New Madera South High School Athletics Director Josh Adams is very aware of the culture he is inheriting replacing a retired Andrea Devine.
Devine spent nine years developing and nurturing the athletics culture at Madera South, and Adams knows it will be a tough task to fill her shoes.
“The more I got to know coaches, there is this culture of shared athletes and a common theme of values they believe in,” Adams said. “Andrea had a big part of that in her time. It’s always easy to come behind someone that was a train wreck. Andrea did a great job. That’s a unique challenge that I’m up for. It’s not easy. She did a lot of things right. I have to find ways that my unique approach can elevate some things.”
Adams says his way of doing things will be slightly different, but he wants to help streamline some of the process the coaches have to do.
“I really strive not to put anything extra on the coach’s plates. Any way myself or my department can make their lives easier, I strive for that,” he said. “I try to be the guy on the side supporting in any way I can.”
Adams grew up in the Modesto/Turlock area, and went to Bret Harte High School in Angels Camp. He played football, wrestled and did track.
After Bret Harte, he went to play football and wrestle at a small college in Illinois. He came back to Stanislaus State to get his degree, and that’s where his career path changed.
“I took a combative PE class,” he said. “The instructor was the wrestling coach at Turlock High School. He was demonstrating a move, and broke my rib. Two weeks later, he asked if I wanted to help him coach at Turlock. That’s where I got the bug.”
Adams helped the high school team, and also started coaching the youth wrestling program.
“The second year, the guy that was running the youth program left, and they asked if I wanted to take over,” he said. “I had no idea what I was doing, but I hit the ground running. I was doing that for about six years. We had some success at the youth level.”
Then, his career took another turn while attending an event with his wife, who was working at Los Banos high School.
“I ran into the principal, and he asked if I wanted to coach at Los Banos,” Adams said. “While I was at it, teach, too. At the time, I was working in group homes, working in social work. I got into a credential program, and started as an intern teacher in Los Banos.”
Adams was an assistant coach for a year, and then took over the program after the head coach went to the new Pacheco High School.
“I had some success in year one,” he said. “We beat Turlock for the first time in school history. I knew all those kids, so I had a little bit of an advantage. We won four straight league championships. I had a good time and experience there. I was a two-time Coach of the Year.”
Then, Adams started looking for bigger and better challenges, and a job in Clovis North opened up, and he became the head coach of the Broncos.
“Wrestling is a big deal in Clovis,’ he said. “They were last place in the Tri-River Athletic Conference. Within a year, we were a top 10 team in the state. I don’t take a lot of credit for it. Austin Flores was the first state championship for Clovis North. I did that for a couple of years.”
Looking to keep moving forward, Adams was looking to get into administration, and moved to Clovis East to become an assistant athletics director. It came at a good time because he was able to oversee his kids, who also attended Clovis East.
Then, his son was headed to Clovis East, and was wrestling. The wrestling team needed help, so Adams became the wrestling coach and was able to coach his son for four years, and also coach his daughter in wrestling.
An athletic director position opened at Gilroy High School. Adams had some contact there, and he thought Gilroy would be a good fit for his first full-time athletic director position.
“I worked with some great people for three years out there,” he said. “We streamlined some things. It was a great experience, but I missed the Central Valley. Gilroy High School’s athletics community was important, but as a district, it wasn’t a high priority. There were some challenges with that.”
When Devine announced her retirement, Madera Unified School District reached out to Adams about the possibility of taking over.
“The district and the community have made athletics a priority,” he said. “It’s not the top, but it’s important. It’s an important intervention in the lives of kids. It keeps them plugged in. It was really attractive to me.”
Since getting hired earlier this year, Adams has hit the ground running, and is excited about heading to Madera South every day.
“There’s challenges and the job is busy,” he said. “It is a great opportunity for me. I am really looking forward to getting this year going. Fall season is busy and chaotic. Winter is a little bit of a lull with five sports. Then, the spring ramps up, and it’s crazy again.”
He doesn’t plan to do anything crazy his first year. He just wants to get to know those involved with Madera South athletics, from the athletes to the coaches, community and campus.
“I want to find ways to elevate our programs in whatever way possible,” he said. “We have new hires coming in. We feel excited and there’s energy with those hires. That’s promising for this year.”
Since becoming the athletic director at Gilroy, his classroom days are over, and he’s had an assortment of classes to go with three different credentials — science, social science and physical education.
He started with science 1 in Los Banos, then was an activities director, and taught ASB Leadership. He taught science at Clovis North and athletic leadership at Clovis East. He has also taught psychology, sociology and criminal justice.
