McKinney, Texas – Offering testimony to the personal and professional respect he’s earned among his colleagues around the state, McKinney ISD Director of Athletics Shawn Pratt has been elected to serve as vice-president of the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association (THSADA).

Pratt’s complete term of service for the THSADA governing body begins this summer and will comprise four years, with each successive year automatically bringing a new title and responsibilities—vice-president, president-elect, president and, finally, past-president. He’ll meet quarterly each year with his fellow board officers at THSADA headquarters in Katy, Texas to help guide the organization and the future of high school athletics in Texas.

“It’s an honor to serve athletics in the state of Texas on a bit of a different level,” Pratt said. “And, it’s an honor to be elected by the athletic directors around the state. It was the result of being in a great school district and, specifically in athletics, being around some great people.”

Pratt has been around MISD athletics for a long time—24 years—and is well-known and respected not only within the district, but throughout the area and around the state as well. He served as a football coach at McKinney High School in the ’90’s and then as head football coach at McKinney North High School when it opened in 2000. In 2008, he accepted his current position as MISD director of athletics.

“I’m really not surprised that the Texas High School Athletic Directors Association elected Coach Pratt as their vice-president,” MISD Superintendent Dr. Rick McDaniel said. “Obviously, they see the same leadership characteristics in Coach Pratt that we do, and I’m sure that the same characteristics that he has exhibited over a long period of time will serve that organization well. I look forward to him not only serving in this capacity, but also serving as the organization’s president in the very near future.”

Pratt joined THSADA in 2008 after he accepted his position as MISD’s director of athletics, and he has served the past two years as director of Region 3 for the organization.

“Shawn Pratt’s election as the new THSADA vice-president reflects the respect and trust that the 800-member THSADA has in Mr. Pratt,” said Executive Director Rusty Dowling. “[His] attributes, character and integrity will position him to be a strong leader for all Texas athletic administrators.”

Being chosen to serve as a board officer is a responsibility that Pratt doesn’t take lightly. THSADA is an influential body and one of the largest athletic director associations in the country. It serves as the voice of high school athletic programs across Texas, and its input carries weight with the University Interscholastic League (UIL).

“Our particular association has really grown in the last five years and become very active in its relationship with the UIL, and it has a say and an influence in all of the governing policies for athletics in the state of Texas,” Pratt said. “We’ve come a long way, and the relationship [with the UIL] has grown and we’re able to give a lot of feedback,” Pratt said.

As for the current state of Texas high school athletics and the UIL’s role in it, Pratt sees positive things happening. “I think the UIL has done a really good job of changing and progressing with the needs [of our schools],” Pratt said. “It used to be that all of the policies had to be one-size-fits-all, but to the UIL’s credit, they’ve implemented a number of rules and policies that allow the large 5A and 6A schools to do what they need to do and allow the smaller schools to do what they need to do. So, that’s been very important.”

Equally important is having the right people in place to help guide the decisions that impact student athletes across the state. And, you’d be hard pressed to find a person more qualified for that job than Shawn Pratt.

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