After much consideration, PHS administrators have announced who will succeed former athletic director Mr. Scott McKenzie in the fall of 2023.

Powell Middle School Spanish teacher and Rocky Mountain High football coach, Mr. Richard Despain, is set to take over as the new PHS athletic director. 

“We had a lot of quality applicants for this position,” PHS principal Mr. Tim Wormald said. “We interviewed six candidates, which is more than we normally interview. Mr. Despain emerged as the best candidate from that pool. He has a variety of experiences that will help him be successful in his new position.”

Intrigued by the prospect of becoming the new athletic director, Mr. Despain sent his resume in as soon as the application process began.

“I was fortunate enough to make it through the application process,” Mr. Despain said. “I interviewed with the committee, and then met with Mr. Wormald a few days later. [During] that meeting, Mr. Wormald offered me the position, and I accepted.”

Mr. Despain will officially take over Aug. 24, 2023 when the 2023-24 school year begins.

“I am excited for Coach Despain to be the new [athletic director] at PHS,” Mr. McKenzie said. “I think he will do a great job as he has experience as a coach, he is able to think on his feet and he believes in doing what’s best for the kids. He has Panther Pride and will continue to promote all of the good things we stand for.”

For over 20 years, Mr. Despain taught Spanish at PMS. He also has a long history with Panther athletics, serving with the late Mr. Jim Stringer as an assistant coach at both the middle school and high school. He was a part of the 2011-13 Panther teams who won the 3A State Championship three years in a row.

Although Spanish education has been Mr. Despain’s primary focus, he has also taught Hunter’s Education, science and yearbook classes. Mr. Despain hopes that, with his new position, he will be able to share his passion for athletics with students.

“I have loved being a part of Powell athletics and activities for the past 24 years,” Mr. Despain said. “My first teaching and coaching opportunities came [from] here in Powell, and I had the chance to learn from some outstanding coaches during that time. The opportunity to watch kids express themselves through athletics, and the chance to to help facilitate those activities was what sold me [on the position].”

PHS students who have had Mr. Despain during their middle school years remember him fondly and highly anticipate his return to the high school.

“I think Mr. Despain is more than qualified for the [athletic director] position,” sophomore Teagan Southwick said. “He’s one of those teachers that is understanding of all kids, and has everyone’s best interest at heart. I think he’ll be a great fit for the job.”

As with most new changes, many in the community have their predictions regarding the changes Mr. Despain may or may not make to the PHS athletic programs in the future.

“I’m not looking at anything specific to change,” Mr. Despain said. “I want to support programs and students as much as I can so they can continue to enrich the education experience we have here at PHS. As the world around us evolves and changes, we’ll step up to meet those challenges as they come.”