Greg Priest (Rockwall ISD)

Rockwall ISD named Greg Priest as the district’s new athletic director on Monday night, the district announced.

Priest has been the athletic director of Tyler ISD since June 2014.

“It has been an incredible honor to serve as the athletic director at Tyler ISD,” Priest said in a statement. “The past decade has been filled with unforgettable moments, talented student-athletes, dedicated coach, and a supportive community that has made a lasting impact on me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this journey, and while I look forward to this next chapter at Rockwall ISD, I will always cherish my time in Tyler.”

During his time at Tyler ISD, he’s helped hire four football coaches at Tyler Legacy and one football coach at Tyler High, along with numerous coaches for other various sports in the school district.

During Priest’s tenure, Tyler ISD teams have won numerous district championships and playoff contests, along with individual accolades.

Tyler ISD Superintendent Dr. Marty Crawford praised Priest’s impact on the district, stating, “It says a lot that Rockwall ISD pursued Coach Priest, not just because of his abilities and intangibles, but what Tyler ISD has been able to accomplish over the last decade-plus. Coach Priest has led a department that has accomplished competitive outcomes but, most importantly, improved the quality of the student-athlete’s experience.”

The Canton native and graduate of Mabank High School and East Texas State University — now East Texas A&M — came to Tyler ISD after serving as the head men’s golf coach at Baylor University.

Priest started his coaching career at Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana. He then went to the collegiate level, leading Tyler Junior College to two golf national championships.

Then, he began a long stretch of coaching at the collegiate level, two years at TJC, two years at Sam Houston State University, before taking the job as an assistant golf coach at The University of Texas at Austin before the start of his 11 years at Baylor. After his stint at UT, Priest led the Bears to the NCAA Tournament in all of his 11 years in Waco.

Priest took Baylor to the 2010 NCAA Championship, where it finished tied for 25th place. Priest guided his teams to 16 tournament titles and coached 16 individual tournament champions during his Baylor tenure. His teams finished among the top 10 at NCAA Regionals in five of his last six seasons, including a fifth-place finish at the 2010 NCAA South Central Regional that earned Baylor a bid to the NCAA Championship.

Like Tyler ISD, Rockwall ISD has two high schools — Rockwall High School and Rockwall-Heath High School.