The long task of hiring a new athletic director and head football coach is nearing the finish line at Livingston ISD. Finis Vanover, hired in 2017, resigned from the position two months ago.
Complicating the process a bit, LISD is also going through a change at superintendent. Dr. Brent Hawkins has moved on to Copperas Cove ISD, and former chief staff officer Janan Moore has taken on the position of interim superintendent.
Since then, 110 applications have been accepted for the role. That number was around 38 the last time Livingston made the same hire eight years ago. LISD School Board President Andrew Boyce said the widespread interest has been exciting.
“When Finis decided that he wanted to retire, as soon as that happened, we started looking at a search firm to help us find an A.D. (athletic director),” Boyce said. “When Hawkins said he was moving to Copperas Cove, things kind of changed in the dynamic of how we were going to do things. We thought we needed some outside help, and we wanted to broaden our reach further than putting it on a job search on THSCA (Texas High School Coaches Association). We went with a company called TDL. They've got a really good staff over there of former athletic directors and really good coaches from Texas.”
The executive search and consulting firm was suggested by Hawkins. Impressed after an interview with TDL Sports, the board decided to move forward with the group.
“We're in a transition period. We're transitioning not only from the athletic director position, but the superintendent position. I think for a program to be successful, you have to align,” Boyce said. “Your superintendent needs to align with your A.D., your principals need to align with your A.D., and that goes all the way through athletics and academics, as well. You want your superintendent to align with his team and his principals and schools to push their vision.
“The question that we get asked – and it is a fair question – is, ‘If I take this job, where are you going with the superintendent?’ My answer to that has been, ‘If you are the guy, you trust that we made a great decision here. The same people in this room are going to make the next decision.’ My promise to them is that the board and school have a vision on where they want to go, and we are going to push that.”
Boyce admits that lack of a full-time superintendent makes the decision tougher on potential athletic directors. Absent that, he and the board have provided the best guarantee possible at this time. Superintendent searches can last up to three months, and the need for an athletic director is pressing. However, he promises that the athletic director hire will not be a rash decision.
The board president said it will not matter where previous experience was gained, though the remaining candidates all have Texas high school experience. There are plenty of positives to sell to the right applicant.
“You look around the school and the high school and you look at the facilities and commitment to the stadium, there is a commitment to excellence here. It's not just talking about it; we are doing it. We think that upgrading those facilities and the facilities that the community passed when they passed the bond for the high school makes us very enticing. We have great kids here and this place is full of winners, not only in athletics, but in student groups – they win. Our F.F.A. group, our UIL, band, choir – these guys win. So, it is here. We’ve just got to find the right leadership to bring a culture that the community can be proud of. Every coach you talk to, judging a team is 10 years after. How good of fathers they are, how good of husbands they are, are they successful in their careers or are they part of their community? I think that is the measuring stick for whoever you put in that spot.”
TDL fielded the applications and graded each. The applications were then placed in tiers of top candidates, possibilities, and those not ready or not a fit. Following that, the firm then begins an interview process, which is also graded. That narrows the group down to around a dozen. Another round of interviews cuts it even further to eight candidates. All of the data is then presented to the board. The board and interim superintendent then meets with those eight. About an hour is set aside for each board interview.
“We had a discussion at the end. In these situations, certain guys are going to rise to the top and we try not to have too much discussion in between interviews, because it is this many people for a reason, and you want to have your true opinion of them without influencing anyone. It's not going to work unless the school is 100% behind this guy. We can't bring somebody in with half the people behind them and half not. We're going to need everybody to turn this thing around. We've got to unify here. The beauty is that there are so many great coaches out there and there are so many successful programs and ways of doing things that, naturally, those guys do rise to the top. They are all great coaches, then it comes to the finicky part of who is the fit. If you shut your eyes and just pick one, I think you would find success on the field. We are going a little deeper than that.
“Of course, there are other things to look at. You have to look at the data too. Does he have a track record of success? Is he on the right direction? Does his culture fit our kids? It is not just that he is a great football coach and wins everywhere. Can he communicate with our kids and provide a culture for them that they want to be a part of. There's a lot of kids in those hallways that need to be a part of something. Athletics isn't the end-all be-all, but it is a large population of our kids, and it is something you can find success at and learn to compete, work with teammates, and take instruction.”
The board has taken the approach of desiring culture over systems. A coach will not be hired because of a certain offense or defense that he has run to success in the past. Boyce knows there are many ways to achieve success on the gridiron, and the football questions will not be considered the most important.
“Can you get a kid to believe in you? Can you get a kid to work hard for you? It is one thing to say that you are just going to discipline them until they do what you tell them, but in this day and time, they need to build something so incredible here that everyone wants to be part of it and they won't want to do wrong. It is the way (their student athletes) conduct themselves in competition, it is the way they conduct themselves off the field, and all the little things.
“We also need to have a leader that cannot only bring in kids, but has a web to bring a staff to enforce that culture – not only in the football program, but the volleyball and baseball (and every sport) to enforce all of this change. Everybody talks about a changing culture, but it is not just from one guy. As much as he is filling in to these kids, he has to fill in to these coaches too. If we can find a situation like that with somebody who has a web of coaches who believe in him and believe in the way he does things, that will spread into all of our sports. You can't say enough about the ability to hire a good staff and implement that culture throughout.”
The city of Livingston, a positive experience from past coaches in the school district, and salaries have been mentioned by candidates as items that have drawn them to the job, according to Boyce. Also included were facilities, stipends for extracurricular activities, and the program’s potential.
Though a certain date has not been circled, a hire will likely occur soon to get the program rolling.
“This guy needs to get in here and meet our kids, meet our coaches, our principals and our admin to build a relationship in the time we have left in the semester. Once we all go home for the summer, it's ball game on. When we talk to different guys, we ask what day one looks like. In our mind, they are here Feb. 1 and then what is the first step? We wanted as quick as possible, but not at the detriment of settling. We feel like we have a lot to offer, and 110 applications tell you that we do. We just want to make sure that we are turning over all the stones to make the right decision.”
So, what qualities should the right decision have?
“We want somebody with energy and we want somebody that the kids can relate to. I don't think you challenge them on their scheme. I don't think you challenge them on what their special teams look like. Those questions are too narrow for the position. You are hiring a leader and a CEO. You are hiring a guy that's going to be fully engulfed in the entire department and change the way we do things. Whether he wants to run the triple option or air raid is not a consideration. He is a football coach, and he is going to evaluate our kids and do what he believes will be successful. All coaches have their schemes and what they do, but that is not a question that comes up in a candidate search.
“We have had interviews with guys who have been at established programs, guys that have taken things from the ashes, and all levels of success. It was definitely in the vision with TDL that we felt like we needed somebody with some (athletic director) experience to come in here. We felt the transition could be easier with somebody who has a background in being an athletic director. Does it disqualify you if you're not? No, there are so many great coaches out there that are right on the cusp, and somebody is going to jump on them and hit the lotto. So, we didn't want to leave those guys out. We will interview guys that don't have A.D. experience. It just has to be a match.
“We have to sell ourselves well, because these guys are moving their families, they are altering their careers, and they are tying to us as much as we are tying to them. It has to work both ways.”