Rusk receives 94 applications for head coaching position

Applicants include college, upper-level high school head coaches

BY LELAND ACKER

Rusk ISD Superintendent Dr. James Largent hopes to have a new athletic director/head football coach named by March 10. With the number of applications pouring in, it looks like he may get his wish.

“We’ll be accepting applications through Tuesday and will be interviewing applicants from Feb. 26 to March 7,” he said. “We hope to bring a recommendation to the board by March 10.”

Dr. Largent said 94 people have applied for the position.

“There’s been a lot of interest,” he said. “I knew we’d have a lot of applications, but I didn’t know how many.”

Dr. Largent said the applications range from coaches from smaller school districts all the way up to college head football coaches.

“We have the full gamut,” he said. “We’ve received applications from college assistants, head coaches at smaller colleges, head coaches and coordinators from larger and smaller schools.”

Next week, Dr. Largent said Rusk ISD administration will begin reviewing the applications.

“We look at where they have been, the positions they’ve held and the quality of the programs they have worked with. We also look at their record as a coordinator or head coach.”

Dr. Largent said the administration will also look for red flags.

“Red flags are things like abrupt departures,” he said. “We also check references.

“The main thing (we look at) is the success of the programs they have worked with and who they have worked for.”

Dr. Largent said he hopes to make a recommendation to the board March 10.