Baseball: Permian's new coach has high hopes for program

Some coaches have trouble staying in one spot for very long.

As soon as they've built the pieces of a program into a solid winner, they leave that job and find a new construction project.

Frank Chumbley is one of those coaches.

And his next task is to build Permian High School's baseball program into a powerhouse.

 "I like a challenge," Chumbley said. "In my career, I've always been lucky enough to turn programs around."

Chumbley was hired earlier this month to replace Pete Southall, who took an assistant coaching job at Rockwall for family reasons at the end of June.

Chumbley decided to come to Permian after four years at Flower Mound Marcus, four years that produced three playoff appearances and a Coach of the Year award from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2005.

His resume includes many more accomplishments, including 16 playoff appearances with six teams and a 432-219 lifetime record.

And in 24 years as a baseball coach, Chumbley has never been an assistant.

Permian represents a new set of challenges, including a tough District 2-5A schedule.

But Chumbley doesn't know exactly what needs to be done at Permian. Not yet.

He won't know the specifics until he comes to Odessa.

Better to start with the basics.

"My philosophy has always been team-first, me-second," Chumbley said. "It can be hard because only nine guys play, but you have to find ways to keep everybody working toward a common goal."

Permian athletic coordinator Darren Allman first heard Chumbley's name through a few separate mutual acquaintances shortly after Southall resigned, and Allman was looking for a coach who could take Permian baseball to a new level.

The Panthers have reached the playoffs once in the last five years.

"Every place that he's been, he's gone into a place that wasn't necessarily struggling, but could go to another level, and he's created a culture," Allman said.

Creating a culture of winning is at the top of Chumbley's list of things he needs to set in motion.

Chumbley is using Allman's success with the football program as a marker.

"We need to sell kids on the idea that it's great to be a Panther," Chumbley said. "It's been that way in football, especially since Darren and his staff have revived the football program, but we've got to find a way to do it with baseball."

In this case, a revival isn't needed. A simple construction project will work just fine.

And Chumbley's not all that concerned with the past, anyway.

"I don't know what happened in the past," Chumbley said. "I just want to do what's best for the kids and start winning."