University of North Texas Athletics
Chuck Mills 1948-2020
4/12/2020 5:40:00 PM | General
DENTON – Former North Texas letterman and assistant football coach Charles O. (Chuck) Mills passed away Saturday in Denton. He was 71.
Mills was born May 4, 1948 in Nocona, Texas. He was a standout athlete at Dickinson High School in south Texas, earning all-district honors as a football player in 1964 and 1965. He went on to earn all-conference honors at Tyler Junior College before transferring to North Texas in 1968. He was a two-year starter for the Mean Green in 1968 and 1969, helping his team to a combined 15-5 record in two seasons. He earned a degree in physical education from North Texas in 1971.
He began his coaching career as an assistant at Boswell (Texas) High School in 1971 and later coached Abilene High School, Decatur High School, Liberty High School and Waco Connally. He had a high school head coaching record of 84-43-2.
In 1982, Mills returned to his alma mater for the first of his coaching stints with North Texas. Mills was the defensive coordinator of the 1983 UNT team that won the Southland Conference championship. He served as the defensive coordinator for three seasons before leaving to coach in the high school ranks again. Mills served as athletic director and head coach at Lewisville High School from 1985-90, earning District 5-5A co-Coach of the Year honors in 1987. He returned to UNT in 1991 and served as an assistant through the 2000 season.
In his cover letter during the application process for becoming an assistant at North Texas in 1982, Mills wrote the following:
"As coaches, we must make it an enjoyable experience of learning and competing at the same time. Players must see a reason and purpose in what is done, and this is truly a great challenge to any coach."
Mills and his wife Anita have two children, Stacy and Jason.
