Dusty Giles only attended high school in Artesia for a year and a half, but when it came time to make a decision about where he would begin his coaching career, he knew he wanted to return to the City of Champions.

One factor in particular contributed to that decision – a chance to learn under the guidance of his former high school coach, Cooper Henderson.

"The reason I came back here was because Coach Henderson is still here," says Giles. "He has so much knowledge, not only about football but about people."

Born in Odessa, Texas, Giles and his family moved around from Texas to Colorado to Oklahoma before coming to Artesia in 1992.

Giles entered Artesia High School as a student his junior year and joined the Bulldog football team as a wide receiver.

Due to coming in partway through the season, Giles’ first game that year also happened to be the Bulldogs’ 16th state championship game versus Raton. The following year, Giles was a season starter at wide receiver.

After graduating from AHS, he attended West Texas A&M University, majoring in general studies in order to expedite the start of his teaching and coaching career.

Fresh into his first year in the Artesia Public Schools system at Park Junior High, Giles teaches pre-algebra and Algebra I classes. He coaches the eighth grade football team and will also be in charge of eighth grade off-season this year.

In the spring, his coaching duties will expand to the high school, where he will assist with the AHS golf team.

Giles enjoys coaching and says that his favorite part of the job is getting to know his players on a personal level.

"My favorite part is getting to be out on the practice field with the kids, getting to learn who they are and learn more about them as people," says Giles.

As a football coach, Giles is living out a dream that began at the tender age of 10.

"Back in the fourth grade is when I figured out I wanted to be a coach, mainly because I just loved football," Giles says. "I knew I wasn’t going to grow up to be a Dallas Cowboy, so the best way I could think of to be directly involved was coaching.

"And the reason I stayed interested was because of the coaches I’ve had in my life. My teachers and coaches made me who I am today."

Giles’ parents currently reside in Houston. His brother, Denny, also a former AHS athlete, resides in Dallas and his sister in Austin.

In his spare time, Giles says he enjoys playing golf, but admits that most of his time these days is taken up by his newborn son, Brendon, who turned three weeks old Monday.

Giles credits his wife, Michelle, for giving him the support he needed to embark on his new career in Artesia.

"My move here was made possible by my wife’s commitment to my career...she had a baby and three days later, we were in Artesia," Giles laughs. "She’s been a real rock for me."

In the future, Giles hopes to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Coach Henderson, by becoming a head football coach.

"Eventully, I would like to be a head coach," Giles says, "and I can’t think of a better person to learn from than (Henderson)."