The Jenks Standard: Gaylor’s Mission
By: Brayden Dodson
Jenks High School has a rich history, especially in football. The Oklahoma powerhouse is home to 18 State Championships. The dominance of this scale was built by legendary coaching, from the founder of the standard R. Perry Beaver to the legendary Allan Trimble, and then the bridge Keith Riggs.
Jenks football has a potential successor ready to make his mark on the programme. Adam Gaylor, formally a coordinator under Trimble and Riggs, is ready to etch his name into Jenks folklore, not only for the wins but for his effect on the players.
Jenks football has a set standard, but this standard was not built overnight; Beaver, Trimble, and Riggs forged this unparalleled standard of Jenks football.
“Coach Trimble went on a historic run, then Coach Riggs carried on that tradition,” said Gaylor. “We’re kinda the Alabama of high school football…last year we got beat in the semi-finals…In a lot of places that would be a good year…but at Jenks that wasn’t a good year”.
Gaylor’s comparison to the Alabama program is not an exaggeration; it is a statement of the excellence of the program. Yet, this standard of excellence is not a burden to players–it’s a catalyst. This drive is clear.
“The guys want to create their own legacy,” said Gaylor. “It’s not about wins and losses for me… It’s about making good men and good husbands.”
“I really wasn’t involved with the offensive side as I should've been [At West Moore]...Coming to Jenks, I wanted to make sure that I was spending time with the offensive staff and Coach Cronister,” said Gaylor.
Known as a brilliant defensive mind, Coach Gaylor made it a personal standard when arriving at Jenks to be more involved with the entire team.
For Adam Gaylor, it's not just a coaching philosophy; it's the legacy off the field that he hopes to leave at the program, not just shiny new trophies.
“You do that by holding them to a high standard… because football and life have a lot of carryover…the issues you're going to have in football are going to be different, but they’re going to make them learn how to overcome those tough issues later in life,” said Gaylor.
Gaylor’s philosophy of building good men through on-field struggle will be the foundation of the 2025 Trojans, as they build their legacy one game at a time.
“Man, overwhelming support, even to this day, they still ask about how she's doing…So we're in debt to the Jenks community, the players,and the school. Forever in their debt for how they put their arms around my family and really took us in,” said Gaylor.
The lasting care and support from the Jenks community on Adam Gaylor’s wife's cancer diagnosis–this shows the Jenks community is not a community–it's a family. This debt that Gaylor’s family has is powerful–now Gaylor is repaying that debt with the performance on the field.
For Jenks High School, legacy is measured by winning, but for Adam Gaylor, it's much more than that; it's the legacy off the field that he hopes to leave.
