Grapevine assistant picks up first head coach job at Lake Worth

On the biography page of the Grapevine football website, assistant head coach Keri Timmerman was asked what he wanted his players to say about him 20 years from now.

“He loved me and prepared me to be a great husband, father and man,” Timmerman responded.

It’s that coaching philosophy that Timmerman believes landed him the head coaching and athletic director job at Lake Worth this late last week, the first head coaching job of his career.

“I figure it was one of those things that they were looking for a fit where someone was going to love kids and put them first,” Timmerman said.

“I don’t know that I’m that guy, but I sure want to try,” he continued.

Timmerman said while eventually becoming a head coach and athletic director was a goal, he wasn’t actively pursuing a job at the time.

Timmerman began his career as a middle school coach in Plano, before returning to the college ranks to coach while earning a masters degree in sports administration and management in order to one day be qualified for a head coach and athletic director position.

He split time between McMurray University and Hardin Simmons, the latter where he played football during his undergrad.

After finishing graduate school, he worked his way up the coaching ladder, with a notable stop at South Garland, where he learned the offense he still runs today under the tutelage of then-head coach Mickey Moss.

The spread-option system is a variation of the offense run by Gus Malzahn and former Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris, who is now the head coach at SMU. It utilizes short passes all around the field to keep the defense from keying in on any one player or area of play.

With this system, Timmerman served as offensive coordinator at two programs, China Spring and Anna, before making his way to Grapevine.

The search for Timmerman’s replacement will begin Monday, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD athletic director Bryan Gerlich said.

Jackson said he always roots for coaches to move up the ranks and eventually get a head coaching gig and is proud Timmerman was a part of the Grapevine program.

“He wants to give the kids the best opportunity to have a jump on everyone else,” Timmerman said of Jackson. “There’s just a lot of those things that just comes down to building those relationships.”

Many of the qualities that Jackson instills in the Mustang program is exactly what will be Timmerman’s priority in his new role at Lake Worth.

“The relationship part is huge,” Timmerman said. “Just being a light and a love to those kids and having the opportunity to serve them and those families in this community.”

Travis L. Brown can be reached at tbrown7137@gmail.com and on Twitter @Travis_L_Brown.

This story was originally published July 27, 2015 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Grapevine assistant picks up first head coach job at Lake Worth."