Football: Permian assistant Flores missing from Fort Stockton finalists

Joe Flores has plenty of ties to Fort Stockton.

For three years, Flores worked as the Panthers' head basketball coach and an assistant football coach on the staff of Tom Howard, who resigned in May to take an administrative position in Granbury.

Flores, who doubles as a tight ends coach and an assistant basketball coach for Permian, applied for a return trip to take over as the head football coach.

But he won't be going back any time soon. Despite the fact that Fort Stockton has interviewed eight candidates for the job, Flores was not asked to interview.

"I would have enjoyed going back to Fort Stockton, but I love coaching here at Permian," Flores said.

Fort Stockton board president Ken Ripley said the school district would like to make a hire as early as Monday or Tuesday.

Before a hire can be made, though, the Fort Stockton ISD has to finish finding the top candidate from its short list.

Fort Stockton plans to interview six applicants, according to interim superintendent Ralph Traynham.

Six school board members and Traynham are conducting the interviews, which included an interview Tuesday, two on Thursday and two to three more are scheduled for Monday.

"It's kind of a broad makeup," Traynham said. "There's really not too many who are head coaches right now. I was concerned with the quality we would get because of how late (in the year) this is, but it's very good."

Traynham said one present head coach and one former head coach have applied for the job, but declined to name the applicants. Traynham said Thursday he would fax the list of applicants to fulfill a Freedom of Information request by the Odessa American, but had not as of deadline.

Before Flores took over the basketball program at Fort Stockton, the Panthers struggled. Fort Stockton only collected five wins the year before Flores was hired.

Flores led the Panthers to a 13-win season his first year. Fort Stockton made the playoffs in his second season.

And in the third, Flores led Fort Stockton to a district title.

Perhaps the resume of the Panthers' product is too rooted in basketball, but he has plenty of football experience.

Pecos gave Flores his first coaching job in 1999. He was hired to coach the defensive line.

After three years, Pecos hired Flores to lead the basketball team, and he turned a team that only won two games into a 12-game winner in his first year.

"I love coaching both football and basketball," Flores said. "I've always told myself that I'd be a coach for whatever opportunity came up that I felt I could do."

Flores came to Permian to take advantage of an opportunity.

Being the head football coach at Fort Stockton would have been another opportunity.