Funk-d-fied
05-18-2007, 08:13 AM
Shipley withdraws from pool of finalists
BY CHRIS GOVE and SAM WALLER
May 16, 2007 - 11:11PM
Bob Shipley, one of eight finalists named last month for the vacant ECISD executive director of athletics position, withdrew his name from consideration Wednesday.
The head coach and athletics director at Class 4A Burnet High School in the Austin area, Shipley pulled his name out of the running one day after ECISD superintendent Wendell Sollis opted not to recommend a candidate at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
“After the board meeting (Tuesday) night, it’s obvious I’m not the guy or they would’ve hired me,” Shipley said. “Knowing that, it was easy for me just to go ahead and pull my name out of there and be able to give my full attention to the athletic program (in Burnet) and end any speculation that I might be leaving.”
Gilbert Vasquez, the ECISD’s director of human resources, said he had received Shipley’s withdrawal but that he had no knowledge that any other applicant or finalist had pulled out of the running for the job.
Vasquez also said the position will continue to be advertised on the ECISD’s job board until it is filled.
Of the seven remaining finalists who were previously named by Sollis and a selection committee April 26, four have current ECISD ties — Tracey Borchardt, Bruce Davis, Ron Leach and Todd Vesely.
Borchardt is Odessa High’s girls athletics coordinator and head coach for girls cross country and track and field; Davis is Permian’s principal; Leach is Odessa High’s principal; and Vesely is Permian’s boys gymnastics coach and athletic coordinator for the school’s girls sports and dual sports.
Other finalists are: Benny Granger, Ozona athletic director and head football coach; Arcadio Rivera, Monahans head baseball coach and assistant football coach; and Michael Stephens, Pasadena ISD assistant athletic director.
Sollis said Tuesday he had intended to present former Permian football coach Randy Mayes to the school board, but Mayes declined the offer. Mayes had applied for the job, but was not one of the eight finalists named by the selection committee.
After coaching the Flower Mound Marcus football team from 2001-2006, Mayes now serves in the Lewisville ISD as assistant to the athletic director, coordinator for physical education and head of the drug awareness task force.
Mayes said his gut instinct was to move back to Odessa but that he changed his mind because of family considerations. Oldest daughter Katie attends Texas Tech, but middle daughter Kallie is a junior at Marcus and youngest daughter Kyndall is a second-grade student.
“In the end, I decided after a family meeting that I probably did not want to do the job long-distance for a year,” Mayes said. “The issue was really with the kids still at home, especially the junior in high school. I wasn’t going to ask Kallie to change high schools at this late date.
“If I accepted the job, I was going to do the job long-distance and try to get home every other weekend or something like that. I coached there 20 years. I don’t know how feasible saying that is during football season.”
The position has been vacant since Jan. 22, when Gary Gaines resigned to take a similar position in Lubbock.
Sollis said he continues to consult with Gaines in the hiring process and is considering many different options at this stage.
“I am going to check other districts as far as their organizations and possibly look at reorganizing our athletic office,” Sollis said. “For example, maybe we should add some assistant athletic directors because of the large number of participation in girls sports and boys sports. Maybe one athletic director is not enough.
“Meanwhile, I’ll continue to network. I’ll continue to use our head coaches/campus coordinators (and) our athletic office personnel.”
BY CHRIS GOVE and SAM WALLER
May 16, 2007 - 11:11PM
Bob Shipley, one of eight finalists named last month for the vacant ECISD executive director of athletics position, withdrew his name from consideration Wednesday.
The head coach and athletics director at Class 4A Burnet High School in the Austin area, Shipley pulled his name out of the running one day after ECISD superintendent Wendell Sollis opted not to recommend a candidate at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
“After the board meeting (Tuesday) night, it’s obvious I’m not the guy or they would’ve hired me,” Shipley said. “Knowing that, it was easy for me just to go ahead and pull my name out of there and be able to give my full attention to the athletic program (in Burnet) and end any speculation that I might be leaving.”
Gilbert Vasquez, the ECISD’s director of human resources, said he had received Shipley’s withdrawal but that he had no knowledge that any other applicant or finalist had pulled out of the running for the job.
Vasquez also said the position will continue to be advertised on the ECISD’s job board until it is filled.
Of the seven remaining finalists who were previously named by Sollis and a selection committee April 26, four have current ECISD ties — Tracey Borchardt, Bruce Davis, Ron Leach and Todd Vesely.
Borchardt is Odessa High’s girls athletics coordinator and head coach for girls cross country and track and field; Davis is Permian’s principal; Leach is Odessa High’s principal; and Vesely is Permian’s boys gymnastics coach and athletic coordinator for the school’s girls sports and dual sports.
Other finalists are: Benny Granger, Ozona athletic director and head football coach; Arcadio Rivera, Monahans head baseball coach and assistant football coach; and Michael Stephens, Pasadena ISD assistant athletic director.
Sollis said Tuesday he had intended to present former Permian football coach Randy Mayes to the school board, but Mayes declined the offer. Mayes had applied for the job, but was not one of the eight finalists named by the selection committee.
After coaching the Flower Mound Marcus football team from 2001-2006, Mayes now serves in the Lewisville ISD as assistant to the athletic director, coordinator for physical education and head of the drug awareness task force.
Mayes said his gut instinct was to move back to Odessa but that he changed his mind because of family considerations. Oldest daughter Katie attends Texas Tech, but middle daughter Kallie is a junior at Marcus and youngest daughter Kyndall is a second-grade student.
“In the end, I decided after a family meeting that I probably did not want to do the job long-distance for a year,” Mayes said. “The issue was really with the kids still at home, especially the junior in high school. I wasn’t going to ask Kallie to change high schools at this late date.
“If I accepted the job, I was going to do the job long-distance and try to get home every other weekend or something like that. I coached there 20 years. I don’t know how feasible saying that is during football season.”
The position has been vacant since Jan. 22, when Gary Gaines resigned to take a similar position in Lubbock.
Sollis said he continues to consult with Gaines in the hiring process and is considering many different options at this stage.
“I am going to check other districts as far as their organizations and possibly look at reorganizing our athletic office,” Sollis said. “For example, maybe we should add some assistant athletic directors because of the large number of participation in girls sports and boys sports. Maybe one athletic director is not enough.
“Meanwhile, I’ll continue to network. I’ll continue to use our head coaches/campus coordinators (and) our athletic office personnel.”