WOS92
06-26-2004, 09:09 PM
CROSBY — Bowing to the pressure of the parents of non-football athletes at the school, the Crosby school board backed away from finalist Alan Weddell and voted 4-2 to name Kevin Flanigan of Orangefield High School to fill the vacant football coach/athletic director position.
The board took the action at a specially called meeting Friday at the Crosby ISD administration building after several parents voiced concerns about the support of other athletic programs at Monday night’s meeting. The board organized a committee to interview the four leading candidates for the position, and it selected Flanigan as the best fit for Crosby.
“One of the things that helped the interviewing committee was the feeling that he (the new coach) should stay in the community for a while,” said Don Hendrix, CISD superintendent. “Flanigan has already been to town. He is looking for a house. He has little girls that will participate in the athletic program, so he is the type of person that fits our community real well.”
Flanigan led the Bobcats to a 23-20 record in four seasons as head coach after coming from Troup High School in 2000. Orangefield made the playoffs three of those four years including a bi-district championship last season.
“We wanted someone with a proven track record,” Hendrix said. “We weren’t going to hire someone that wasn’t successful. Kevin isn’t someone like Coach (Alan) Weddell; he is an up and comer. He has been able to compete in Orangefield with less talent.”
Weddell was the head coach at La Marque during their three consecutive state championship seasons from 1995 to 1997. Before leaving to join R.C. Slocum’s staff at Texas A&M in 1998, Weddell revitalized a struggling Cougars program and made the playoffs every season of his eight-year tenure there, including five consecutive state finals appearances.
“We had people come to the board meeting and say things like, ‘Oh, there are lots of rumors about this and that,’” Hendrix said. “We felt that, since there was this much public support, then we needed to give everybody a chance to interview. I took myself out because I was the one who interviewed Alan Weddell.
“I was doing the prescreening, and when his name came across the pipe, my thinking was, oh, my goodness. I’ve been a superintendent a long time, and I probably made a mistake and jumped the gun. It’s my fault for jumping the gun, but if you have ever talked to Alan, you find out not only is he a big-league coach, but a big-league person. Kevin Flanigan is a big-league person as well.”
Flanigan will replace Larry Haynes, who recently accepted the Aldine Eisenhower post. Flanigan worked with Haynes at Clear Lake and will bring a similar style of offense with him.
“Coach Haynes is a good friend of mine, and my biggest foundation as far as offense is under him,” Flanigan said. “Terminology and fundamentals from our systems will be pretty much the same, and it should make it easier on the players.”
While at Troup, Flanigan led the Class 2A school to two playoff appearances in three seasons. He was a finalist for the top spot at Galveston Ball and was also considered for the job at Sterling when Danny Long left to become the athletic director at Tyler ISD.
“I have talked with some of the coaches from that district (19-4A), and they have all had great things to say about Crosby all the way down the list,” Flanigan said. “I have two children myself, and one of the top priorities has always been choosing a good school system for them.”
Flanigan knows what it takes to build a successful football program at the 2A and 3A levels, and making the jump to 4A doesn’t concern him.
“The biggest part of building a program is developing a relationship with the kids, and that has always been one of my main focuses,” Flanigan said. “Kids are kids regardless if they are 2A, 3A or 4A. We are going to try and gain their respect, and that will take time, but when we do that, they will play for us.”
Not only will Flanigan have the daunting task of continuing a successful football program, but also with the recent concerns swirling around the Crosby athletic program as a whole, he will need to prove that there is room for the growth of other sports.
“One of the first things that I will do is visit with the superintendent and spend time with him to address those concerns,” Flanigan said. “Once we establish those areas, I will be able to work on easing them. I realize I’m not just a football coach, but also the athletic director.
“I would like to visit with the parents and assure them I will take care of all the kids. I have two daughters, and so, as far as girls’ programs go, I know that is always a concern. I have that very high on my priority list. I’m going to work hard on that and every sport because I think we should teach our kids to be champions in every endeavor that they participate in, not just football. I hope to establish that here at Crosby.”
The board took the action at a specially called meeting Friday at the Crosby ISD administration building after several parents voiced concerns about the support of other athletic programs at Monday night’s meeting. The board organized a committee to interview the four leading candidates for the position, and it selected Flanigan as the best fit for Crosby.
“One of the things that helped the interviewing committee was the feeling that he (the new coach) should stay in the community for a while,” said Don Hendrix, CISD superintendent. “Flanigan has already been to town. He is looking for a house. He has little girls that will participate in the athletic program, so he is the type of person that fits our community real well.”
Flanigan led the Bobcats to a 23-20 record in four seasons as head coach after coming from Troup High School in 2000. Orangefield made the playoffs three of those four years including a bi-district championship last season.
“We wanted someone with a proven track record,” Hendrix said. “We weren’t going to hire someone that wasn’t successful. Kevin isn’t someone like Coach (Alan) Weddell; he is an up and comer. He has been able to compete in Orangefield with less talent.”
Weddell was the head coach at La Marque during their three consecutive state championship seasons from 1995 to 1997. Before leaving to join R.C. Slocum’s staff at Texas A&M in 1998, Weddell revitalized a struggling Cougars program and made the playoffs every season of his eight-year tenure there, including five consecutive state finals appearances.
“We had people come to the board meeting and say things like, ‘Oh, there are lots of rumors about this and that,’” Hendrix said. “We felt that, since there was this much public support, then we needed to give everybody a chance to interview. I took myself out because I was the one who interviewed Alan Weddell.
“I was doing the prescreening, and when his name came across the pipe, my thinking was, oh, my goodness. I’ve been a superintendent a long time, and I probably made a mistake and jumped the gun. It’s my fault for jumping the gun, but if you have ever talked to Alan, you find out not only is he a big-league coach, but a big-league person. Kevin Flanigan is a big-league person as well.”
Flanigan will replace Larry Haynes, who recently accepted the Aldine Eisenhower post. Flanigan worked with Haynes at Clear Lake and will bring a similar style of offense with him.
“Coach Haynes is a good friend of mine, and my biggest foundation as far as offense is under him,” Flanigan said. “Terminology and fundamentals from our systems will be pretty much the same, and it should make it easier on the players.”
While at Troup, Flanigan led the Class 2A school to two playoff appearances in three seasons. He was a finalist for the top spot at Galveston Ball and was also considered for the job at Sterling when Danny Long left to become the athletic director at Tyler ISD.
“I have talked with some of the coaches from that district (19-4A), and they have all had great things to say about Crosby all the way down the list,” Flanigan said. “I have two children myself, and one of the top priorities has always been choosing a good school system for them.”
Flanigan knows what it takes to build a successful football program at the 2A and 3A levels, and making the jump to 4A doesn’t concern him.
“The biggest part of building a program is developing a relationship with the kids, and that has always been one of my main focuses,” Flanigan said. “Kids are kids regardless if they are 2A, 3A or 4A. We are going to try and gain their respect, and that will take time, but when we do that, they will play for us.”
Not only will Flanigan have the daunting task of continuing a successful football program, but also with the recent concerns swirling around the Crosby athletic program as a whole, he will need to prove that there is room for the growth of other sports.
“One of the first things that I will do is visit with the superintendent and spend time with him to address those concerns,” Flanigan said. “Once we establish those areas, I will be able to work on easing them. I realize I’m not just a football coach, but also the athletic director.
“I would like to visit with the parents and assure them I will take care of all the kids. I have two daughters, and so, as far as girls’ programs go, I know that is always a concern. I have that very high on my priority list. I’m going to work hard on that and every sport because I think we should teach our kids to be champions in every endeavor that they participate in, not just football. I hope to establish that here at Crosby.”