Marshall High School moved quickly in its search for a new athletic director and head football coach as Marshall ISD named Cuero head coach Jack Alvarez to those positions on Tuesday.

He'll repleace Jake Griedl, who departed to take over at Bastrop. 

Alvarez is a well-known name in coaching circles around the state with an impressive 193-93 overall record in 24 seasons as a head coach with stops at West Sabine, Kirbyville, Ennis, Copperas Cove and most recently Cuero. He is best known for his time in Ennis where he led the Lions to the Class 5A-Division II State Championship in 2014, but he also led Kirbyville to a pair of state title game appearances in 2008 and 2009. 

The new head coach in Marshall spent two seasons in Cuero. After a 5-6 debut in 2020, Alvarez’s Gobblers posted a 13-2 mark and a trip to the Class 4A-Division II state semifinals in 2021. He takes over a Marshall program with a long history of winning in East Texas; the Mavericks a year ago posted an 8-4 mark losing in the 5A-Division II area playoffs. 

Alvarez’s departure from Cuero is a bit of a surprise to many in South Texas, but Cuero is one of the state’s most tradition-rich programs and will without a doubt be one of the state’s most sought after job openings.