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Jordan Wood Selected as Grapeland AD

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND – During a called meeting of the Grapeland Independent School District Board of Trustees, it was announced Jordan Wood, currently the Athletic Director at Detroit (Tx.) ISD, had been hired as the new AD for the Grapeland Sandies.

“We had myself, two board members and a community member who served as the hiring team,” GISD Superintendent Don Jackson explained.

“We interviewed five different candidates. We had six scheduled, but one found a job before we could interview him. We went through each interview and developed a finalist’s list. Coach Wood was our unanimous choice. We made him our lone finalist, started checking references and making phone calls. We heard a lot of positives and I feel like we have a good fit as far as what we need, what our kids need and what our community needs. I’m excited for our school district!” Jackson said.

After his hiring was formally confirmed by the GISD Board, Coach Wood spoke with The Messenger about his background and what he hopes to bring to the Sandies.

Wood indicated he was most recently the AD and Head Football Coach of the Class 2A Detroit Eagles. Prior to that, he was with the Class 3A Daingerfield-Lone Star Tigers for four years as the offensive coordinator and Assistant A.D.

During his tenure at Daingerfield, the Tigers won three district championships and had back-to-back state quarterfinal appearances in 2018 and 2019.

Before his stop in Daingerfield, Wood served as the offensive coordinator for the Woodville Eagles. While in Woodville, he helped the Eagles to their first seven-win season in 18 years.

Asked what led him into coaching, the newly minted Grapeland AD said, “Ever since I was young, I knew that was what I wanted to be. I was pretty realistic about playing something at the professional level, but I knew I wanted to be involved in athletics.”

He said he graduated from Shepherd High School and then graduated college from Southern Arkansas.

“I played a little at Arkansas State, but I had a lot of injuries. So, after, I graduated, I was really lucky and got to play a year at Henderson State,” he said. “I got my graduate degree from Lamar, along with my principal certification.”

Wood went on to say he has a previous connection to Grapeland through the Memorial Day Gospel Bluegrass Festival at Salmon Lake Park.

“My family is in Livingston and Shepherd, as well as Onalaska. My dad sang in a group called ‘Outreach’ while I was growing up and he sang every year at Salmon Lake Park at the Gospel Festival. Every year, we would come spend four of five days here when I was growing up. I just have a love for this place,” he explained.

Changing topics, Wood said his football acumen is on the offensive side of the ball, where the Sandies will run an offense based out of multiple spread formations.

Defensively, the coach said he would work with the defensive coordinator to make sure they are on the same page but ultimately his goal is to create a defense that will take away an opponent’s top five or six plays and make the opponent try to beat the Sandies with their seventh or eighth best option.

“I want the kids working hard. I told the board, everywhere I’ve been – I’m not perfect and they’re not perfect. Only one person was perfect, but I do ask for perfect effort. If they give me perfect effort and they are good teammates, that is my goal and that is my role as athletic director across all sports,” Wood said.

He and his wife Heather have two young sons, Cutter, who is nine, and Brett, who is four-years-old. 

Wood replaces Terry Ward who was reassigned last month after two seasons at Grapeland, where he compiled a 17-7 record.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].  

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