Westerberg is unanimous pick of interview committee for head football coaching job

By Tim Fleischer

Editor-in-Chief

After 40 years, it looks like Texas coaching legend Tom Westerberg is heading back to his hometown Salado.

Superintendent Michael Novotny told Salado Village Voice that Salado ISD trustees will meet 4:30 p.m. March 4 to hear his recommendation to hire Westerberg as the Head Football Coach of the Salado Eagles, a team he played for as quarterback 40 years ago.

Westerberg said that Salado is the place “we plan to land when I retire from coaching. We already have a home here and visit quite often.”

Westerberg and his wife Sandra (Lange) are both graduates of Salado High School. He graduated in 1982 and she graduated a year before him.  

“We dated in high school,” he said. Sandy is the daughter of Mary and Clarence Lange. The Langes lived in Salado for 37 years before moving to Caldwell several years ago.

He informed the Superintendent of Hays CISD of his decision to come to Salado. He is the current Athletic Director overseeing athletic programs at four high schools in the fast growing Hays County.

“I have always had an eye on this job,” Westerberg said of returning to his roots. “When I heard Alan was leaving, I applied.”

Westerberg brings a resume that is mind-boggling. As the Allen Eagles head football coach, he won four state high school championship in 6A football, including three straight in 2012-14. His consecutive win streak of 57 games is the third longest in Texas high school football history.

He coached 12 years at Allen High School (2004-16). The Eagles qualified for the playoffs every year and were district champions 10 times. His Eagles had a 148-17 record. 

In 2014, he was named the National High School Football Coach of the Year.

From Allen, he traveled to Barbers Hill High School in the Houston area, where he was Athletic Director and Head Football Coach for five years. His team made the playoffs four of those five years and he had a win-loss record of 38-17 there.

“Coach Westerberg was the unanimous first choice of our interview committee,” Dr. Novotny told Salado Village Voice.

The district received 50 applications and the interview committee met with five applicants earlier today. Those committee members are Emery Atkisson, teacher/head baseball coach/assistant football coach; Beth Aycock, assistant superintendent; Paul Baird, athletic director; Brandon Boyd, high school principal and Jared Cruddas, teacher/head soccer coach.

Once hired, Westerberg hopes to arrive at the job in Salado shortly after Spring Break to begin his work as Head Football Coach.

For Eagles fans who have gotten used to the grinding, pounding Slot T offense, the future will be different with Westerberg.

“We are going to be pretty wide open,” Westerberg told me of his offensive scheme. “With this type of offense you have to be pretty aggressive on defense, too.”

Westerberg said that he looks forward to the day-to-day interactions of coaching kids. “I miss the kids!” 

“You spend so much time with them that you become a kind of second parent to them,” he said. “Sometimes they will confide in you things that they can’t tell their parents. Our job as coaches is to try to reinforce what their parents want for them, to be good role models for them.”

His role models in Salado were his coaches, including Coach Sam Parker, who now lives in Mount Pleasant, and Coach Dennis Cabaniss, who coached his wife in girls basketball and also coached baseball in Salado.

After graduating from Salado in 1982, Westerberg went to Texas A&M, graduating in 1987. He served as a student manager for Aggies athletics.

“My dad wanted me to be an engineer,” Westerberg said. 

His dad, Thomas H. Westerberg, passed away on Dec. 6, 2021 without getting to watch his son coach football in his hometown.  His mother Jean passed in July 2020. 

Tom and Jean, longtime residents of Salado, followed their son’s storied career and would keep locals updated on the Salado alum with periodic stories in the Salado Village Voice.

I would visit with Tom about his son’s success and he would almost burst in pride about him. 

I am sure they will be looking down with pride. As for me, I will be in the press box for my 35th season of covering  Salado High School Eagle football, watching with pride and hope for great success!

Go Eagles!