NMMI Sports Press
Nearly two decades after leaving Old Post, John O’Mera has returned to take the helm of the Colt Football program.
One of the winningest coaches in NJCAA Division-I football history, O’Mera brings a wealth of knowledge and experience back to NMMI as he looks to get back to fundamentals and fun at the high school level.
“It’s all about the kids you work with. It’s not as much of a business,” he said. “At the college level, you’re trying to move them on to the next level and you might get a more serious side of your kids. In high school, they are playing because they love the game.”
O’Mera’s first stint at the Institute began in 1993 as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Colts. He was promoted to head coach the next year and enjoyed four winning seasons (the Colts were an independent team at the time, unable to compete for the state title), compiling a win-loss record of 28-12.
In 1998, O’Mera moved up to run the Bronco Football program and found success quickly, leading NMMI to an Empire State Bowl win over Nassau 26-11, the Institute’s first bowl victory since 1977.
After six seasons, O’Mera took the head coaching position at Eastern Arizona College, where he orchestrated 13 winnings seasons in 14 years, racking up 143 victories to 91 losses, putting him at No. 21 on the all-time wins list.
O’Mera said the move to Arizona was a gamble that paid off. The former Western New Mexico Mustang fullback also furthered his education shortly after arriving in Thatcher, earning a master's degree in education from Grand Canyon University.
In his final season at EAC, his team won the Western States Football League, but in a money-saving measure, the Gila Monsters and other junior college programs in the state were eliminated and the WSFL, of which NMMI used to be a member, was disbanded.
O’Mera dipped back into the high school ranks with one-year stops at Safford High School, close to Thatcher, and Capitan, N.M. Both teams had winning seasons and made the state playoffs. He spent last season leading the Cisco College Wranglers.
With former head coach Randy Montoya stepping down after the ’22 season, the opportunity presented itself for O’Mera to come back to his first real coaching home and finish what he started with the Colts.
“The move to Arizona was great for us, but we always felt like we left something behind,” explained O’Mera, whose wife D’Anna is from Roswell. “Roswell and NMMI are special to us. I get to work with good people, from the teachers to the administration, and build relationships with the cadets. This was the one high school job I would’ve left college for.”
O’Mera said he’ll build on the strong foundation Montoya left after 12 years at the Institute.
“He did everything right,” O’Mera said. “He’s got a bunch of hardworking kids. The few I’ve been able to work with already have been well coached and know what they’re getting into. I’m excited to get the rest back after the summer and get to work. We don’t have the same kind of summer program other schools do, with most of our kids living out of town or out of the country, so we’ll have to get to know each other fast.”
O’Mera, who began his college education at the University of Oklahoma before transferring to WNMU and playing for his father, said he doesn’t necessarily think his success at the junior college level will help him in the New Mexico Class 3A ranks.
“There are great football coaches at high schools all over America that choose not to move up. There are some great coaches in our district,” he said. “It might give me some credibility with a kid, but you still have to go out and earn their respect and educate them on the game of football.”
O’Mera is from Meridian, Idaho. He and wife D’Anna have two children, son Bryant and daughter Crimson.