Troy Mathieu is returning to Texas. And he couldn't be more excited.

Mathieu said he has accepted the Grand Prairie ISD athletic director job and will start June 1. Mathieu replaces Fred Clausen, who had been the GPISD AD since 2000.

Mathieu, 45, was the Dallas ISD's assistant superintendent of athletics from 1997 to 2006. He left the Dallas ISD to become athletic director at Grambling State University, where he remained until last summer. In August, he took over as the athletic director of Washington D.C. Public Schools.

Mathieu didn't want to uproot his family from their Richardson home, however, so he has spent much of the last three years away from his wife, Cabrina; daughters Jamie, 19 , Kellie, 11, and Lindsey, 7; and 14-year-old son Marcus. Marcus has lived with Mathieu for the last 10 months.

"We’ve kind of been a family in transit and now that’s over," Mathieu said. "It’s not ideal sometimes, but we’ve done what we’ve had to do and now it’s like a thing of destiny to get back and put the roots back where they belong. We’ve been through a little circle, but we’re very excited about this opportunity."

Mathieu said nothing compares to high school athletics in Texas. He said the structure, support system and quality of competition has no match.

Mathieu oversaw 21 high schools and 23 middle schools in Dallas. In Washington, D.C., he was in charge of 15 high schools and 30 middle schools. Now, he'll be the point person for only two high schools, Grand Prairie and South Grand Prairie, and seven middle schools in the GPISD.

"We can fully embrace all the programs and get to know the people on a personal level," Mathieu said. "In a larger system, it's hard to know all your coaches on a first-name basis because there is just so much ground to cover."

Mathieu said he rented a home while in Grambling, La., and often made the four-hour drive to Richardson to spend time with his family. While in Washington D.C., he's rented an apartment in the downtown area and returned to Texas when time has allowed.

But now he can sleep in his own bed and watch Marcus, who will be a freshman in the fall, continue to strive in football, basketball and track.

"This is something that I had been looking at very closely as I weighed the full quality of life for personal and family reasons," Mathieu said. "It's a place where I wanted to be and where I would like to finish my career."