New coordinator brings familiarity, knowledge to program

GONZALES — With summer comes the inevitability of change. The Apaches coaching staff is no different.

Athletic director and head football coach Kodi Crane announced many additions to the Gonzales athletic program, one of which being Craig Nairn who will take the role of defensive coordinator as well as linebackers coach.

With change, comes a period of learning, but Crane hopes that Nairn’s familiarity with not only the area, but the defensive system already in place, will lead to a smooth transition.

“He was [with me] at the birth of this defense whenever we started doing it full time in 2010,” Crane said of Nairn. “He went with us and he’s been to TCU and so he ran it on his own, he’s coached in it in San Angelo, coached in it at Flour Bluff, ran it as his own in Edna and now he’s here doing it again. Our kids will have to learn very few differences here or there, obviously there are personality differences but that’s all it is.”

An Edna native, Nairn grew up playing several sports in high school including football, basketball, tennis and baseball for a while. In high school he continued his multi-sport interests, playing football and basketball. Needless to say, the ability to stay active all year long is something that Nairn believes is very important for all athletes, especially those at the high school level hoping to play more ball after graduation.

“I think that kids need to play year-round, be involved at something,” Nairn said. “Not only at a competitive aspect, but just the different movements you’ll get as an athlete that you won’t get every sport.”

The new defensive coordinator cited offensive linemen playing basketball as a way to improve footwork.

“[All sports] kind of work together,” he said. “Colleges look for [multi-sport athletes].”

After college, Nairn didn’t directly get into coaching. Although he came out with a degree in kinesiology, Nairn went into commercial irrigation.

“It was hot and wasn’t much fun,” he said. “I thought maybe this coaching thing I went to college for is really what I want to do. Here I am 11 years later still doing it. Seems to be the right choice.”

Nairn met Crane at Alice, his first coaching gig. Both coaches were a part of the athletic program under head coach Brent Davis.

“I’ve known Crane for six years, prior to this stint,” Nairn said. “Looking forward to working with him again.”

“Coach Davis hired him in Alice and he went with us whenever we went to San Angelo,” Crane explained. “He coached our defensive ends for us whenever I was the defensive coordinator there. Whenever I left to become a head coach in Groesbeck was the time he left and went to Flour Bluff, he was trying to get closer to home. We kept relationship the whole time. This winter we went to a clinic and Craig rode with us to the clinic. We kept in touch. They went through a coaching change and we were looking for a defensive coordinator and it was just a fit. He knows what we do and how we do it, so it was smooth transition for both of us.”

Familiarity isn’t the only thing Nairn will bring to the table. His knowledge of the game and the system will be a huge factor in moving the Apaches program forward.

“Craig is an extremely smart individual and he’s great with the kids,” Crane continued. “He knows this area, being from Edna, he knows Gonzales. Even though he’s never lived here, he understands this area of the state and it’s a big place and a lot of different cultures and he’ll be able to fit right in with us and just keep on trucking and take us to the next level.”

In Nairn’s 11 years of coaching, three in Alice, three in San Angelo, three in Flour Bluff and then two in Edna, he’s only missed the playoffs twice. Of the nine playoff teams he’s been a part of, there’s only been one time where they were knocked out the first week.

“I’ve been in the second round of playoffs just about every year I’ve been a coach,” Nairn said, “so obviously we want to keep moving on and getting into that second week of playoffs.”

“Personally, I want to keep improving as a coach,” he continued, “learn from Crane, learn a little bit of the athletic director side of it. I’d like to be at some point in a desk behind his.”

With the amount of knowledge Nairn brings to the program, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he ended up behind an athletic director’s desk. But for now, the Apaches hope he can help push the program even further.