Legendary Tarleton men’s basketball coach and athletic director Lonn Reisman was hired at Howard Payne to serve as a special assistant to the President and will oversee athletics, sources confirmed to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

Reisman recently retired from Tarleton after achieving legendary status as a men’s basketball coach and Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics during his 30-year tenure with the Texans. 

Sources indicate the move makes sense for Reisman, who desired to continue working in a collegiate setting and remain close to his grandchildren in Stephenville. The move also combines two of the brightest minds in collegiate athletics with HPU Director of Athletics, Dr. Hunter Sims, who has steered a turnaround of the Yellow Jackets athletics department during his eight years in Brownwood.

The future of HPU’s athletic department is bright with the combination of Sims and Reisman. Both men are known for their ability to fundraise the money necessary to improve athletic facilities, and their joint leadership brings a bright future to HPU athletics. Interestingly, both men were also mentioned as candidates to be the athletic director at UTPB earlier this week.

Reisman served dual roles as men’s head basketball coach and athletic director for 24 seasons before ending his storied career with 654 victories. As athletic director, he led Tarleton from NAIA to NCAA Division I and retired as the longest-tenured athletic director in school history.