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Butch Lauffer
Butch Lauffer enters his 33rd season as head men’s soccer coach at West Texas A&M University. Lauffer is now the longest tenured head coach in West Texas A&M history in a storied career dating back to 1991. Lauffer reached the 500-win plateau on Sept. 30, 2017 in Odessa, Texas with a dominating 13-2 win over UT Permian Basin.
During his tenure, Lauffer has coached the men to 30 consecutive non-losing seasons and the women to 12-plus victories in 12 seasons. Lauffer has recorded a 370-165-49 (.676) record at the helm of the Buffs with a 559-232-66 (.691) overall record at WT.
Lauffer repeated his success with the Buffs in 2022. The Buffs earned the No. 3 seed in the Lone Star Conference tournament but couldn't hold off a late attack from No. 6-seeded Midwestern State. WT put together a resume strong enough to earn an at-large spot in the NCAA tournament where a rematch with Northwest Nazarene awaited the Buffs in the first round. WT and NNU ended regulation tied at one before remaining tied at the end of overtime. In penalty kicks, each team made its first five attempts before missing its sixth. On the seventh round, a NNU save gave the Nighthawks the chance to secure the victory, an opportunity they wouldn't let slip away.
Lauffer continued to lead the Buffs to the national stage in the 2021 season. The Buffs earned the second seed in the Lone Star Conference but fell to No. 3-seeded Lubbock Christian in the opening round. Despite the early exit in the conference tournament, WT earned a spot in the NCAA Championships. The Buffs opened the national tournament with a 3-2 win over No. 10 Azuza Pacific in the second round. In the Sweet Sixteen, the Buffs tied with No. 16 Cal Poly Pomona but fell to the Broncos in penalty kicks.
Lauffer and the Buffaloes claimed the programs 350th victory after defeating Midwestern State 1-0 in the Lone Star Conference Championship game during the abbreviated 2020-21 spring season. Under Lauffer, the Buffs finished 8-2 to be named the regular-season and tournament champions, claiming the program's third championship title.
In 2018, No. 13 Buffs went on to compete in one of the best seasons in program history after they registered a new record for most victories in a single season with a 17-3-3 overall record. The Buffs earned their first Heartland Conference Title after they outlasted No. 6 Midwestern State by postseason victories over No. 5 Colorado School of Mines and No. 25 Colorado Mesa to take the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Title for their third Regional Title in program history before falling to Cal Poly Pomona in the Elite Eight. He, along with James Crowder and Gabe Williams, earned the United Soccer Coaches South Central Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Buffs finished the 2017 season with an overall record of 12-5-1 as they completed their second season as a member of the Heartland Conference with a 10-3-1 record in league play. WT rode a five match win streak into the 2017 Heartland Conference Tournament before falling to St. Mary's (0-2) in the Quarterfinal round in Canyon.
The 2016 season saw the Buffs go 14-5-1 overall with a third place finish in their first campaign as a member of the Heartland Conference. WT handed rival Eastern New Mexico a 5-0 loss in the Quarterfinal round of the Heartland Conference Championship at The Pitch in Canyon before falling to second seeded St. Edward's in the Semifinal round.
In the fall of 2013, Lauffer coached the Buffs to a 12-3-1 overall record in their first season as an independent men’s soccer team without a conference while they ranked as high as fifth in the NSCAA national rankings. In 2013, Lauffer was also named Panhandle Sports Soccer Coach of the Year.
In the summer prior to the 2014 season, Lauffer once again assisted renowned coach Randy Waldrum in the organization and training of the expansion Houston Dash of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). In 2014, he led the Buffs to a 9-7-1 overall and coached his 700th career game at WT (men & women combined) on Sept. 12, earning a 5-3 victory on the road at CSU-Pueblo.In 2015, he led the Buffs to their 23rd consecutive winning season including a six match winning streak during the season.
In 1991, Lauffer organized a Division II soccer program in less than three months and in their first season he guided the Buffs to a 10-8-2 record.
The Buffaloes reached the NCAA Division II men’s soccer playoffs for the first time in 1997, losing to Cal State-Bakersfield in a shootout. The men made a return trip in 2000, and both the men’s and women’s teams qualified in 2001. The Buffs were ranked in each of their first 11 seasons.
Lauffer was named NCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2009 and received the LSC Men’s Coach of the Year award in 1999, 2000 and 2009. Additionally, he was chosen as the Women’s LSC Coach of the Year in 1996, 2001 and 2008. Lauffer started the women’s program in 1996, leading them to a 12-4-0 finish and Lone Star Conference regular season title.
Lauffer has several foreign and domestic coaching licenses, including an English Football Association’s preparatory coaching license (1982), the United States Soccer Federation “A” license (1987) and the Irish Football Association Grade 1 coaching license (1989). Most recently, he earned a United European Football Association “A” license from the Wales Football Association in 1998 and a UEFA pro license through the Scottish Football Association in 2001.
During the 1994 World Cup, he became a member of the USSF National coaching staff. He assisted FIFA with the technical reports for all World Cup contests at the Dallas venue and taught coaching courses on developing coaching skills for the “A,” “B,” and “C” levels.
In the summer of 2008, Lauffer lent his coaching talents to Trinidad and Tobago as he was an assistant coach for the country’s Under-17 Women’s National Team. The field of competitors included Canada, Mexico, USA, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Lauffer joined the coaching staff of Randy Waldrum, of Notre Dame, as Trinidad and Tobago prepared to host the 2008 CONCACAF(Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Women’s U-17 Championship.
Lauffer, born in Washington, D.C., moved to Dallas at age seven and has played or coached soccer ever since. In his playing days, Lauffer competed for the Texas Longhorn Soccer Club; he logged over 100 international matches with them and was a member of the first American team to win a European Tournament - the Munich Cup - in 1978.
Lauffer has written three soccer books about coaching and player development. His first book, Coaching Soccer, was published by Sterling Publishing Company in 1989. It was praised by Soccer Digest as a “gold mine of tips and advice from one of America’s greatest soccer experts.” The book was re-released in the fall of 2006. His second book, Soccer Coaches Guide to Skills, Drills and Technique Training, was released in the fall of 1991.
His latest book, Techniques, Tactics and Teamwork for Women’s Soccer, was released by Sterling Publishing in the spring of 2001. He co-wrote it with April Kater, Syracuse University’s head women’s coach. In conjunction with Championship Productions, Lauffer has created two three-disc DVD sets describing how to implement various game tactics and coaching techniques. The first set, released in 2005, includes “The Complete Guide to the 3-5-2,” “Tactical Flexibility With the 4-2-3-1 System,” and “Attacking in the Final Third.” The second set, released in 2006, includes “Butch Lauffer’s Counter Attack System,” “Butch Lauffer’s Zone Play,” and “Butch Lauffer’s 12 Best Training Games.”
Lauffer is also director of soccer for the Amarillo Drifters Soccer Association and a member of the North and South Texas Olympic Development program. He graduated from Texas Christian University in 1985. Lauffer lives in Amarillo with his wife, Kimberly, and their two children, Kendall and Kyle. He also has a son, Blake, who lives in Hurst/Bedford.
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