Hometown News For Orange County, Texas
Hiawatha Hickman is the nominee to become the fourth Athletic Director/Head Football Coach in West Orange-Stark history.
West Orange-Cove school district superintendent Dr. Rickie Harris announced Thursday he will recommend the hiring of Hickman, the Mustangs' defensive line coach and girls' track coach the past six years, at the Monday, Jan. 24 school board meeting.
Cornel Thompson, who spent 46 years as a teacher and coach in the West Orange district, retired in December after a decade as AD and head football coach.
"We are grateful to Coach T for his many years of exemplary leadership," Harris said of Thompson, whose teams won back-to-back state championships in 2015 and 2016 and were twice title game runnersup.
"He has left an incredible foundation upon which a forthcoming athletic director can build upon in the years to come."
Hickman, 45, is a native of Silsbee who went on to play football for McMurry University. He has been serving as assistant high school principal at WOS. He was Silsbee High's defensive coordinator for a decade prior to joining Thompson's staff in 2016.
Earlier that year, he was a finalist for the head coaching job at Beaumont Ozen.
Besides a bachelor's degree from McMurry, a private Methodist college in Abilene, Texas, Hickman has a master's in education from Lamar University. He has been a teacher and coach for 22 years.
"I have a passion and enthusiasm for coaching and teaching," Hickman said in a statement issued by the district Thursday that trumpeted his selection.
"Winning is a product of mutual hard work from staff and players."
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