It’s Winder

Stephenville offensive coordinator named lone finalist for head coach position

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By BRAD KEITH

Photo/Graphic by RUSSELL HUFFMAN

TheFlashToday.com NEWS & SPORTS – FREE & LOCAL

Editor’s note: The Flash Today was going to hold this story until noon, but statewide media are already Tweeting about it.

Note 2: Flash Sports Editor Brad Keith is working from Allen this weekend to cover the Lone Star Conference Basketball Championship. This is why the dateline for this story may seem confusing. He has worked various sources by phone for this story, and The Flash will have reporter Travis Smith on site and live Tweeting from the school board meeting. Follow @travis5mith and @theflashsports for up to the moment coverage.

ALLEN (March 6, 2015) — Multiple sources familiar with the hiring process have informed The Flash Today that Greg Winder is about to presented to trustees as the lone finalist to be the next head coach of Stephenville football.

Stephenville offensive coordinator Greg Winder, left, is a school board vote away from being promoted to head coach. He is being presented now to school trustees as the lone finalist for the position left vacant by Joseph Gillespie, also pictured. || Photo and graphic by RUSSELL HUFFMAN
Stephenville offensive coordinator Greg Winder, left, is a school board vote away from being promoted to head coach. He is being presented now to school trustees as the lone finalist for the position left vacant by Joseph Gillespie, also pictured. || Photo and graphic by RUSSELL HUFFMAN

Winder has been offensive coordinator at Stephenville since 2008, when Joseph Gillespie was promoted to head coach. After a state championship and six quarterfinal appearances in seven seasons, Gillespie left Stephenville on January 23 to become linebackers coach at the University of Tulsa.

Winder was the architect of the Stephenville offense that overpowered all of what was then 3A Division I in 2012, when the Yellow Jackets set the record for points in a state championship game with 70. His offense averaged 531 yards and 45.6 points per game last fall, when Stephenville reached the quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year.


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The school board has the final say in all hiring matters, and is gathering for a called meeting right now (noon Friday) in the “large meeting room” inside the SISD administration building.

Superintendent Matt Underwood declined to comment regarding Winder or other finalists that were interviewed for the position until after the meeting. Members of the search committee also declined to comment, citing a confidentiality agreement they all signed before interviews began on Tuesday.

Underwood did offer the following statement Tuesday afternoon: “We are excited and feel like we are heading in a good direction.” He also confirmed the search committee included two school board members.


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Board members will also be considering a possible split of the athletic director and head coach duties, an issue Underwood supports. Mike Carroll is currently interim athletic director and has been assistant athletic director – in addition to duties as head athletic trainer – since 2008.

Eight candidates were interviewed for the coaching post, six on Tuesday and two Wednesday. Committee members reviewed applications and selected five candidates to interview, with Winder automatically garnering an interview thanks to his experience at Stephenville and the vocal support of the current coaching staff. The remaining two candidates, labeled by Underwood as “wildcards,” did not initially apply but were requested for interview by committee members or the superintendent.


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