San Marcos — A familiar face in local football is taking over the reins of the San Marcos Academy Bears football program as the school recently announced the hiring of former New Braunfels-Canyon head coach and athletic director Les Davis as its head football coach.

Davis is a graduate and former football player at both San Marcos High School and Texas State University and replaces Brian Gaylor, who is leaving SMA to take a professional football coaching position in Germany. Davis began his duties at the Academy on Feb. 18.

“I think the hiring of Coach Davis gives us a veteran, proven, winning coach, and with his name recognition here in Central Texas, he will complement an outstanding faculty that has made great strides in attracting local day students to all of our curricular and extra-curricular programs,” Snuffy Smith, SMA's assistant vice president for athletics, said.

Davis, who played college football under legendary coaches Bill Miller and Jim Wacker at Texas State (then Southwest Texas State), grew up in San Marcos and said he decided early in his life that he wanted to remain in this area.

“I'm excited about starting another phase in my life and am just excited about the opportunity to continue coaching kids,” Davis said. “I'm also happy about remaining in this area, which has been my home for so many years.”

Davis has been at Class 4A Canyon High School since 2002. He served two years as football defensive coordinator and track and field coordinator before being named athletic director/head football coach in 2004. As head coach, his teams posted a 40-25 record, including a state quarter-finalist team in 2005 and a bi-district team in 2007.

Prior to coaching at Canyon, Davis was defensive coordinator at Lockhart for 11 years and offensive coordinator for two years. His defensive squads consistently ranked in the CenTex Top 10.

Davis has also coached and served as middle school administrator in the Itasca ISD and was a coach and teacher in both Hillsboro and Menard.

Having coached in 4A public schools for the past 24 years, Davis said the Academy’s smaller, private-school setting will be an adjustment.

“It’s definitely a big change,” Davis said. “It will pose a significant learning curve for me. Luckily, I do have the time to digest things this semester and learn about how the TAPPS league works and how things work here at the Academy.

“But I want to spend time getting to know the kids-that's the most important thing. I want to let them get to know me and want to see what their talents and skills are and where that will lead us as we start working toward a common goal.”

Davis and his wife, Paulette, a teacher in the Comal ISD, have two sons who have followed in their father's footsteps as teacher-coaches. Their older son, Brandon, is a coach and English teacher at Canyon High School. Steven, their younger son, will graduate from Texas State University in May with plans to coach and teach mathematics. He is currently completing his student teaching in the Hays CISD.