By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Adam Yates, who has served as an assistant athletic director for three years at Bedford North Lawrence, has been named the school’s new athletic director.
Yates succeeds Jeff Callahan, who served in the position for 21 years. He is the fifth man to head the sports programs in the 50-year history of BNL, following Gil Fey, Ray Manis, Mike Short and Callahan.
He was approved by the North Lawrence Community Schools Board by a 7-0 vote on Thursday night.
“I’m excited,” Yates said. “I know I’ve got some big shoes to fill. Jeff has done a great job here, he has taught me a lot. He’s been a great friend and mentor. I’m just hoping to build on what he has already created.”
Yates will assume the oversight of 19 sports at BNL.
“The school has a great history, a great tradition,” Yates said. “I know these kids are hard working, they’re gritty, they compete and grind every day. I’m excited to work with them.”
Yates graduated from McKinney (Texas) and played high school football and baseball. He later played college baseball at Oklahoma State and minor league baseball for three seasons.
“I want to be able to give back to kids what I learned from my coaches and ADs along the way,” he said. “I had some great people in my life, and I would love to instill what I’ve learned, give that back to the programs here.”
Yates does not plan wholesale changes. He intends to maintain the system already in place.
“I just want to foster the culture that’s already here, just build on what we already have,” he said. “I’ll look at some different things I can do to put my stamp on things.”
