TEXARKANA, Texas -- Texas High's Assistant Athletic Director Kyle Preston passed away Monday morning.
He is remembered as a friend to all.
Preston had a big heart and gave much more than he took. An award was named after him, the East Texas Coaches Association Kyle Preston Award for assistant coaches. His brother, Darren, a defensive coordinator for Carthage, was the first to earn the award in 2022.
Texas High Athletic Director/head football coach Gerry Stanford worked with Preston for seven years and knew him a little longer.
"He was the kind of guy who had never met a stranger," Stanford said. "He made everybody who walked through our doors, athletically, feel like they had been here forever.
"He and his family are so well respected across this profession and across the state. The amount of lives that he impacted as a coach, not just in the professional world but also the players, is insurmountable. He truly tried to serve other people."
Tigers' offensive coordinator Clint Toon was friends with Preston for 19 years.
"Kyle was one of those people that was a great neighbor, which is how I first met him. He was my neighbor in Kilgore, Texas, back in 2004," Toon said. "He would literally give you the shirt off his back. We were moving into a house in Texarkana, and Kyle had his three sons and two other boys at the house ready to help me move in. Kyle was a relationship person, and relationships meant everything to him.
"He helped me get my job at Texas High. In 2011, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and I got the job as the receivers coach."
Toon lived with Preston for about a month while he looked for a place to live in Texarkana.
"I've learned a lot from him football-wise, but also how to treat people and be a good person," Toon said. "It was great working with him. He knew a lot of different people. He knew everyone from Little Rock and across and all over the state of Texas. Kyle never forgot names. He took care of people in our line of work, the kids and just human beings in general."
Preston attended the Carthage/Pleasant Grove and the Lovejoy/Texas High playoff games on Friday at Pine Tree High School's Pirate Stadium in Longview, Texas.
"We lost a good one," Toon said. "He is a great example of how people should treat each other and the way coaches should help each other out in the profession."