Lonnie Jordan with ‘Voice of LH’ Bob Johnston and Advocate ‘Fierce Female’ Jeri Johnston
Coach Lonnie Jordan bade farewell to friends and family at Lake Highlands High School last week and headed to his new job as athletic director at Highland Park ISD. Though he’s joining the ranks of LH’s biggest 7-6A rival, grateful well-wishers sent him off in style.
“I’m very conflicted about leaving this community, but I’m excited about starting a new chapter in my career,” Jordan said. “Our communities are very similar – both support the schools and have a passion for athletics. Both have the parents, community and traditions that make for a great high school atmosphere. Highland Park has done it at a very high level for a really long time, and Lake Highlands is that way. We’ve never had a shortage of people willing to bend over backward and make sure children and coaches are taken care of. So, there are a lot of similarities between the two neighborhoods. It’s bittersweet. We’ve got friendships and relationships here, and I’m certainly going to miss that, but I’m looking forward to creating new friendships over in Highland Park.”
Jordan knows his teams will be expected to win, and he said he’s ready for that challenge. He understands, though, that there’s more to his job than a win-loss record.
“It’s always about changing kids,” said Jordan. “It’s about providing an experience for kids that is second to none. We want to create great leaders. We want to make great moms and dads. We want to compete at a very high level, and a place like Highland Park has an expectation to win. That culture is already there. I’m going to lean in a little bit and find out how they’ve done that and find a way to make it better.”
As athletic coordinator for all LHHS athletics, Jordan has had a heck of a year. The Wildcats won the 6A state boys’ basketball championship, and senior Fernanda Lopez won a state wrestling title. The baseball, football, boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball and girls’ basketball teams all qualified for the playoffs, and individual competitors extended their season beyond district play in girls’ cross country, golf, swimming, diving and wrestling.
Joe Duffield, coach of the boys’ basketball team, calls Jordan a role model.
“First and foremost, Lonnie Jordan is as good a human being as there is,” said Duffield. “He treats everyone the way you’d want to be treated. If you have a son or daughter, you’d be more than happy to have them play for Coach Jordan. He handled all of athletics the same way — with class, dignity and respect. He helped put all our sports and athletes in positions to be successful. He’s going to be missed, but I’m definitely happy for him to get this opportunity. It’s going to be a good thing for him and his family.”
Duffield harkened back to his first stint as a Wildcat coach — and Jordan’s — when they were assistant football coaches together. They were recruited elsewhere for a time, but each returned to LHHS.
“A lot of the success at Lake Highlands can be credited to his leadership. He’s of the utmost character. Working under him, you want to meet that standard and do things the right way and treat people the right way. He’s been a big role model to me — even back when we were coaching football together. He and [assistant coach] Jeff Smith were two guys that I really looked up to in how they taught in the classroom, how they handled kids, how they coached and who they were as people. They are definitely role models to me.”
“At the heart of it, good coaches are great teachers,” continued Duffield. “At the core, they want to do what’s best for kids. You can definitely say that about Coach Jordan and his tenure here. He always wanted to do what is best for kids. If there’s any similarity, that’s what we [in the basketball program] try to make sure is driving all our decisions. How do we give all our kids the best opportunity to compete at a high level and be successful, to learn life lessons? That’s something we both try to do, to use our sport to teach life lessons that will help them as adults.”
Leslie Slovak, athletic director for Richardson ISD, said the district will conduct a thorough search for Jordan’s successor and announce that name in the coming weeks. When Jordan applied for the job as head coach of the Wildcats, 180 other coaches also submitted applications.
Nate, Andy, Laura, Lonnie and Ellie Jordan
