Former player returns to lead Lexington

By Dion Clisso PrepsKC Managing Editor
Posted: April 10, 2012 - 9:00 AM



Lexington doesn’t hire football coaches all that often. The Minutemen have been one of the most successful programs in Missouri Class 2 for the better part of four decades and have had the coaching stability that goes with that success.
Gil Rector led the program for many years before retiring in the 1990s and Tom Beck has been in charge at Lexington for the last decade. Beck retired after this past season so the Minutemen were looking for a new coach.
The search went to Liberty where Jays’ assistant coach Andy Lierman had been a part of the staff for the last nine years. For Lierman the chance to coach at Lexington wasn’t just the opportunity to be a head coach, it was a chance to go home and lead the team he played for. Lierman was a 1999 graduate of Lexington and this fall he will be in charge of the Minutemen when they hit the field.
Lierman said this was a great opportunity he just couldn’t pass up.
“It’s very exciting for me,” Lierman said. “It’s one of those things that at least in my mind it’s a dream job. It’s a chance to go back home and give back to the community, the coaches and school district that gave to you.
“It’s exciting for me also because a lot of the coaches, Coach Rector and Coach Beck, still come to the games and are still part of the community.”
Lierman has spent the majority of his time with Liberty after spending one year at Springfield Parkview when his teaching career began. During his time with the Jays he has gained a lot of experience playing the top teams in Missouri Class 5 and 6 and he hopes to bring that experience to the Missouri River Valley Conference East where the Minutemen play top Class 2 and 3 programs like Richmond and Lafayette County.
“I’m just hoping to bring some new ideas,” Lierman said. “Lexington has a huge tradition of football there is no doubt about that. I’ve had a great opportunity to work with some great coaches and coach against some great coaches and see a lot of different things in schemes of football. Some different ways to attack defenses and offenses. I hope to take that experience down there and bring some new ideas and some different concepts."