MIDLAND, Texas — Midland ISD Executive Director of Athletics Blake Feldt is set to retire at the end of this year after almost 40 years working in athletics.
Feldt sat down with NewsWest 9 and spoke on his career and dissected those 40 years.
"The most important thing about this profession and this job is the student athletes that you coach. That's what it's all about," Feldt said.
That's the message that sticks with the athletic director as he looks back on his experience and prepares to start the next chapter of his life, leaving the sports world to start a new journey into wealth management.
"I wanted to do something different and I wanted to do it before I got too old," Feldt said. "I'm 62 now and figured I better do it now before I get to the point where I can't do it."
Feldt's impact can be remembered by many here in the Permian Basin because of his many ties and connections to this area and beyond. He grew up in Midland, playing football and graduating from Midland High School.
"It's just the friends that I had at Midland High. There are guys that I became friends with when I was in kindergarten in some cases and...they're still my best friends today," Feldt said.
Post-graduation, the former Bulldog continued his football career as a Red Raider. The offensive lineman later moved into coaching at Texas Tech as a graduate assistant and started learning the ropes of what it took to lead a team of his own. A goal he had pretty early on.
"When I was a GA at Tech, Jerry Moore and I were jogging at lunch... He asked me, 'Blake, what do you really want to do in this profession,' I said, 'You know what I think I want to do? I think I want to be the head football coach at Odessa Permian.' And he looked at me like I was crazy," Feldt said.
It wasn't that crazy. Feldt didn't end up in Odessa over night though. He spent coaching at the collegiate level and won a state championship with Pilot Point in 2009. Eventually, the coach would fulfill the early "What-if."
In 2013, Feldt took over at Permian to start the post-Gary Gaines era before returning home to MISD.
"To have the opportunity to come back and serve as an athletic director for the district has been a true blessing. I think we've done some great things here, and I'm very proud of our work," Feldt said.
Part of Feldt's decision to leave this year stems from what he feels he'll leave behind, noting the recent passing of the MISD school bond and the success of both the Midland High and Midland Legacy football programs this season.