LOCKPORT — Lockport Fulton will have a new coach next season, and he'll have a familiar last name.
Eric Souza, former star quarterback at Beeville and son of veteran Coastal Bend head coach Chris Souza, announced the unanimous decision during a special board meeting Tuesday at the Live Oak Learning Center. He was officially hired as the Pirates' next head coach after a vote.
Eric Souza, who also played at the University of Texas at San Antonio and was an assistant coach at Beeville, will take over the Lockport-Fulton program from Jacob Bible, who resigned after one season earlier this spring. Souza will be the Pirates program's third head coach in three seasons.
Souza, 33, has served as offensive coordinator and men's track coach alongside his father at Beeville for the past five seasons. This will be Souza's first job as head football coach.
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“I'm a little overwhelmed right now,” Souza said after the board meeting. “It was incredible to see all the support that came out here. To see the trust that the board has in me… the interview committee has in me… how many athletes are here. , to see how many parents are here and smiling,' ready to embark on this journey with me on their faces. ”
The search committee was made up of nine members of the school district, including new superintendent Leslie Austin, and two trustees, and Austin said they cooperated with community input.
Lockport-Fulton ISD said the committee was heavily influenced by a community survey of what it wanted in a new athletic director. Austin, who started the job in early April, reiterated just before the board's vote how important the community survey was in hiring Souza.
“That was huge. And what I loved about this meeting was that it gave us a chance to really find out what the community generally wants from our staff.” Austin said after the meeting. “I also felt like I was able to get to know the committee better and know exactly what they were looking for in an athletic director.”
Ninety-seven people applied, and the committee narrowed it down to 10 after conducting interviews late last week. Those 10 were paired up with three more people and interviewed on Monday before Souza was formally invited to join the board. It has not been revealed who the final three candidates are.
“You know, we had a lot of great candidates, and I want to talk about what I think about how Coach Souza, who is estranged, interacts with individuals,” Austin said. “Whether it's our coaches, our student-athletes, our committee, he understands South Texas football and not only what we're looking for in our surveys, but also the athletic director. “I knew he knew what we were looking for.'' He exuded that in the interview. ”
Souza said his offense will be multi-slot T, and defensive adjustments will be up to the personnel of the Lockport-Fulton program. But beyond that, Souza was ready to embark on the next part of his career, officially signing the contract after the ceremony. His salary has not been disclosed.
“This is Lockport. It's a beautiful city. It's an incredible community, there's incredible support, and the facilities are getting better every day,” Souza said. “But I think the biggest thing was meeting the kids… being in the same district as Lockport-Fulton and seeing the kids competing in all the competitions and being a part of it. I wanted to.”
