Former Bulldogs coach finds a deeper purpose at Roselawn Elementary
Everyone in Artesia knows former Bulldogs basketball coach Michael Mondragon is a crier. He wears his heart the way he coached — out front, unguarded, honest. In a lot of ways, he has always been New Mexico’s version of former Kansas City Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil: a champion who never hid his emotion, a leader who left the game on his own terms, and a man whose timing always seemed perfect.
But no one knew how perfect his timing really was.
The last message before everything changed
“We are at The Pit,” Mondragon said last March. “I want this team to enjoy themselves and leave no stone unturned.”
He meant it as motivation. He didn’t know he was foreshadowing the next chapter of his life.
Mondragon was one victory away from winning his second state championship in as many years — already the second coach in school history to bring home a Blue Trophy. He made every court his home, whether it was the Bulldog Pit or The Pit in Albuquerque. He coached with nerves of steel, even when his voice cracked and tears welled up.
And then, on a Monday morning in August, he walked into a different kind of Pit — Roselawn Elementary School — where 150 students waited for their new principal.
Same Mondragon. Same black slacks, black shirt, red tie. Same cup of coffee in his hand. Same high-fives for kids and hugs for parents.
Only the court had changed.
“If you need anything, let me know,” he told every parent, every child, every teacher. And he meant it.
A bigger court, a bigger purpose
Mondragon said he now gets to touch the lives of 150 students every year — far more than he ever could as a basketball coach. He calls Roselawn his “new court,” one where the scoreboard doesn’t matter and the victories look different.
He wants to teach children that adversity can be overcome with dedication, perseverance, and belief in oneself. He wants them to understand that life is a game, too — just played on a different field.
“I want to build a culture of family,” Mondragon said. “I want to help develop boys and girls into one day being good husbands and fathers, and good mothers and wives. I want the students who come through Roselawn to be productive members of society, and that matters more than winning a Blue Trophy.”
For a man who cried after championships, cried after losses, cried when his players succeeded, and cried when they struggled — this new mission fits him perfectly.
A legacy built on heart
Mondragon leaves Artesia as its all-time winningest coach:
- 216 wins, 131 losses
- Seven straight District 4‑4A titles
- Nine quarterfinals
- Twelve straight semifinal appearances
- Three state championship games
- 2025 state champion
- 2025 New Mexico High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year
After losing to Highlands in the 2026 title game, Mondragon stepped to the podium at The Pit — tears already forming — and said the words that defined his career:
“First, God’s good,” he said. “It has been a hell of a journey.”
A journey that isn’t over — just higher
Mondragon’s new journey is not a step away from coaching. It’s a step above it. He traded a basketball court for a school hallway, a roster of 12 players for a building full of children, and the pressure of championships for the responsibility of shaping lives.
He didn’t retire. He didn’t walk away. He simply moved to a bigger court.
And if you know Michael Mondragon — the tears, the heart, the belief, the faith — you know he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be.