Celina ISD Names Veteran Marc Bindel as Athletic Coordinator, Head Football Coach

Marc Bindel spent 12 seasons building one of North Texas's most consistent programs in Wichita Falls. Now Celina ISD is betting his 99-53 record and 16 consecutive playoff appearances are exactly what the Bobcats need as they step into Class 5A-Division II.

Celina ISD announced Bindel's hiring as Athletic Coordinator and Head Football Coach on March 24, following a months-long search. He will be formally introduced at the district's school board meeting on March 30.

Bindel, a Wichita Falls native, began coaching in Wichita Falls ISD in 2009 and spent five seasons on staff at Rider High School under then-head coach James Garfield. When Garfield departed in early 2014, Bindel, serving as offensive coordinator, stepped into the top job. Over 10 seasons leading the Rider program, his Raiders reached the state semifinals in 2018 and 2020, the regional finals in 2019 and 2021, and the regional semifinals in 2014 and 2023. His teams accumulated 83 wins at Rider alone.

After Wichita Falls ISD consolidated from three high schools to two, then-WFISD athletic director Grant Freeman selected Bindel to become the first-ever head football coach at the newly formed Wichita Falls Memorial High School. He led Memorial to the playoffs in both seasons he coached there, including an area-round appearance in 2024. Across both programs, Bindel compiled 99 wins, 16 consecutive playoff appearances, and 21 playoff victories in 12 seasons as a head coach.

"Coach Bindel is one of the best football coaches and minds I've ever been around," said Garfield, now athletic director at Abilene ISD. "He is amazing with kids and he is good for kids."

Bindel inherits a program that won the Class 4A-Division I state title in 2024 with a perfect 16-0 record and finished 14-1 in 2025, falling in the state semifinals to eventual state champion Stephenville. The hire is the second major move Celina ISD has made since head coach and athletic director Bill Elliott retired in mid-January. Elliott, who went 150-38 at the helm since 2012 and claimed his only state title in 2024, had held the combined AD and football coach role for years. After his retirement, the district split those responsibilities into two separate positions. Brent Whitson, formerly the head football coach and athletic director at Denison High School, was hired to fill the athletic director role before Bindel's appointment.

The hire comes as the district works to stabilize an athletic department that has faced scrutiny. WFAA reported Elliott's retirement occurred amid an investigation into his son's arrest on numerous sex crime charges. Dave Campbell's Texas Football noted separately that the department had been rocked by charges of sexual abuse involving a former Celina ISD coach.

Whitson, now tasked with overseeing the full program alongside Bindel, framed the hire in straightforward terms. "Coach Bindel is a proven leader who understands how to build and sustain excellence across an entire athletic program," Whitson said. "He invests in people, develops coaches, and creates systems that allow programs to thrive. We are excited about the impact he will have on our students and our community."

Superintendent Dr. Tom Maglisceau pointed to Bindel's fit with the program's standards. "Celina Athletics has long stood as a vanguard of excellence in Texas high school sports, and we are honored to welcome Marc Bindel to our community to carry forward this rich tradition," Maglisceau said in the district's statement. "His ability to build community throughout the athletic programs he has led, his commitment to developing young men and women in all sports, and his sustained success all align perfectly with our expectations for Bobcat Athletics."

Bindel addressed the weight of the opportunity directly. "It is an honor to join the Bobcat Family and become part of a community with such a rich tradition of excellence," he said. "I am passionate about developing student-athletes into outstanding adults, and our coaching staff will be committed to creating an environment where every student can succeed. I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to get to work in Celina."

His first season will come in Class 5A-Division II, a step up in classification for a program that has won nine Texas high school football championships.