Devon Dorris has experienced some battles on the visiting sideline at Joe Golding Field.
Now he relishes the opportunity to support the home teams at the same stadium with a field bearing the name of his most notable predecessor.
Dorris was unanimously approved as Wichita Falls ISD’s athletic director at a school board meeting Monday, coming to WFISD after a 26-year coaching career, including 23 seasons at Azle High School.
“I’ve really enjoyed the journey along the way to reaching this point in my career,” Dorris said. “I know the longstanding traditions this athletic program has had, and I really think it’s that knowledge that attracted me to this job.
“I have a lot of respect for this district, and the guys who came before me in this position.”
Dorris becomes the seventh athletic director in Wichita Falls ISD history, filling a void created when Grant Freeman left for the same job at Burnet ISD in June 2025.
Dorris has spent the past 16 years leading Azle’s football team, holding the record as the program’s longest-tenured head coach. He is also the program’s leader in career wins (90), leading the Hornets to the most wins (11) in a single season in 2014.
Dorris and his wife, Keri, have two sons, including Dane — a coach at Godley — and Drew, a senior at Tarleton State.
Dorris never held the athletic director position at Azle but did serve as the high school’s campus coordinator, giving him a taste of an administrator role. Now, he’s ready to dedicate his career to athletic administration full time, although he admits there is one aspect of coaching that he will miss.
“Quite frankly, the toughest challenge I’m having right now is losing the daily interaction with the kids,” Dorris said. “That is why so many of us get into this profession. It’s all about the kids. That’s going to be difficult for me, but I plan on finding the opportunities to interact with the athletes here as much as possible.”
Dorris knows that Wichita Falls ISD provides a unique challenge with the young programs at Memorial and Legacy. He’s anxious to get into a supportive role for the coaches of those programs.
“I know this athletic department — whether we’re talking about the old schools or the new schools — success has always been expected,” Dorris said. “I feel like it’s an exciting time to move forward with the new schools, buildings and athletic facilities. I’m excited to get to know these coaches and start building these relationships to help them succeed.”
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls ISD tabs Devon Dorris as next athletic director