Coach Gourley’s 35-year career began in 1985 when he joined the staff at Grain Valley High School as an assistant football and track coach. The following year, Coach Gourley took over the head coaching position at Sherwood-Cass R-VI High School. Sherwood had not experienced a winning season in 12 years and had not won a game in three consecutive seasons. Three years following his arrival, Sherwood achieved a winning season.
From 1989 through 1994, Coach Gourley coached in the inner city of Kansas City, Missouri, at KC Southwest Math/Science Magnet High School. During his tenure there, Southwest won three Interscholastic League Championships and competed for one district title.
In 1995, Coach Gourley took over as the head coach at Belton High School. During his tenure at Belton, his teams won four district titles. In the 2003 season, his team made it to the semifinal game, and in 2007, they played in the Missouri Class 5 State Championship game.
Following his successful stint at Belton, Coach Gourley moved to Olathe South High School (Olathe, Kansas) in 2008. At Olathe South, he guided the team to four district titles, two State semifinals, and won the Kansas 6A (the biggest class) State Championship in 2011.
After stepping down as head coach in 2015, Coach Gourley continued to mentor other coaches and programs as a consultant. In three years of consulting, three teams he worked with went on to play for State titles in their respective states.
In June 2019, Coach Gourley was recognized for his many years of success by being inducted into the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.