Negotiating playoffs

ECISD interim superintendent Hector Mendez recently hired former Permian head football coach John Wilkins to help negotiate game details for this season’s playoffs.

Wilkins, who also is a former ECISD athletic director, joined the district Nov. 13 as a consultant to the Ector County Independent School District’s athletic department, assisting athletic director Leon Fuller and Permian head coach Darren Allman in the decision-making process of scheduling sites for the playoff games.

Permian High School’s football team is 12-0 this season. The Panthers will play Euless Trinity on Saturday at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene.

As a consultant, Wilkins isn’t considered an employee of the district, and he earns $50 an hour, but is limited to 24 work hours and a paycheck of no more than $1,200, ECISD Communications Director Mike Adkins said.

Wilkins, who estimated he’s been through about 80 playoff series with ECISD, said in addition to negotiating game sites he’s also helped work out travel and day of game expenses and ticket prices. It’s all part of the proc-ess, he said.

“There’s a lot that goes into it before you decide where you are going to play,” Wilkins said.

Fuller agreed, saying the more people involved in the negotiating process, the better.

In addition to Wilkins, former interim athletic director Don Wright now works part-time in the athletics department, assisting Fuller with daily operations and the West Texas Relays. Wright was also the assistant under Wilkins when he was AD.

Both Wilkins and Wright know the area and the coaches, Fuller said, noting both have a “great of deal of experience and history of the programs.”

“The more input you can have in anything the better off you are,” Fuller said.

At the request of Mendez and Steve Brown, ECISD assistant superintendent for secondary operations, Wilkins was hired as a consultant because Brown and Mendez didn’t have much experience with setting up playoff games.

“It’s a matter of me needing someone to help guide me through the season,” Mendez said.

Mendez said he needed someone with a “successful background” to help decide where the Permian football team should play each week.

Mendez said he needed someone who had been through the process before, noting while Fuller worked as athletic director for the Austin school district that teams there seldom made it very far into the playoffs.

He needed someone with expertise, Mendez said, and Wilkins went to the playoffs numerous times while head football coach at Permian from the 1973 to 1985, and he was athletic director from 1986 to 1998.

“It takes some historical perspective,” Mendez said. “You have to have a thorough background because the negotiations do get tense. I wanted to do what was in the district’s best interest.”

Wilkins said the people involved — such as Fuller and Allman — had to want his assistance and it’s worked out well.

“I just hope Permian can go all the way,” Wilkins said.