By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Porter High School will soon be looking for a new athletic coordinator and head football coach.
Tom Campos tendered his resignation to the Brownsville Independent School District on Thursday, confirmed by BISD Public Information Officer Drue Brown via phone who said the school district had received a letter.
Campos has been at Porter for the last four years. He was the athletic coordinator and head football coach at Hanna High School prior to his present tenure.
The Cowboys’ coach has decided to pursue an opportunity outside education and athletics with the U.S. government within the Customs department. Campos will begin training for his new position on Dec. 26.
“It was the perfect opportunity at the right time,” he said. “For what I envisioned my family life, my career going forward, it wasn’t a hard decision because I have a passion in this other area in my life.”
Campos spoke with his coaches and players after school Wednesday to let them know of his decision. There was a mixture of emotions all around.
“It was quite a shock to the guys,” he said. “I told them how proud I was for what we’ve accomplished in four years at Porter.
“It’s a great place to end my career.”
Campos was named last year’s All-Metro Coach of the Year after leading Porter to its first postseason appearance in nearly a decade. His last season with the Cowboys wasn’t as kind as they endured a winless season. But Campos said that wasn’t a factor in the career change. The coach said the move was something he had been thinking about for some time.
While he was excited to pursue his passion for his new career opportunity, his other love will be put on hold for the time being.
“It’s been a part of my life for 25 years,” Campos said regarding football. “I started playing at 10 years old and I’ve been playing or coaching it (ever since). This will be a strange first year.”
But it wasn’t a tough decision to walk away from the sideline. Campos said it was what was best for his family.
“Your goals change in life,” he said. “I was a single guy going through the coaching ranks. My goal was to be an athletic coordinator and a head coach; I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way. Now I’m a family guy … a father of three. Your priorities change.”
The district will open the position in the next few days, and Campos said an interim would be named shortly to finish the school year.
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.