Grand Oaks High School Welcomes Coach McDowell

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- On Tuesday, December 13th, the Conroe Independent School Board approved the recommendation to hire Shaun McDowell as the new Athletic Coordinator and Head Football Coach at Grand Oaks High School. He will be replacing Dr. Mike Jackson who retired.

I am excited about the future of Grand Oaks High School football and the entire athletic program. Once our position became available, we were fortunate to receive interest from coaches across the state of Texas. We completed a rigorous interview process focusing on candidates that experienced success at big time programs, are “kid magnets”, and demonstrated the ability to unite our community in moving our resources in the same direction. Coach McDowell exemplifies these ideals arriving to us highly recommended. We both share a vision as to the greatness that we can achieve as a school and a community.

Shaun McDowell comes to us from Foster High School in Richmond, TX where he was the head football coach and athletic director since 2013. Foster has garnered much success during his tenure there. His 10-year football record at Foster is 88-41 and includes multiple playoff appearances. In the 2021-2022 school year, Foster High School won 12 out of the possible 19 championships in district 24-5A for the various sports. Under his leadership, Foster High School placed in the top 20 of the UIL Lone Star Cup Standings the last five years.

Prior to serving at Foster, Coach McDowell was the Head Football Coach at Willowridge High School in Fort Bend. He was also an offensive coordinator and assistant football coach at Cypress Creek High School and Fort Bend Bush High School.

Coach McDowell attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and holds degrees from the University of Houston and Lamar University. He currently sits on the Texas High School Coaches Association Regional Board of Directors and the Board of Directors for the State 7-on-7 Association and the Greater Houston Football Coaches Association.

I want to thank Dr. Mike Jackson and his staff for their hard work in creating a new program with the opening of GOHS. I appreciate Coach Aaron Johnson for stepping in and providing a strong finish to the season. Thank you to the previous student-athletes and all involved for laying the foundation of our football program.

Grizzly Nation, I ask that you support Coach Shaun McDowell and all our Grizzlies – from 7th to 12th grade as they take their next step forward. We will host a football parent meeting and general introduction on Wednesday, January 4, at the Grand Oaks High School auditorium. Your attendance is welcomed but not required. A meeting for our current York 7th and 8th grade football players and families will take place at 5:45 PM. The meeting for our current Grand Oaks 9th – 12th grade football players and families will begin at 7:00 PM. We will record both of those presentations for those who are not able to attend.

I look forward to seeing you all very soon. I hope that you have a wonderful, restful, and safe Holiday Season. It’s a great day to be a Grizzly.

Let’s GO,
James Bush
Principal