Odessa Permian has reached back to its past to name Gary Gaines as football coach to replace Darren Allman.
Gaines, who has been Lubbock ISD athletic director since 2007, is expected to be approved by the Ector County school board Thursday.
Gaines was the head coach at Permian from 1986 to 1989, with a state title in his final season. The school district hasn't really been the same since Gaines' 1988 season was the subject of a best-selling New York Times' book and a later a movie called "Friday Night Lights."
Many in Odessa have tried to distance from what some perceived as an unbalanced, unhealthy focus on high school football characterized in "Friday Night Lights."
Permian's program has been overshadowed by the glare of the image for more than a decade. It wasn't until the last four years under former Permian player Darren Allman did Mojo seem to be re-emerging. Allman guided Permian to a 38-11 and three-consecutive playoff berths in the last four years.
But Allman has had an at times strained relationship with the Ector County ISD as far as staffing, infrastructure and the support many Class 5A football programs receive from their administrations.
Gaines is a proven winner who had an overall coaching record of 111-75-6 during his 17-year coaching career with stops at Petersburg, Monahans, Permian and San Angelo Central.
He left Permian to become an assistant coach at Texas Tech in 1990. He became head coach at Abilene Christian University for five seasons.
Gaines was back in the Ector County ISD office as athletic director in 2005 before leaving for Lubbock two years later.
The Permian search was focused on Flower Mound Marcus Bryan Erwin, who visited Odessa and the campus last Friday and Saturday.
But Erwin, who won two Class 4A state titles at La Marque, said Sunday he was withdrawing to stay at Marcus.