Davin Nelson and his family are excited to be returning members of the Daingerfield Tiger Nation. He is extremely excited and feels blessed to have the opportunity to serve his 6th year as the Athletic Director and Head Football Coach. Coach Nelson is a graduate of Tatum High School and Jarvis Christian College. He previously served in the USMC before starting his coaching career in 2007 at John Tyler High School. In 2008 Coach Nelson went to Jacksonville High School where he coached running backs in 2009, defensive backs in 2010 and the secondary from 2011 through 2014. In 2014 Coach Nelson served as Assistant Head football, Defensive Coordinator and Head Boys Track Coach at Woodville High School until coming to Daingerfield in 2016. Prior to becoming the AD/HFC in 2018, Nelson also served as the Assistant Head Football, Defensive Coordinator and Head Track Coach here in Daingerfield. “I would like to thank the school board and community for all their support. Our family has felt welcomed and loved here in Daingerfield. Most importantly thank you to our parents, booster club and fans for taking such good care of our Tigers and allowing us to coach them.”
Meet the Coaches
Davin Nelson
Dana J. Carter
Dana J. Carter is entering her 24th year at Daingerfield High School. She serves as Girls Coordinator, Head Girls Cross Country Coach, Head Girls Track coach and Govt/Eco teacher. Dana is a graduate of Post High School in Post, Texas and of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Dana and her husband, Mike, have been married for 26 years and have one daughter, Laura age 19 who attends the University of Texas at Austin.
Curtis Lewis
Curtis Lewis is a 1978 graduate of DHS. After high school he attended Prairie View A&M University and received his B.S degree. He came back home in 1983 to accept a coaching/teaching position at DHS. He has been a part of many state championships while in Daingerfield, starting with playing on the 1977 State Championship Basketball team. During his 42 years of coaching/teaching here at Daingerfield he has been proud to have coached several State Championship football teams and track teams. Coach Lewis is married to Lesia Lewis, superintendent of Daingerfield-Lone Star ISD. They have two children, six grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. He is an active member of Mt. Mitchell Church of Christ.
Averi Nelson
Averi Nelson is in her 10th year as the Athletic Trainer for Daingerfield. After graduating from Upper Iowa University with a BS in Athletic Training, she attended A.T. Still University while working at Quitman ISD. She graduated with her Master’s Degree in Human Movement/Sports Conditioning in 2010, and went on to work at Jacksonville ISD, TMI Sports Medicine – Home of the Texas Rangers, and Woodville ISD. Averi is a BOC Certified and Licensed Athletic Trainer with many other certifications. She covers all sports and athletes at Daingerfield-Lone Star ISD. She is the mother of Ainsley, Kenna and Jude.
Coach White
I’m Coach White, Head Girl's Basketball coach and Assistant Coach for Volleyball and Softball. This is my 9th year teaching Spanish at Daingerfield High school.
Shawn Freeman
Shawn is a 1995 graduate of Daingerfield High School, where she was a founding member of the Bengal Belles dance team in 1991. She has begun her 11th year of teaching at Daingerfield, and will be coaching softball and is the Director of the Tiger Belles Drill Team.
She has a love for all Tiger Sports.
Toni Walker
Coach Walker is the head Volleyball coach, as well as an assistant track and softball coach. She is in her third year of her second stint at Daingerfield, where she teaches yearbook and a/v classes at Daingerfield High School. Her son Jonah is a 2023 DHS alum, and her daughters both are enrolled at Daingerfield High School. Her daughter Rachael is a junior, and Anistyn is a freshman. In what little bit of spare time she has, Coach Walker enjoys camping with family and friends.
Tyson Brown
This is Coach Brown's third year at Daingerfield High School, and he will be assisting with football and track and heading up the Powerlifting team. He will also be our Strength and Conditioning coach.
Coach Brown graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Sul Ross State University.
Kris Traylor
In my fourth year coaching with Daingerfield, I will be in a few different roles. I am now the co-DC/passing game coordinator for football and head baseball coach. I will also still be coaching the high jumpers in track. I love listening to music and fishing in my free time.
Taylor Haskell
My family and I are excited to be a part of the Daingerfield Tiger family, helping to add to an already incredible legacy that has been built here. This will be my 6th year coaching in total, I'm thrilled to be helping coach football and track this school year. I love fishing, playing softball, and hanging out with my family and friends. GoTigers!
Desmond Johnson
Desmond Johnson graduated from Daingerfield in 2010. He played college football for Kansas
Wesleyan University Coyotes before transferring to the University of North Texas. He graduated
from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a Bachelors of Business Administration. After
graduating, he went on to work for Mercedes-Benz Financial Services for 6 years until joining
Daingerfield-Lone Star ISD. He will be teaching Principles of Business, Marketing, and Finance
at the Junior High. This will be his 3rd season coaching Football, Basketball, and Track for the
Tigers. In his spare time, he likes to sky dive and travel across the country.
Patrick Dukes
Coach Dukes is entering his 7th year coaching and second year as Junior High Assistant Principal. I graduated from Liberty-Eylau High School in 2008 and was a part of the 06 Baseball State Championship team as well as the 06 Football State Championship team. I completed my undergraduate work at Ouachita Baptist University where I was also a 3-year football letterman. I completed my graduate work at Henderson State University where I also was a 1-year football letterman. My wife Clair is the 8th grade math teacher at the Junior High. In my free time I love to hunt, fish and spend time in my lazy boy chair. I’m excited to be a part of Daingerfield ISD and hope to add value wherever I can.
Caleb Harley
In his second year here as the Offensive Coordinator, Coach Harley is in his 8th year of coaching. Originally from Orange, TX, he comes to us from Sunray, where he spent 3 seasons. Coach Harley loves to find gnomes and trolls for his garden, to fill out his painted rocks collection.
Rebecca Rodriguez
Coach B was born and raised in El Paso, TX. She will be assisting with volleyball, track and softball. She graduated with her Bachelor's in Business Administration from Sul Ross State University in 2022. She's excited to be working with the girls athletics programs. Her family, Tyson, and her dog, Nala, mean everything to her. Let's go Tigers!
LaBrisha Hargraves
Coach Hargraves is excited to start her journey as a first year coach here at Daingerfield. With a passion for mentoring and a love for the game, she is dedicated to helping her team grow and succeed. She believes in fostering a positive and encouraging environment where everyone can thrive. Coach Hargraves is the mother to Jaylah Walls.
Coach Wright
Having coached middle and high school sports, Coach Wright emphasizes hard work, dedication, teamwork and respect. He believes these values are crucial for success in sports and life and strives to lead by example, encouraging players to be well rounded individuals who take pride in consistent effort. Away from the intensity of competition, Coach Wright values time with his family. He often reflects on the countless hours of practice and games that come with being part of a sports family, noting it's not for the faint of heart. Let's have a great school year, go Tigers!
Patrick Finch
Coach Pat, originally from Los Angeles, California, played football and basketball and graduated from Gilmer High School. He went to State with the Buckeyes and played football at Navarro College. This is his first year coaching.