When Jeff Cormier received a text message last week asking to confirm if he had 199 career wins, the longtime Auburn High School football coach couldn’t give a straight answer.

“I wasn’t really aware,” Cormier said. “I had no idea.”

Following his team’s 42-13 win over Fitchburg on Friday night, Cormier had a clearer picture.

With Sean Sullivan addressing players, who were kneeling in the end zone postgame, the Auburn defensive coordinator told everyone that this was an “historic night” thanks to Cormier clinching career win No. 200.

Sullivan then presented Cormier with the game ball before the Auburn coach “brought the boom” with the entire rank of Rockets in their celebratory move after wins.

Two hundred wins and counting for Cormier.

“It was fun,” Cormier said on Saturday. “These kids work hard, and they’re a good reflection of the last 25 years, too. We’ve had some good kids.”

Some things never change

When Jeff Cormier took over as coach of the Auburn High football program in 1999, Dave Goodrich Jr. was the Rockets’ star running back.

Goodrich was on the field for Cormier’s first career win 25 years ago, and fast forward to Friday, Goodrich also was on the field for win No. 200.

Just this time, he served as running back’s coach while with his son, Ty, suited up as an Auburn wide receiver.

“It’s amazing for him,” said the older Goodrich, who graduated from Auburn High in 2002. “Going back to when he started when I was there to where he’s at now, it’s just awesome for him. He’s just a great guy. Nothing’s changed since I’ve been there.”

Pat Dufour remembers back in 1999 when he was hired as a history teacher at Auburn High. Cormier, ironically enough, was hired the same day to also teach history.

Since then, Dufour, a 1994 Auburn alum, has coached on staff with Cormier.

The current special team’s coordinator for Auburn has seen all 200 of Cormier’s wins. And everything else in between.

“I know that Jeff does everything the right way. He’s never looked to take any credit for anything, he’ll always take the blame,” Dufour said. “I’ve been with him for so long, he’s always been like that.”

So, seeing Cormier celebrate the milestone on Friday was a special moment for Dufour.

“It was awesome,” Dufour said. “Goosebumps.”

Beyond the wins and losses

Over the past quarter century, Cormier’s accomplishments on the gridiron have been notable.

Auburn won five straight Super Bowl championships from 2008-2012 (six in total) and holds the second-longest winning streak in the state at 41 games. The Rockets then embarked on a separate 26-game winning streak after that.

“There was a 100-game stretch where we went 91-9 in high school football games,” Sullivan said.

But it’s the moments beyond the wins and losses, and X’s and O’s, that perhaps stick out the most with Auburn football.

From starting the Tarentino Top Cop game, in honor of former Auburn Police Officer Ronald Tarentino Jr., who was killed in the line of duty in 2016, to honoring other fallen officers and wearing an American flag patch on their uniforms, to unifying sports at Auburn, Cormier’s 25 years with the Rockets transcends the results on the field.

“These are some of the best moments of kids’ lives, and Jeff Cormier has been at the forefront of that,” Sullivan said. “It’s really something to be proud of. When you look back on it all and look at the full scope of it, it’s been really remarkable.”

Proof's in the pudding

After Cormier saw his team defeat Fitchburg on Friday to improve to 2-2 on the season, the Auburn coach finally had a moment to collect himself on the team bus back to school. At least until Cormier noticed the countless messages popping up on his phone from various coaches and former players congratulating him on his 200th career win.

Cormier now has an all-time record of 200-85.

“You’re around long enough and you build some good relationships with great people,” Cormier said. “That kind of stuff is really nice. The biggest thing is they took 30 seconds of their time to hit send. All those people I respect greatly.”

The respect is mutual.

“The proof’s in the pudding,” said longtime Northbridge coach Ken LaChapelle, who has 396 wins of his own. “They are a winning program, and that’s a reflection on Jeff.”

“He’s been one of the most dominant coaches, and his record shows it,” said West Boylston coach Mike Ross, who has 192 career wins and previously coached against Cormier at Grafton and North High. “I’m happy for him. We’ve competed, we’ve been friends for a long time. To get 200 wins isn’t easy.”

So, how about 200 more wins, Coach?

“Kenny (LaChapelle) can have that one,” Cormier said with a laugh.

Either way, it’s been a fun ride for Jeff Cormier with Auburn football. Two hundred wins is just the latest stop on the journey.

“He’s been driving this bus for a long time, and he’s always pointed us in the right direction,” Sullivan said.

“I’ve been very fortunate,” Cormier said.

—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.  

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Auburn football coach Jeff Cormier collects 200th career win