a 4-6 season when Barousse first took over the program in 1997. Poplar Bluff won his first game, 37-0 against visiting Dexter, and was unbeaten in district play entering the final game at Jackson. The Indians won 33-19 as Poplar Bluff finished 6-4.
Barousse never won in seven trips to The Pitt and went 3-11 against the rival Indians.
In the first meeting with Jackson this season, the Mules trailed 28-16 with 10 1/2 minutes to play. Barousse's son, Brett a senior, intercepted a pass and returned it 80 yards for the go-ahead score with 3:14 to play. The win clinched the conference title and pushed Coach Barousse past E.T. Peters on Poplar Bluff's all-time career wins list.
The following week, the Mules were ranked in the state media poll for the first time since 2003. Poplar Bluff ended the regular season ranked No. 6 in Class 5.
Poplar Bluff and Jackson met again in the MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 semifinal at Mules Stadium with the Indians winning 56-49 in triple overtime. Jackson tied it with just over 3 minutes to play, one of six game-tying scores in a game that featured a combined 1,178 yards.
Both of Poplar Bluff's district titles under Barousse were clinched with wins over Jackson.
The Mules lost the 1998 sectional playoff at Kirkwood 41-25 and the 2000 playoff at Parkway South 45-0. Both teams featured quarterback Stan Revelle, who threw for a school record 5,923 career yards.
While all 12 of Barousse's seasons featured a 1,000-yard passer, there were three 1,000-yard rushers including Bi Nguyen's record-setting 2014 season.
Poplar Bluff set a single-season scoring record in 2016 with 410 points and averaged 35.8 over the last three seasons when the Mules were 25-6.
"A lot of that has to do with players," Barousse said of the program's success over the years. "You get good coaches and good players."
Barousse was a wide receiver at McNeese State University, setting records for a season and career while leading the nation in 1981 with a 26.5 yards per reception average. After training with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1983, he played with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL for two seasons along with future Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. He also played in the CFL with Ottawa and in 1986 was an All-Star.
A pole vaulter in college, Barousse coaches track and field at Poplar Bluff. The Mules finished in the top four at the state meet three times while 10 athletes won events during his tenure, including son Austin in the 2013 pole vault. Poplar Bluff finished second at state as a team by a single point in 1999 and was runner-up in 2002 by 11 points.
Over the years, going from the spring track season into football left little time to spend with family, his wife Mary and children Matthew, Kathryn, Austin, Brett and Luke.
"There's always something," Barousse said. "You come out of track, you get Sunday off really. We're done (at state) Saturday, we get back late Saturday night and we start football Monday.
"That has something to do with it."
Barousse's youngest son is in the eighth grade and plays football and runs track.
"I can help a whole lot more not coaching than I can coaching," Barousse said. "I'll have more energy to throw a ball around with him and do some things, not to mention, normal family things that we've never done."
Barousse said the next coach should have an easy transition and that there's a good coaching staff already in place.
"There's some talented kids coming back," he said. "It's a little thin. See if this will get some more kids back into the program. As a coach you always make a lot people mad. Maybe some will come back into the program. Who knows."