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Track and field: No Bull: Durham returns to Lewisville to coach track and field, cross country
By Justin Thomas, jthomas@starlocalnews.com
After nine years of coaching track and field at Keller Central, Rory Durham is returning to where it all started for him: Lewisville High School.
Durham has been hired as the cross country and track and field head coach at Lewisville, where he will replace Ray White, who has moved on to Barbers Hill -- a Class 4A program just outside of Houston.
Durham graduated from Lewisville in 1980, where he was an all-state center on the football team in addition to competing on the track and field teams.
Durham takes over for White, who coached at Lewisville for 20 years.
"The position wasn't one I was seeking in particular," Durham said, "but when I saw the Lewisville position was open I thought 'absolutely.' Lewisville has a great tradition and coach White was someone I was good friends with and often talked with at meets. I hope I can keep the team performing at the standards they set under coach White."
That begins with focusing on Lewisville.
"I know it's a cliché, but we're going to focus on us," Durham added. "We need to work on improving and lowering our personal times and we'll worry about awards and things like that later. Self-improvement is something that I am a firm believer in."
Despite coaching the past eight years at Central, including as a football, Durham continued to live in Lewisville, where he has plenty of ties.
His first coaching stop came at Griffin Middle School in The Colony in 1985 before he joined Marcus' coaching staff as an assistant from 1986-2002, including a stint as Marcus' offensive coordinator in 2002 under then-head coach Mayes, though he won't coach any football at Lewisville.
Durham is also the son of Marshall Durham, for which Durham Middle School in Lewisville is named for.
Durham's brother, Roddy, recently retired as assistant athletic director for LISD, while his sister teaches at Lewisville High School and he his son teaches Huffines Middle School in Lewisville.
"I've always liked Lewisville and didn't want to move when I went to Central," Durham said. "I used to have to commute over 50 miles each day. I told my wife the other day 'If my car ever breaks down, now I can walk to school.'"
While Durham is experienced in coaching track and field, this will be his first foray into coaching cross country.
"I haven't been a head cross country coach because I was always busy with football," he said. "But I was around the meets whenever I could be. I always wanted to see how my kids were doing. I worked with coach Telaneus at Marcus for 16 years, and I'm also friends with coach (Andrew) Cook at Flower Mound and coach (Nick) Benton at The Colony. They're both Marcus graduates so we have good relationships and they've been a big help. Not only with the coaching aspect, but with a lot of the scheduling items and things like that because I was kind of behind the eight-ball being a late hire in the process."
After 26 years of coaching track and field, Durham is ready to begin his tenure as head coach at Lewisville.
"There is a lot of tradition and I know it is going to be a big challenge," he said. "But I'm looking forward to it and can't wait to get the season started."
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