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PORT NECHES — Jeff Joseph received the best welcome gift Southeast Texas has to offer — food.

Before being unanimously approved as the next Port Neches-Groves High School athletic director and football coach, he walked into the meeting room Monday and was greeted with a piece of crawfish cornbread.

“That’s how I knew I was probably in the right place,” he said.

On Monday during the monthly board meeting, Joseph became the 20th head football coach for the program, as well as the district’s athletic director.

“This is the type of job I have always hoped for — a type of job with tremendous community support and a tremendous administration,” Joseph said. “They have a great tradition of athletics and excellence in athletics. I am really looking forward to working with these student athletes.”

The new coach said he has had a chance to look over PNG’s roster and he looks forward to speaking with the players later in the week.

Joseph, who previously served as an assistant coach at Southlake Carroll, said the school’s tradition was the main attraction for him.

“This school is a lot like Katy, which is where I grew up,” he said. “…They have a tradition of winning and a tradition of competitive student athletes. I think the fact this place has the support it has is a huge draw for any coach. It is a town that is going to support its athletes and an administration that is going to support its coaches. That is huge and a fabulous foundation to build any athletic program on.”

The coach said fans can expect to see a few consistent qualities in his teams.

“Day One, you are going to see a team that is full of toughness and plays with fantastic effort,” Joseph said. “That is going to be the standard around here. We will ask three things of them every week and that is to play hard, play smart and be very physical.”

PNGISD Superintendent Mike Gonzales said he was pleased with how fast the process moved.

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Joseph said he will keep the shotgun, spread-style offense PNG fans have become accustom to and will run a 3-4 defense base with multiple looks.

“We are going to build up a team that plays a very physical brand of football,” he said.

Joseph joins the staff weeks after longtime Head Coach Brandon Faircloth left for the same position at Sulphur Springs.

The new head coach inherits a team that went to the third round of the 5A-Division II playoffs last year.