The University School of Jackson is pleased to announce the hiring of Derrick Pritchard as the new Athletic Director and Head Football Coach for the Bruins. Coach Pritchard was most recently the Associate Head Football Coach/Defensive Coordinator, Head Softball Coach, and Associate Athletic Director for Ensworth in Nashville, TN.
“After an extensive search process to find the best person to continue our great tradition at USJ, I am honored to welcome Derrick to our leadership team and to have him leading our student-athletes and coaches. Coach Pritchard’s character and professionalism are integral in advancing our mission on the football field and our administrative team. I could not be more pleased to have him and his family joining our USJ family, nor more excited about the next chapter of Bruins athletics and football with him at the helm,” shared Head of School Don Roe.
While Coach Pritchard’s current positions have been in the Middle Tennessee area, his West Tennessee roots run deep. From 2011-14, Coach Pritchard served as the Assistant Head Football Coach and the Defensive and Offensive Coordinator at Chester County High School in Henderson, TN. From 2008-10, Derrick served as Trinity’s Assistant Head Football Coach and Defensive Coordinator. In 2006-07 Derrick served as the defensive backs and quarterbacks coach and Assistant Baseball Coach at Union City High School. Derrick was a scholarship player at Lambuth University, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Education. Derrick and his wife, Katie, have three daughters, Brinley Kate, Blakely Kay, and Brylee Katherine.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the University School of Jackson football program and Athletic Department,” says Coach Pritchard, “My family and I could not be more excited to return to Jackson and join the USJ community. I am grateful for the last eight years I have spent in Nashville with the Ensworth community. We will miss the relationships we created there, but we are excited to rekindle old relationships in Jackson and forge new ones in the Bruin community. I look forward to continuing to help our students grow and flourish, guiding them in finding success and becoming active members of their communities. I would like to thank Head of School Don Roe, the search committee, and the Bruin community for the opportunity to lead these respected programs into the next chapter.“
Please help us welcome Derrick Pritchard to USJ! We will hold a meet and greet for Coach Pritchard at 3:30 p.m. this afternoon in the Blankenship Theater. All players and families are welcome to attend.
For more information about USJ athletics, visit usjbruins.org.
