Crosby considers coaches, band, buildings

La Marque’s Alan Weddell top candidate of four applicants


CROSBY – A packed school board meeting last Monday was a mix of expression of gratitude and concern.

The CISD School board heard from citizen’s concerns, reviewed the budgets, approved Bond Proceeds invoices for over $3 M., approved a resolution authorizing a loan at Crosby State Bank for operational expenses if necessary, discussed TAKS Scores, passed a change to the Drew Intermediate starting time and went into session to talk about hiring a new coach.

The official report from the local school board here will announce the new Athletic Director on Friday, June 25 from the list of four candidates but sources outside the district indicate that Alan Weddell is the top candidate for the position.

Alan Weddell is one of the most successful head coaches in Texas high school football history. He lead La Margue to three consecutive Class 4A state championships, compiling a 103 –13 record while winning six district crowns.

During the citizen’s hearing portion of the board meeting on June 21, three local youth league soccer coaches stepped up to plead to hire a coach that was less engrossed in football and more attuned to soccer. A senior at Crosby High School essentially blamed the board for the resignation of Nick Luggerio “due to the gutting of the band program.”

During the meeting the board approved $15,000 for new band instruments that had not been requested by the former Band Director.

Initially, the board room was packed with Crosby Band Boosters, youth league coaches and as well as the usual suspects to hear the action of the board. A Proclamation of the actions of Pam Johnson and her aids in producing Project Graduation through massive effort started the meeting on a positive note that would sour as the song played.

Chris Claunch endorsed Eisenhower Principal and former Crosby Defensive Football Coach Joe Berezoski as enabled to diversify athletic emphasis. Claunch expressed concern that the rumored coach might have other problems and that a winning history in football should not be a sole criteria for hiring.

Other speakers on the topic expressed concern that the previous coaches had not put adequate emphasis on girls sports and critiqued the “stripping” of other sports programs including soccer.

The Crosby Soccer teams included a Bi-District championship by the girls and the boys finished in fourth place.

The application deadline is Thursday night for the hiring of the new Athletic Director position. The post became vacant when Larry Haynes resigned to travel to Aldine Eisenhower. La Marque was the team that truncated Crosby’s play-off effort, 69–14 under Haynes after a 8-4 season. Crosby has had a labile recent history in football. In 2000 the Cougars went to the Astro Dome to be defeated by La Marque. In 2001 Jimmy Dickie resigned after a 1–9 season. The reporters in 2002 saw the Cougars go 6-4.

Weddell has an opposite approach to offense as has been employed by the Cougars under Haynes. As Kellen Haynes (son of the former head coach) and Phillip Beck have graduated, the air war may become something of the past. Weddell stresses a strong running game with multiple attack modes. Weddell was Texas A&M University’s linebackers’s coach from 1998 through the end of 2002 and certainly knows defensive strategy.

Superintendant Don Hendrix had expressed that there was no discussion of changing from a Millitary Marching Band program and now the school is seeking applicants for the new position.