By Kyle Goon

| The Salt Lake Tribune

The winningest, most decorated and arguably most influential high school football coach in Utah history has decided to retire.

Roger Dupaix, whose Skyline teams dominated the state and even developed a national profile, will leave the profession with 301 wins, 67 playoff victories, eight state championships and a legacy as the best coach to ever roam the sidelines in Utah.

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At a glance

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Roger Dupaix by the numbers

» 35 years as a head coach (9 seasons at Highland, 26 seasons at Skyline)

» 301 wins, a state record (one of 92 coaches nationally with at least 300)

» 67 playoff wins, a state record

» 8 state championships, a state record

» Won 5 straight championships, a state record (1995-99)

» Made it to at least the state quarterfinals 23 out of 26 seasons at Skyline

» Only one losing season at Skyline

» 104 Skyline players have gone on to play Division I football

Notable alumni

» Brandon Doman, offensive coordinator at BYU

» Joe Dupaix, slotbacks coach at BYU

» John Frank, 1999 MWC defensive player of the year for the Utes

» Tony Bergstrom, 2011-12 first team All-Pac 12

» Josh Lyman, Cottonwood head coach

» Aaron Whitehead, Olympus head coach

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Dupaix — who turned 70 on Sunday — had been mulling a retirement for several years, each time deciding to hold back. But this year, he and his wife, Edie Dupaix, thought it was a good time to finally step away and go on an LDS Church mission.

But that didn’t make it easy for Dupaix to leave.

"Emotionally, I’m torn apart," he said. "I think we’re going to have a really good team. The coaches are my very best friends, and even the players. It’s really hard that it’s been a part of my life for all these years."

Skyline football will miss Dupaix just as much. He holds the state records for wins and championships. For a time, Dupaix and the Eagles were Utah football.

His most dominant stretch came in the 1990s, when Skyline won seven Class 5A titles, including five straight from 1995 to 1999. The 1999 team was undefeated and finished with a No. 24 national ranking.

Before coaching the Eagles, Dupaix was head coach at Highland from 1977 to 1986.

Former players and fellow coaches say Dupaix was a steady presence in a sometimes volatile profession that rides so much on emotion.

"You can coach with adrenaline, but you won’t last long," said Steve Marlowe, who has served as an assistant to Dupaix since he came to Skyline. "He seldom raises his voice, but he commands respect. It says a lot that he never got burned out of coaching. Even the last few weeks, it’s been hard for him because he’s still having fun."

The coaching profession in the state is sprinkled with former Dupaix assistants and players. Both Brandon Doman and son Joe Dupaix on BYU’s football staff, for example, played for Skyline. Former players Josh Lyman and Aaron Whitehead coach at Cottonwood and Olympus, respectively.

"It seems all the players I used to coach are beating me up now," Dupaix said, chuckling.

Whitehead recalled his days as a receiver with the Eagles. He would go on to win a championship with the 1990 team — Dupaix’s first. What struck him then and what remains with him now is how fairly he seemed to treat everyone.

"I was not a great receiver, and I only got into the game when we were up by a bunch," Whitehead said. "But I knew and every player knew that he cared for them. He hadn’t won a state title until our senior year, but everyone thought the world of him."

This past season, Skyline went 7-4 on the way to a quarterfinal berth in the Class 4A playoffs. Dupaix won his 300th game during the season.

After Dupaix made his decision, the Skyline administration was quick to tap Marlowe, 58, to take over the football program. Marlowe is one of the school’s athletic directors, and called his new role "the job I’ve always wanted." But he added he would keep his predecessor in mind as he took on new responsibilities.

As for Dupaix, he’ll have the memories. And for that, he’s grateful.