The Texas high school football coach Gary Gaines, who was made famous by the book and film "Friday Night Lights," has passed away.
He was 73 years old.
In a statement, Gaines' family said the former coach passed away on Monday in Lubbock after a prolonged fight with Alzheimer's disease.
Gaines was called as the coach of the Panthers during the 1988 season, which was chronicled in the best-selling book, “Friday Night Lights.”
His 1989 team moved on to win the Class 5A state title.
He first arrived to Permian in 1979 and worked under John Wilkins as an assistant coach for three seasons, assisting the Panthers in their 1980 state championship victory.
After Wilkins' retirement in 1985, Gaines came back to Permian to take over as the head coach.
Following the 1989 season, he once more left Permian to work as Spike Dykes' assistant coach at Texas Tech.
In 2009, he returned to Permian, where he once more served as the team's head coach till retiring in 2012.