Midland Greenwood hires Abilene Wylie assistant Hill as head football coach, AD
Bryan Hill’s longtime dream finally has come true.
Hill, the defensive coordinator at Wylie the past three years, has been hired as the head football coach and athletic director at Midland Greenwood.
The 36-year-old Hill was hired by the Greenwood ISD board Wednesday night.
“Greenwood is one of the only jobs I would have left Wylie for,” Hill said. “I had one of the best jobs in the country working at Abilene Wylie, and this opportunity presented itself at Greenwood, and it’s extremely special. To start my head coaching career at a place like Greenwood is extremely special to me.
"I can’t thank Mr. (Ariel) Elliott the superintendent and the school board enough.”
Hill, a 2005 Llano High School grad, got his first high school coaching job at Wylie. He was one of the first hires by Clay Martin, once Martin succeeded Hugh Sandifer as the football team’s head coach.
“I can’t say enough about him,” Hill said. “He gave me my first shot in high school football. He not only helped me with the X’s and O’s and taking over a defense that had been his for 25 years, but he also really mentored me and taught me the ropes about what it took to be a head coach and athletic director. The experience the last three years with him has been invaluable.”
Martin praised Hill for the work he did with the Bulldogs during his three years in Abilene.
“He stepped in and did a great job,” Martin said. “He’s a great coach, has great knowledge and he’s even better person. We’re so happy for Brian. This has been a dream of his for a long time. I’m just happy for him and his family.”
Hill leaves Wylie after the football team had its best season since making the jump to Class 5A in 2018. The Bulldogs were 10-4 overall and reached the Region-5A DII finals, losing to Argyle 35-28. Wylie won its first district title since 2016, when the Bulldogs reached the Class 4A Division I title game.
“It was an exciting season,” Hill said. “I can’t give enough credit to everybody involved but it was a special group of players. They really cared about each other. I think that showed on the field. They played really, really hard. It was a special team to be around.”
From the business world to gridiron
Hill took a circuitous path to coaching. He got a business degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009 and worked in the business world for nearly two years.
Then, he got the coaching bug and started as an assistant at NAIA Wayland Baptist in 2011. The Plainview college had just started its football program and didn’t actually play until the 2012 season.
From there, Hill spent two years at Midwestern State, starting in 2013. He returned to UT, where he was a graduate assistant for Charlie Strong and the Longhorns (2015 and 2016). He followed Strong to South Florida, where Hill was the linebackers coach for two seasons (2017-18) and the safeties coach for one (2019).
“I’ve been incredibly blessed,” Hill said. “At Midwestern State, Coach (Bill) Maskill is just a few wins away from being the all-time winningest coach in the Lone Star Conference. He’s a brilliant football mind and a really great mentor. Then Charly Strong, with several national championships on his resume, I learned a ton from him.
“Coach Martin, who’s not only won a state championship on the football field, but two in baseball. He’s just an all-around coach. Any sport. He’s just got a tremendous resume.
“Just pulling from each of those guys in different times of my career, I think has been extremely valuable and will help me a great deal moving forward at Greenwood.”
Hill replace Rusty Purser, who resigned in January after four years at Greenwood. Purser recently took a job with Midlothian ISD.
Hill and his wife, Summer, have a 20-month-old son. Summer Hill is from Midland.
Greenwood, which plays in District 3-4A Division II with Snyder, Sweetwater, Wichita Falls Hirschi and Graham, went 5-6 last season and tied Graham and Snyder for second. The Rangers lost to Godley 26-7 in the first round of the playoffs.
Greenwood went 14-1 in 2019 and reached the 4A DII state semifinals, losing to eventual state champion Texarkana Pleasant Grove 48-20.
Greenwood reached Class 3A DII title game in 2002, losing to Bandera 27-24 in two overtimes.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Midland Greenwood hires Wylie assistant Hill as head football coach
