Plano ISD on Wednesday announced the hiring of Frisco Emerson head football coach Kendall Miller as the new athletic director of Plano ISD after the departure of Lonnie Jordan, who left to take the same role in Richardson ISD.

“This was a hard decision, being here at Emerson and the success we’ve had it is really special. I told the kids I got an offer I just couldn’t refuse.  This place is like my baby, I’ve known these kids, since they were in seventh grade, I walked around here in a hard hat before a building even existed,” said Miller.

Miller, who served as the president of the Texas High School Coaches Association during the 2023-2024 school year started up the Emerson program back in 2021 and had immediate success leading the Mavericks. After a JV season in 2021, Emerson hit the ground running in 2022 posting a 9-2 record and a playoff appearance. 2023 was the high-water mark as the Mavericks posted a 12-3 mark, winning the 5A-Division II Region I title before falling to South Oak Cliff in the state semifinals, Emerson despite heavy graduation losses posted a 7-4 mark in 2024 and another playoff appearance.

Coach Miller has a career record of 101-58, with stops as a head coach at South Oak Cliff from 2009-2011 and Garland Lakeview Centennial from 2012-2020. He posted back-to-back ten-win seasons at SOC in 2010 and 2011 and he guided Lakeview Centennial to an area round playoff appearance in 2016.

“To be honest, I’m a little scared of walking off the field after 26 years of coaching, but I am looking forward to the next challenge. This is the next step in my career path and in recent years, I started looking at maybe being an athletic director if the right fit came along and Plano ISD is a premier destination. I’m really excited because now I have three teams to cheer for on Friday nights,” said Miller.

Lee Ellis, the defensive coordinator will be the interim head coach at Emerson and run what’s left of the off-season and starting up summer strength and conditioning, but it is expected that Frisco ISD will post the position and conduct a full search for the next head coach at Emerson.