Search on for coach
By JIMMY GALVAN

Look on the Jasper Independent School District website under job opportunities and you'll find the superintendent's post is still available. Now, you can add athletic director to that list as well.

Danny Lauve has accepted a position with the Elgin Independent School District as its athletic director and head football coach.

Lauve was given the position Wednesday, Jan. 31 at a meeting of the Elgin ISD board of trustees.

"We hate to see him go but we wish him the best," said Jasper Independent School District's Human Resource Director Chris Coleman. "He did a tremendous job here and we are very appreciative of everything he did here."

Interim Superintendent Butch Dean said Lauve had notified Coleman a couple of weeks ago that this position might be offered to him.

Bill Graves, superintendent for Elgin ISD, confirmed Thursday, Feb. 1, that the position was offered and accepted by Lauve to become the head coach of the Class 4AWildcats.

"Our board of education voted unanimously to offer him the job for the next two years and he agreed to accept the position," Graves said.

Graves said he doesn't know when Lauve will be freed from his duties with Jasper ISD.

Lauve's last day with Jasper ISD was Friday, Feb. 2 as he left for Elgin to check into the housing situation.

Graves confirmed that Lauve was "recruited" to apply for the position and his selection was made from more than 117 who applied for the post.

"We narrowed the list down to 11 and a committee of nine interviewed those finalists," Graves said. "When we finished the interviews, (Lauve) was the unanimous selection for the position.

"He has a great record and even though Jasper had a tough record this past year, we understand that hurricanes can do that for schools," Graves said. "We just think we are just getting a terrific person and a great coach."

Lauve will replace Darrin Bickham, who resigned from the position to accept a principal's job with the school district. Last year, the Wildcats finished 8-3 and earned a playoff berth with a strong sophomore squad.

"We would have loved for (Bickham) to stay but he applied for the principal's position and he was moved there," Graves said. "We are getting the best of both worlds - we were able to keep a great guy in the district and go out and find an outstanding fellow who will do a great job for us as our athletic director and head football coach."

Playing in the heart of the Austin area and competitive school districts, Lauve will face a challenge of keeping Elgin in the playoffs again next year.

"Even with a good squad coming back, it won't be a walk in the park," Graves said. "We're not a large Class 4A school but we are growing rapidly and I think this is going to be an attractive position for some time."

Coleman said the district is in its "planning stages of its planning stages" of the search for a replacement for Lauve.

"We need to take some time and survey our program," Coleman said. "I don't think there is anything wrong with our program right now. Our athletic program is very strong and has proven itself to be that over the past number of years."