Bryan Hill had a strong attachment to Abilene Wylie, and he expressed that there were very few opportunities in West Texas that would have convinced him to leave. However, the chance to work at Greenwood was one that he simply couldn’t pass up. On Wednesday, Hill was officially announced as the new athletic director and head football coach for Greenwood ISD, marking an exciting new chapter in his coaching career.
Rusty Purser, the former head coach for the Greenwood Rangers, resigned from his position in January after an impressive four-season run. During his tenure, the Rangers earned a 30-16 record and made four playoff appearances. Purser has since taken on an administrative job at Midlothian ISD, leaving behind big shoes to fill for Hill, who has now taken on the role of athletic director and head football coach for Greenwood ISD.
“Why are you interested in the Greenwood job?” – This is what Hill was asked when he expressed his interest in the position, Hill said, “I think the question is, why not Greenwood?
“It’s a phenomenal reputation,” he added. “Being in West Texas, the kids are going to be hard working, they’re going to be disciplined and just a reputation as a perennial contender. It’s a fantastic opportunity for me and my family and I couldn’t be more excited to be the next athletic director and head football coach at Greenwood.”
Bryan Hill, who is 36 years old, hails from Llano and is a graduate of the University of Texas. For 12 years, Hill worked in coaching, spending nine years at the college level.
His first coaching job was helping to start the football program at Wayland Baptist University after graduating from college. From there, he went on to work as an assistant at Midwestern State University from 2013 to 2014 before moving to a graduate assistant job under Charlie Strong at the University of Texas.
After Strong was let go in Austin, Hill followed him to the University of South Florida, where he worked as an assistant coach for three years. Recently, after Strong and his staff were let go by USF, Hill decided to come back to Texas to pursue high school coaching. He was given an incredible opportunity to work as an assistant coach under Clay Martin at Wylie, where he gained valuable experience.
“Coach Martin had coached under the legendary Hugh Sandifer. He has been to several state championships, won one,” Hill said. “It was a unique opportunity I couldn’t pass on. I’ve got so much respect for Coach Martin. He gave me a shot to start my career in Texas high school football. He mentored me in not only the Xs and Os of defense, but he also encouraged me to be an athletic director one day and he told me that the Greenwood job is just one that you absolutely cannot pass up.”
In the most recent season, Hill was an integral part of the coaching staff for the Wylie Bulldogs, who had an impressive 10-4 record and made it to the Class 5A Division II state quarterfinals, ultimately losing to Argyle in a close match, 35-28. Greenwood ISD superintendent Ariel Elliott shared that Hill stood out among the 70-80 applicants for the job, and that the decision was a tough one due to the high number of highly-qualified candidates.
“His experience and his references were outstanding,” Elliott said. “He’s got experience at the college level and at the high school level. He’s never been an AD so that’s going to be a new experience for him. He’s just excited to come here and try to make a difference.”
Hill, who has no prior experience as a head football coach or athletic director, believes that the key to success in this role is establishing positive relationships.
“I really believe that this is a relationship business,” he said. “You have relationships with the community, relationships with other coaches in the program, and most importantly, the relationships you have with the kids. I don’t think that is specific to football. I think that is true of any level of athletics. Whether it’s the junior high level or the high school level, the boys’ side or the girls’ side, I think building strong relationships with the kids and the other coaches in the program, that transcends a specific sport. I am really excited for the challenge, and I can’t wait to get started.”
According to Hill, as the athletic director, he aims to make Greenwood a competitive institution in all aspects, not just limited to athletics.
“If the starting quarterback is a first-year trumpet player then I’m excited for that,” he said. “If we can take a girl that’s on the basketball team that starts on Tuesday night, and then Wednesday evening she’s the lead in the one-act play, then I’m excited for that.”
According to Elliott, Hill is expected to begin working at Greenwood by the end of this month.