WARDEN – The Warden School District has hired Greg Lucas as the new Athletic Director. Lucas moved to the area from Wisconsin and said he is ready to learn about the community and help athletics grow at Warden schools. 

“At the end of the day, it’s about providing opportunities for student athletes and students in our building to participate and have success on the field, not only in the classroom, but (show) what athletics also provides a young person in this world,” said Lucas. 

Lucas was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wis., and graduated from Carthage College, and started his career as an athletic trainer. He said that through his time as a trainer, he met with plenty of students, parents and coaches as well as athletic directors who taught him a lot about the profession. 

“I thought, ‘What a great way to transition from helping athletes and coaches as an athletic trainer to helping at a different level as an athletic director,” said Lucas. 

He decided he wanted a career change and went back to school at Ohio University to earn his master’s in athletic administration and has worked as an athletic director in Wisconsin for the last ten years. 

“I’ve been AD at schools from 200 kids to 1300 kids in my 10 years,” he said. 

He was brought to Washington through his sons, who both got hired on Washington State University’s football coaching staff this year. With his wife finishing up her career as a teacher, the two decided to move to Washington to stay close to their sons. 

During the spring, Lucas began looking around the Columbia Basin and earned the job of athletic director at Warden. Lucas is entering the position following former athletic director Brent Cox, who will be the new head football coach for the high school. 

“I interviewed, then I flew out here and looked at the communities and school, met more people and really took the plunge,” he said. 

In his first year as athletic director for Warden, Lucas said he is going to focus on building relationships with the community and learning from everyone around him. He said it is important to learn how things work in the area and then, as time goes on, will pick up on ways things might need to change or areas that might need help.

“I’m not the kind of guy who comes in with, ‘hey we’ve got to do this, this and this,’ I take a step back, get to know people, get to know the neighborhood, talk to people,” he said. “And Brent (Cox) is still here; he’s a great resource.” 

One of his main goals as he enters the position is to ensure that Warden has favorable programs with good cultures that the students will want to compete in.  

He is anticipating a bit of a learning curve after moving to a state on the other side of the country and trying to learn the different rules and regulations between Washington and Wisconsin, but he said that is another aspect of the job he enjoys. 

“That’s the fun part, learning new things,” said Lucas.