Pearland Head Baseball Coach Ben Pardo Named Athletic Director for PISD

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Ben Pardo named athletic director for PISD

By TED DUNNAM
Updated: 02.09.10


Ben Pardo, currently the head baseball coach at Pearland High School, was approved Tuesday night by the Pearland ISD trustees to become the school district’s next Director of Athletics.

Pardo has served as Pearland’s baseball coach since the 2003 season, and led the team to a 30-8-1 record and to the Class 5A state semifinals last fall.

His teams have been perennial playoff squads during his tenure as the Oiler baseball coach.

“It is a challenge in the sense of taking the whole athletic program and elevating it to a different level,” Pardo said. “I just want to see how we can make it better and to pursue excellence in all aspects.”

Pardo, 44, came to Pearland in 2002 from Dickinson where he served as the head baseball coach for 10 years. He taught English at Dickinson and Pearland High Schools and has taught health at PHS the past three years.

Pardo received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Houston and is completing his master’s degree from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

Pardo is a native of Havana, Cuba.

“I was born in Havana in December of 1965 and came to the U.S. in February the next year,” he said. “So I was in Cuba all of two months. I have no recollection of Cuba, but certainly I’ve heard lots of stories from grandma and grandpa.”

Pardo will coach the 2010 Oiler baseball team while also incorporating his new athletic director duties.

“Right now, we’re finishing up in terms of getting the baseball season started,” Pardo said. “In the next few days, I’ll get together with Dr. (Bonny) Cain and Ms. (Nan) Weimer and figure out where we’re going to go from here.”

Bob Richter has been serving as the interim athletic director of the school district since Mike Watson was put on administrative leave last fall after allegedly bringing a gun on to school premises. Watson is no longer employed by the school district.

Pardo said there is some uncertainty how his duties will unfold because his hiring coincides almost exactly with the start of baseball season.

“I’m unsure what will transpire in that respect,” he said after Tuesday’s board meeting. “I’ll try to get over here (administrative offices) in some capacity to start my AD duties in the afternoon.

“I will coach the baseball team this year, and then we’ll move on.”

Pardo said it’s always been a desire of his to work in administration.

“I pursued my degree in administration because that’s always been a goal of mine,” he said. “There were times when I didn’t know exactly what capacity I wanted to serve, but I like the athletic aspect of education, and in being in the position to make hands-on decisions.

“I want to help all the programs, and I thought this would be a good fit for me.”

Also working in Pardo’s favor is that he is readily familiar with many of the coaches at Pearland and Dawson High Schools.

“I think that’s definitely positive,” Pardo said. “I know the coaches here at Pearland, and of course, I know some of those that left Pearland to go to Dawson, such as coach (Jerry) Killen, coach (Eric) Wells, coach (Mike) Allison and coach (Vincent) Hypolite.

“It certainly helps to start out with a relationship like that.”

Pardo’s immediate family includes his wife, LaShelle, and children Malorie, Trevor and Mariah.

Malorie, a junior on the Lady Oiler volleyball team, has been a three-year starter and has already committed to play volleyball for LSU.