The announcement marked the end of an era.
Charles Breithaupt, Executive director of the UIL, will retire after the 2024-25 academic year. After 15 years in the role, Breithaupt announced his departure at the UIL’s legislative council meeting. His retirement came alongside the legislative council’s approval of splitting divisions in the playoffs for five sports beginning in the fall, aligning with the format of Texas high school football.
A former student-athlete at Buna High School, Breithaupt spent 17 years coaching nearly every high school sport, earning coach of the year accolades nine times. His stops included Hardin-Jefferson, Beaumont, and his alma mater Buna, where he served as an athletic director, assistant principal, school board member, and high school principal.
After joining the UIL in 1992, he worked as associate director and athletic director before being appointed executive director in 2009—the seventh in the organization’s 100-year history.
During his tenure, Texas high school football instituted the aforementioned split divisions within classifications to accommodate Lone Star State’s tremendous growth, initiated live-streamed games, and increased safety measures to protect student-athletes.
Throughout the last two decades, Breithaupt has earned numerous Hall of Fame inductions, including the Southeast Texas Coaches Hall of Honor, the Texas High School Coaches Hall of Honor, and the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame.
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