GAMES
RANKINGS
Crosby Hires New Athletic Director And Head Football Coach Joe Willis
Crosby, TX – The Crosby ISD Board of Trustees has approved the hiring of Coach Joe Willis as the next Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Crosby High School.
Coach Willis has a proven record. He is a State Champion who comes with 30 years of high school coaching experience in Texas, including 14 years as a head football coach. Coach Willis has coached in State Championship games twice in his career, winning a state title in 2012. That year, he led Cedar Park High School to the 4A State Championship. The team, under his direction, returned as a 5A State Finalist two years later.
Coach Willis and his teams have appeared in the playoffs 12 out of 14 seasons, for a career playoff record of 25-11. His overall coaching record is 113-62. Coach Willis was most recently the head football coach and athletic program coordinator at Tyler High School. He has been named coach of the year six times, including Dave Campbell’s Texas High School Football Coach of the Year in 2012.
Crosby ISD Superintendent, Mrs. Paula Patterson, would like to thank the 15 members of the community selection committee for their time interviewing candidates and making recommendations during the process.
“Coach Willis impressed us from the start. He knows how to lead a successful football program, and he knows how to win at the highest level. We are looking forward to the impact he will have on our players, academically and athletically. Coach Willis is known for high standards on the field and in the classroom. We can’t wait to see how the Crosby Athletic Program develops under his leadership once he hits the ground running.”
Coach Willis is excited about joining Crosby ISD and says, “I’ve always appreciated Crosby. It’s a dream destination for me. I want to build on the tradition and the success here. I want to be the kind of Athletic Director who helps the coaches and the kids of other programs so they can also achieve their goals as well. I’m really big on building mindset, and I believe, at my core, you have to build a physical brand. We’re going to be physical and fast. It & #39;s the end of May. There’s a lot of work to do and a lot of people to meet. I want to start building those relationships as soon as possible.”
Legendary Coach Gary Joseph, the five-time State Champion and Head Football Coach at Katy High School, says the Crosby Cougars have found an outstanding leader. “Coach Willis is a heck of a football coach and a better person,” Joseph said. “He’s going to do a great job leading the Crosby athletic program. They will be better for hiring him.”
Coach Willis and his wife Amber of 26 years are the proud parents of three children: Bradley, 19; Daniel, 15; and Malia, 14.
There will be a come-and-go meet and greet session for the Crosby and Barrett Station communities to get better acquainted with Coach Willis. The public is invited to stop by anytime between 6 to 7pm on Tuesday, May 23, at the Crosby High School cafeteria.
Curtain Call: Chicago-Bound Kay's Fond Memories of Crosby Theater
THEATER ARTS ARE AMONG THE MANY EXTRACURRICULARS CROSBY HIGH SCHOOL PLACES A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON, GIVEN THE FACT THAT IT GIVES SEVERAL COUGARS THE CHANCE TO SHINE UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT AND VENTURE OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONE.
One student in particular, senior Grace Kay, has created quite the presence on-stage. One in which she has developed through her experiences dating back to her childhood.
“I’ve been doing Theater since I was about eight years old,” said Kay. “My first show was actually at Crosby Theater with [Joseph] Blanchard. I remember when I was a kid, I would perform in the Christmas shows and plenty of others. So, I’ve always just been really passionate about it. At school, I was always really quiet, and Theater has been my outlet to be myself and perform.”
Kay has played significant roles in various Crosby shows, including her personal favorite “Godspell” during her freshman year, as well as the more recent production of “Annie”, in which Kay was the lead actress.
Given her background in the performing arts and her penchant for expressive creativity, it seems only fitting that Kay will be attending a school that fosters their students’ creative abilities – Columbia College in Chicago.
“I’m not entirely sure why the school spoke to me the way it did,” she said. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve just been drawn to northern cities and I really love the ‘hustle and bustle’ lifestyle of Chicago. I’m going to be studying Audio Arts because I love music and want to help create more of it by collaborating with other artists. That’s something I’ve picked up from Theater.”
Theater production is comparable to the functions of a clock.
It only works when all the parts work together in unison, which is exactly what Kay appreciates the most from her time in the Crosby program.
“Some of my favorite moments are when I did shows with everyone,” Kay said. “It’s really fun...not even the performing part. I would say it’s just preparing with everyone and getting everything together for the shows we would put on.”
Despite the fact that the “quiet girl,” who turned out to be a star on the stage, will be moving up north in the coming months, she will always have a soft place for Crosby.
“I will definitely miss the ‘small-town’ community of Crosby,” said Kay. “That’s obviously something Chicago can’t offer, so I’m going to miss the fact that people care deeply about each other and what goes on in the town. That kind of unity can be really hard to find and that’s why being in Crosby was so special to me.”