Kirkland Named Lehman Head Football Coach

“We are all impressed with his coaching and leadership qualifications, as well as his passion for character development. He is going to be an outstanding addition to our Lobo family!”

Lehman High School Principal Denisha Presley announced Thursday that Joshua Kirkland will be the new head football coach and the athletic coordinator for the campus and the middle schools that feed into Lehman. He was selected from a pool of 75 applicants.

“I am excited to be the first to welcome Coach Kirkland to Hays CISD and Lehman High School,” said Presley. “We are all impressed with his coaching and leadership qualifications, as well as his passion for character development. He is going to be an outstanding addition to our Lobo family!”

Kirkland is currently the head football coach and athletic coordinator at Parkland High School in El Paso.

“We have worked collaboratively to make enormous strides in just one calendar year [at Parkland High School]: an 8-4 record in football, girls’ softball area championship, track district championship and many other amazing accomplishments,” said Coach Kirkland in his cover letter.

“In an amazing show of brotherhood, through our leadership and character building sessions and boot camp, the players have taken ownership of our team. It is my goal to build a program that belongs to the students: one in which they take ownership,” Said Kirland.

Coach Kirkland describes himself as an educational leader through athletics who emphasizes character building.

“My philosophy of structure and discipline can help the Lobos roar, restore, and surpass the prestige and tradition that is Lehman Football,” said Coach Kirkland. “It is my belief if you reach a student’s heart, and focus on character and the integrity, then wins will follow on the field.”

In addition to Parkland High School, Kirkland has also coached at high schools in Bryan and Houston, Texas, as well as in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“Mr. Kirkland is a known leader with proven skills in the rebranding of athletic programs, creating partnerships between the school district and national corporate sponsors, and leading students in academic and character achievement,” said Hays CISD Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Elaine Howard.

Coach Kirkland holds a Bachelor of Science in Sports and Exercise Science from West Texas A&M University and a Master of Arts in Education, with a specialty in Teacher Leadership and Coaching from Grand Canyon University.

The Board of Trustees approved hiring Coach Kirkland at a special meeting May 3, 2017. He, his wife Marina, and two sons, Kash and Krew, are thrilled to join the Lobo Nation and the greater Hays CISD community. His official start date at Lehman High School has not yet been determined. Once he arrives, the campus will coordinate opportunities for parents and students to meet their new coach.