Lewisville ISD’s Board of Trustees announced today that Gerry Stanford will be the football head coach and boys athletic coordinator of Marcus High School.
Stanford will fill the shoes of former head coach Bryan Erwin, who stepped down in December after seven seasons to take a management position in the construction industry.
Stanford, who has nearly 10 years experience coaching at the Texas Class 5A level, comes to Marcus after three years at 2A White Oak High School, where he served as athletic director (AD) and football head coach – leading his squad to the 2013 state semifinals.
“This is an exciting time and I’m ready to get to work,” Stanford said. “I want to put the kids in a position to be successful and build a family atmosphere.”
Stanford, whose official first day will be Feb. 24, takes over a MHS program that won the 5A Division II state title in 1997 and reached the championship game in 1995. He spent eight years at 5A L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas, where he served as play-caller, recruiting/academic coordinator and history teacher. Stanford coached quarterbacks and wide receivers, helping lead the team to four playoff appearances (2006-08, 2010). He also earned a distinguished teacher award.
“We are extremely excited to introduce Gerry Stanford to our Marcus staff, students and parents,” MHS Principal Gary Shafferman said. “He has impressed me as a student of the game of football and his passion for all our student-athletes. We are looking forward to him and his staff carrying on the traditions of Marcus.”
As AD/head coach at White Oak, Stanford guided the first 10-win season in 42 years (2013) and a overall 22-5 winning record the last two years. Under his leadership, White Oak also won playoff games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 42 years (2012-13). A bi-district victory in 2012 was White Oak’s first in 14 seasons. Stanford was named District 9-2A’s coach of the year in both 2012 and 2013, guiding a district crown in 2012. His 2013 team garnered the school’s first football state ranking in more than 50 years, climbing as high as No. 1 in Week 15. They also won the 2011-12 University Interscholastic League Class 2A Lone Star Cup championship, given annually to the top athletic and academic program in the state.
This past season, Stanford’s team went on an eight-game winning streak before falling 24-21 to eventual 2A Division I state champion Cameron Yoe at Allen High School’s Eagle Stadium.
Stanford has the approval of his peers, including legendary head coach Jim Bennett, who spent 28 years at 5A Irving High School before retiring in 2012, and quarterback guru Matt Tittle, who has a combined 11 years coaching experience at MHS, 5A Denton Ryan and 3A Argyle.
“Gerry Stanford is one of the best young coaches in the state,” Bennett said. “He’s fiery, smart and knows what he’s doing. This is one heck of a hire for Marcus High School and Lewisville ISD.”
Stanford oversaw two 2A basketball state championships (2012-13) at White Oak and a pair of state-tournament volleyball appearances (2012-13). White Oak also achieved a tennis doubles team state crown in 2013.
“I am excited for the Marcus community. Gerry Stanford is a young guy with a lot of energy,” Tittle added. “He’ll bring a lot of enthusiasm and knowledge to the program.”
He was named a head coach of the 2014 Fellowship of Christian Athletes Heart of a Champion Bowl after serving as a coach in 2013 for the showcase, which features more than 100 Texas high school seniors.
Prior to his experience in White Oak, Stanford spent the 2002-03 school year as quarterbacks coach for 5A Grapevine High School after being the offensive coordinator at Grapevine Faith Christian School, a Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) program, from 1999-2002.
Stanford, a native of Colleyville, Texas, and graduate of Grapevine High School, holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of North Texas. He and his wife, Casey, have two children, four-year-old daughter Peyton Grace and one-year-old son Tate.
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