Van Meter to retire in July

FRIENDSWOOD — Friendswood Mustangs athletic director and football coach Steve Van Meter announced his retirement Monday.

Van Meter, 55, will walk away from Friendswood Independent School District in July when his contract expires after a 20-year reign at the helm of the program.

“After a lot of thought and prayer with my wife and family, I know that it’s my time,” Van Meter said. “This wasn’t that difficult of a decision even though I’ve been tied to Friendswood for so long.”

Under Van Meter, the Mustangs went 148-81-1, reached the playoffs 15 times and advanced to the state semifinals in 2008 and 2010. The 2011 season was a difficult one for Van Meter as the Mustangs went 4-7, and he battled health issues.

“Going into this season, I thought it might be my last,” Van Meter said. “But I’m not going to retire, retire — I’ve got a lot of plans in mind.”

It’s clear Van Meter isn’t emotionally done with coaching just yet. He talked about the possibility of opening up a quarterback academy in the Houston area to focus solely on a craft he seems to have mastered during the past decade.

“I love working with quarterbacks, and it’s a passion for me,” Van Meter said. “I really feel like I could be of some value in developing young quarterbacks.”

In recent history, Van Meter coached a plethora of quarterbacks who went on to college football success. Josh Kirklin (Texas A&M/Colgate), Jeff Ballard (TCU), T.J. Jordan (Fordham), Jacob Karam (Texas Tech/Memphis) and most recently Pete Maetzold (Fordham) all played under Van Meter.

“He’s the best high school football coach in the state of Texas,” Karam said. “I’m grateful for the opportunities he provided me and I wouldn’t have had it all without him. He’d be great as a quarterbacks mentor because he knows exactly what it takes.”

Van Meter also made it clear he doesn’t think he’s completely finished with coaching.

“I would not discount me coaching again somewhere, someplace, sometime in the future,” Van Meter said.

Van Meter said he doesn’t plan to be involved in the hiring of his replacement. He will make his recommendation to Superintendent Trish Hanks but won’t serve on the selection committee.

“Obviously, I’d like to see someone from my staff, but it’s not up to me,” Van Meter said.

Van Meter’s longtime offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Robert Koopman has been long considered the heir apparent, but it’s unclear at this stage how and when that decision might be made.

Van Meter’s annual salary of $97,400 and Friendswood’s consistent success would presumably make the position a diamond among coaching vacancies.

“The football program has to be top notch or you won’t last very long in this profession,” Van Meter said. “But I always took great pride in our athletic program as a whole, and I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by great, driven coaches on my staff.”

Friendswood baseball coach Charlie Taylor said Van Meter was a model athletic director in terms of servicing each sport.

“You only hope that the next AD we get will be as fair, good and supportive as he was and that we’ll be able to continue the success we’ve had,” said Taylor, who graduated from Friendswood in 1973, two years ahead of Van Meter. “I remember when he was a skinny little runt — he says I bullied him, but I still deny it.”

Van Meter helped Friendswood win a football state championship in 1973 as a wide receiver and defensive back before graduating from Sam Houston State University. He returned to Friendswood to coach in 1971.

As athletic director, Friendswood won the Lone Star Cup twice for all-around excellence, not just in football.

“From when I played at Friendswood to when I became a coach, he was always such a role model to all of us,” Friendswood volleyball coach Kelly Beck said. “I’ve talked to coaches that never hear from their athletic directors, especially in Texas, but he’s completely different.”

While the future of both Friendswood and Van Meter are relatively uncertain, the Mustangs will have a new leader in place in the near future.

“They’ll get the next guy in place and get things rolling,” Van Meter said. “This is a great place where the parents are heavily involved in a great way, and whoever takes over will have a lot of great things to work with.”