Lee Martinez was named the Goose Creek Consolidated ISD athletic director… in an unprecedented year of a pandemic.

But maybe that's a good thing. Martinez was an assistant AD at GCCISD for two years before being named the AD in early September.

"It's a challenge don't get me wrong," he said. "Other ADs in the past were able to lean on the AD who was leaving. I learned a ton from Dr. Bernie (Mulvaney) but he's taking another position and has his own job to do.

"But what is so different about this situation is that it's new for all ADs in Houston and across the state. We are ALL working together. We are all giving each other advice like – how to handle volleyball or JV football or junior high athletics? We are learning from each other."

Martinez has had an interesting path to this post. He played and then coached at Milby High School. He then coached football and baseball at Galena Park and North Shore High School, winning a few state titles along the way.

"When I was a player, I knew I always wanted to coach," he said. "It was just on my heart. When I became a coach and saw people like Ed Warken running Galena Park ISD, I knew I wanted to be an AD. I learned a lot from him, and he persuaded me to get my Masters."

"What better job can you have? You are around athletics and kids and get to mentor coaches. It's perfect."

Martinez will begin to put his stamp on the district in due time. For now, he's just holding on for the ride.

"This comes with the job," he said. "You never know what is going to come up and we've never had to deal with anything like a pandemic before. But I'm thrilled to be here and can't wait to see what the future holds."