Rhonda Yarborough Farney never had the opportunity to represent Howard Payne University athletically but if she had, she would have more than likely been as successful as she has been since graduating from Howard Payne in 1975.

At 19 years of age, she graduated summa cum laude one year before Howard Payne would field intercollegiate athletics for women.

She spent the first 12 years of her coaching and teaching career at Goldthwaite and Ozona high schools, winning 10 district championships, four bi-district championships, and two area championships, while making four regional appearances. Her teams won 20 or more games each season, and nine players received collegiate scholarships.

Now at Georgetown high school with 31 years of head coaching experience, Rhonda Farney has amassed 1,157 wins and 327 losses in her coaching career, a .779 winning pct. Rhonda’s 1,157 wins places her second among active girls basketball coaches in the state of Texas.

Coach Farney is ranked 6th nationally in the National Federation of High Schools Record Book for the most career victories where she passed legendary Bertha Teague's 1,152 victories this past season.

During her time, Farney has led squads to 26 state playoff appearances and back-to-back University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 4A state tournaments (2013, 2014). In 2013, the Lady Eagles won the state title.

More than 66 student-athletes coached by Farney have moved on to play collegiate basketball.

Among her many honors includes the National Federation of High School Coaches (NFHSC) 2013 National Coach of the Year, seven-time Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Victory Club award recipient and induction as a member of the Texas Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

In 2014, Rhonda recorded her 1,000th career victory and was inducted into the Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA) Hall of Fame. That same year also receiving the UIL Sponsor Excellence Award.

Capping it all off, in 2017 Rhonda was honored as the United States Marine Corps/Women’s Basketball Coaches (WBCA) National High School Coach of the Year. She received the Pat Summitt Trophy at the NCAA Final Four in Dallas that year in recognition of the honor.

Rhonda Farney gives credits to her husband Dr. Bill Farney, former UIL Athletic and Executive Director, as well as her parents Woody and Joyce Appleton (deceased), and two younger sisters Ginger Whitehead and husband Ronnie (HPU graduation) of Glen Rose, Texas, and Nita Milliorn and husband Brian of Burnet, Texas.