Hanks High School hires Scott Veliz as new football coach
Scott Veliz is returning home.
On Monday, he was formally announced as the new head football coach and campus athletic coordinator at Hanks High School. It'll be his first head coaching job in El Paso.
Veliz is a veteran of the high school coaching ranks and was most recently at Garland's Naaman Forest High School in the Dallas area for four years, where former Del Valle coach Jesse Perales hired him. Veliz has also coached at Midland Lee, El Dorado and Eastwood. He was also the head coach at Organ Mountain High School in Las Cruces.
"Hanks was my first varsity assistant job (he was running backs coach in 1998-99), so it was always special to me, always near and dear," said Veliz, a 1990 Riverside High School graduate. "I wound up in Dallas the last four years but always had my eye open. I love Hanks High School and when I saw it opened, it just called to me. It means a lot to me. I want to bring this football program back to its glory and keep it there."
Veliz replaces Jason Blair, who departed after four years as the program's head coach. Veliz took a break from coaching for 10 years after his initial stint at Hanks, but the love of coaching football brought him back. His brother is former Montwood High School and UTEP assistant football coach Chuck Veliz.
Scott Veliz thanked his family and several coaches on Monday for helping him grow through the years, including the retired Jim Althoff, who was in attendance at his announcement at Hanks and hired him as offensive coordinator at El Dorado.
"I've been fortunate to have some great coaching stops through the years," Scott Veliz said. "The last four years in Dallas helped me grow as a coach. I think our offense will adjust to the personnel we have. We had success throwing the ball at Garland and running it. I'm just really excited about being here at Hanks and helping develop strong relationships with the kids, the other sports on campus and the community."
Hanks principal Ruben Cadena said he met with the players in the program to get feedback on their hopes and expectations for a new coach. He expressed optimism about the hiring of Scott Veliz.
"Excited is the word," Cadena said. "Scott is the complete package. We're optimistic about the future of the football program."
Hanks competes in District 1-5A, Division I, along with Ysleta, Bel Air, Del Valle, and Parkland.
More: All-District football teams 2022 El Paso high school All-District football teams
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Hanks High School hires Scott Veliz as new football coach
