By BRAD KEITH
TheFlashToday.com
HICO (February 20, 2017) — Hico ISD trustees voted unanimously Monday to make official the hiring of Randy Thornton as athletic director and head football coach.
Thornton, a Stephenville native and member of the 1993 and 1994 Yellow Jacket state championship teams, is leaving Santo, with his first day at Hico set for Monday, March 20.
“I don’t know that this is ever an easy process for anyone involved. Santo has been very good to my family and I, but when this job came open we kind of kicked the tires on it a little bit and there were some things that were real exciting about it,” said Thornton. “I talked to the hiring committee and the more I learned it just seemed like a great opportunity and a great fit, something we felt as a family would be good for us.”
Thornton spent 10 seasons leading Santo to four playoff trips including the 2A Division II state quarterfinals in 2014. He was previously defensive coordinator at Midlothian and also coached at Springtown.
“His years of experience set him apart, and I know his superintendent so I was able to talk frankly with him and learn a lot about Coach Thornton,” said Hico superintendent Jon Hartgraves of selecting him from a pool of 154 applicants. “I know he’s a great guy and I know how he treats kids, and that’s real important to us.”
That sentiment was echoed by Hico ISD school board president Keith Broumley immediately following the unanimous vote of approval.
“I would like to say we here at Hico are proud of our superintendent, our administration, our teachers, our staff and students and the entire district, and we’re proud to have you as an addition,” Broumley said. “This board always looks to the success of our kids in life after they leave here, and that said, I’ve hard you are a great coach and man for that, so we’re happy to welcome you to Hico.”
Thornton says he has long been fond of Hico.
“Growing up in the area, I’ve probably driven through Hico hundreds of times in my life, and I’ve always loved the community and thought it was full of great people,” Thornton said. “Most importantly, I think it’s a great place for my kids to go to school, and that was huge in our decision to come here.”
Thornton said he appreciates his decade in Santo preparing him what lies ahead at Hico.
“I’ve been very fortunate and blessed, and I have to give a lot of the credit for that to the kids at Santo and to my administration and coaching staff there,” he said. “We were fortunate to have some success, and that no doubt helped me land this position. I’m forever grateful for that.”
Thornton is a disciple of the triple-option offense.
“I’m a pretty diehard triple-option guy. It’s an offense we’ve invested years in learning and becoming comfortable with, and seeing Hico on film, I believe there are some great kids here to fit into that system,” he said. “But nothing is concrete, I have to meet the kids and see what they can do, and then we’ll adjust that system to their strengths. But the ceiling is very high here.”
Thornton replaces Keith Wood, who resigned in December after nine years as athletic director and head football coach and 21 total years at Hico ISD. He led the Tigers to three district titles and trips to the 2A Division I semifinals and quarterfinals the last five years.
“It was a long, drawn out process, but we were being careful,” said Hartgraves. “We took our time and wanted to make sure we hired a quality guy, and I believe we did.”
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