MINEOLA, Texas — In a surprising move just before Texas high school football kicks off, Mineola ISD has made a change at head coach.
According to the district, Aaron Slider will take over as head football coach for the Yellowjackets. Former head football coach Luke Blackwell will continue to serve the district as athletic director.
Superintendent Cody Mize released the following statement on the reasoning behind the change:
"At the end of last school year, Coach Blackwell and I had the opportunity to meet to discuss the direction of our Athletic Program and his future within Mineola ISD. As many in our community know, the past two years have been extremely challenging for their family in regard to their son's health issues. The physical, mental, and emotional toil that a football season takes on coaches and their families is a tremendous challenge and that challenge is compounded when your team at home needs dad more than ever.
After several more conversations and evaluating our options within the District, we agreed to reassign Coach Aaron Slider to the position of Head Football Coach at Mineola High School. Coach Slider served as the Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator during the 2022-2023 season. Coach Slider is entering his 29th year in the coaching profession with his last five being in Mineola ISD. During his career, he has coached at Maud, Redwater, Cooper, Canton, Jefferson, Greenville, and Eustace.
Coach Blackwell will continue to serve the District in his current role as Athletic Director. Coach Blackwell is entering into his 21st year in public education and 16th year in Mineola ISD. We are very thankful for Coach Blackwell's continued leadership in our athletic program. The success in our athletic program speaks volumes to the type of staff and students that he has had the ability to make an impact on. We are also thankful that because of the quality of coaching staff that we have assigned to our football program, we can assign Coach Slider to the role of Head Football Coach and never miss a beat within this program."
Coach Blackwell also released a statement in regards to the role.
"Aaron Slider is an unbelievable football coach and terrific role model for our young men in Mineola. He has been an instrumental asset to our coaching staff and football program throughout the past four years, and I am confident that he will continue to elevate our football program into the future and serve the district of Mineola to the fullest."
Practice for the 2023 Texas high school football season begins Monday, July 31.