“The advantage of coming to Madera South, the AD role is an admin position,” he said. “I get to oversee the physical education program and the coaches. It’s very instrumental in the success of the athletic department.”
Adams comes in with an extensive wrestling background, and he knows about the Madera South program and the history of wrestling in Madera.
“I came out the past few years to help coach Al (Lopez) with the Robert Arballo tournament,” he said. “Running large events is in my wheelhouse. At Gilroy, we hosted the Mid-Cals, which had 100-plus teams and 1,000 wrestlers. I did the same at Clovis East. Seeing success Coach Al has had the past couple of years has been great to see. It’s a great model for a lot of coaches and programs of what you can do in the community. Madera has a lot of history and tradition. It’s nice to see Madera South get those accolades, as well.”
One of the first orders of business Adams had to attend to when he first became the athletic director was hire a football and baseball coach, flagships of the fall and spring sports seasons.
“With Coach (Eric) Tatum coming on for football, he brings a lot of energy,” Adams said. “This is his first varsity job. He’s been under a lot of great mentors. He’s a student of the sport. He’s a leader of coaches in the program. He’s surgical with his approach. I’m really excited to see what he can do. Throughout the interview process, I got to know him. In the short time leading our program, I’ve seen some great things. I’m looking forward to the season. I think we will turn the corner. We will face some comparable opponents.
“I’ve been fortunate to find some great people. That’s a testament to our school site and our district striving to be attractive and competitive to provide the support. It does mean a lot to potential head coaches that everyone says athletics is important.”
One of the things Adams wants to do is to get more engaged in athletics and wants to get more kids at the school involved. He will implement an athletic leadership council, which will involve a representative from each sport to find ways to grow athletics on the campus.
He also wants to reach out to the lower levels to help them grow, which, in turn, will help the high school program.
“I want to work with Martin Luther King to try connect those athletes and coaches to Madera South to create continuity,” he said. “We have a lot of great coaches that have tools in their belt to direct the lower levels. We want to make sure our coaches know they are also responsible for supporting the lower levels.”
With both of his kids in college, Adams says he will have more time to support his coaches and athletes. He also wants more communication between coaches, parents and athletes.
“I’ve got a lot of time available. Being available on campus, at practice and at games helps support and navigate things,” he said. “I try to encourage communication to prevent issues and ensure everyone knows our expectations. We have great coaches on our campus that have a lot of knowledge. We want to create an opportunity for them to share between themselves. We want our coaches to share amongst each other. I am an AD committed to our athletes and coaches. They are my priority. The secondary is supporting the campus, teachers and administration. I strive to be an AD that is here to fight for our athletes and coaches.”
Adams has been married to his wife Yvette for 24 years. His wife is currently the assistant superintendent for South Monterey Union High School District.
“She is commuting. She works remote to make it flexible. She has a great superintendent. She enjoys the job, but it’s far away. We’ll see what the future holds,” he said. “
Adams’ daughter, Emily, graduated from Cal Poly two years ago. Her name is on two different gyms.
“She was an eighth grade Athlete of the Year at Granite Ridge and Athlete of the Year at Clovis East,” Adams said. She played water polo, basketball, wrestled for a year, and did track and swam. She had a lot of success. It was great as a dad to watch a sport that I didn’t know. I learned the water polo, and I’m big proponent of aquatics.”
His son, Albert, is a sophomore at UCLA, and was a champion wrestler. He is also doing club wrestling at UCLA.
“Albert is an excellent student, and focused on wrestling,” Adams said. “We got to connect through that, and it was a great time. He’s pre-med. My kids have done great things.”
In whatever free time he has, he likes to backpack and get on the lake. And, spend whatever extra time he has for family.
“I have some buddies, and we do backpacking. We’ve done the High Sierra Trail,” he said. “We’ve done the John Muir Trail. We’ve hiked from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite. We’ve put in some miles. My nature of the job in education, there’s usually a month where we can unplug. That’s the beauty of the Central Valley that mountains are on one side and the coast is on the other.”
One of Adams’ biggest passions is watching the Chicago Bears.
“In 1986, I was eight, and the Bears won the Super Bowl, so they must be the best,” he said. “Then, I spent the next three decades feeling miserable about it. This past year, watching the Bears turn things around, has been exciting.”
Other than the Bears, Adams says he’s a big fan of the Stallions.
“You won’t find me in anything but our school colors,” he said. “My wardrobe, now, is purple and black with some white. I love being a fan of all the Stallions. Overall, it’s a good time to be a Stallion.”