When Tommy Parker came to Panther Creek High as the athletic director when the school opened in the fall of 2006, he figured he would hold the post for three or four years.

When Todd Schuler came to Panther Creek as the boys’ varsity soccer coach last fall, he figured he was several years away from considering an AD position anywhere.

For both Parker and Schuler, circumstances have cut those pursuits short.

Effective Feb. 1, Schuler will become Panther Creek’s new athletic director, as Parker has decided to retire.

“This has been challenging, opening a new school, and exciting,” Parker said last week. “I’ve enjoyed it. We have a wonderful staff, good parents and a good group of students. [But] I’m worn out and need a break. You know when the time’s right; now’s the time. And I’m excited.”

Parker began his coaching and education career in 1976 at Durham High, his alma mater (class of ’72). Some of the jobs Parker has held throughout his 30-year career include head football coach at Oxford Webb, assistant football coach at Northern Durham and the system-wide athletic director for Durham Public Schools.

Parker said that midway through the fall, he started to feel worn out. He returned to the sidelines and coached on Wayne Bragg’s staff with the football team, but he said that did not lead to his desire to step away.

“Once I made the decision, I felt good about it,” Parker said. “I really did. I felt excited and refreshed that the decision was made. I shared that with Mr. [Rodney] Nelson [PCHS’ principal] as soon as I made up my mind. So we moved forward from there.”

Schuler has served as Panther Creek’s boys’ varsity soccer coach the last two seasons, and he will continue to do so while serving as the AD. He was going to take over the girls’ program next spring, but he will vacate that post in order to dedicate his time during the spring to the AD’s duties. The school has posted that job, but no timetable has been set for when a hire will be made.

“With the unexpected retirement of coach Parker, and loving the community here, it felt like this may be an opportunity that may not come up again,” Schuler said. “I know the administration well. I have a good relationship with the principal. There’s a lot of former ADs here, so there’s a lot of help available. I have a great rapport with other coaches. So there was desire among the coaching staff to bring in a candidate who knew our culture.

“I really like what coach Parker has done and the culture he created, and I feel like I can help build on that.”

After six years in the business world, Schuler entered education in 2003 through Teach for America. After fulfilling that two-year commitment at Franklinton High School, 30 miles north of Raleigh, he was invited to remain on the school’s staff, and he became the social studies department chair. He also served as an assistant coach on the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams.

He moved on to Panther Creek, where he teaches computer programming, when the school opened. Earlier this fall, Schuler guided Panther Creek to a fifth-place finish in the Tri-Eight and its first playoff berth. The Catamounts made it to the third round of the NCHSAA 4-A tournament, where they lost to eventual state champion Broughton.

“Todd will combine his understanding of business and marketing with his experiences in high school and high school athletics,” Nelson wrote in an e-mail to The Cary News. “We look forward to watching our young program develop into a vibrant and strong program for our student-athletes under Todd’s leadership.”