Columbus High School didn”t look far to find its next head football coach.
Columbus announced this morning it has promoted from within, choosing defensive coordinator Tony Stanford as the seventh head coach in school history.
Stanford replaces Bubba Davis, who decided to retire June 14 after two seasons as the coach of the Falcons.
“We just thought it was the best route to take to try to keep everything together,” Columbus athletic director Rusty Greene said this morning.
Stanford takes over the program with more than 30 years coaching experience. He has been a head coach at Louisville, Philadelphia, Morton and Choctaw Central, winning the Class 4A state championship at Louisville in 1995.
“It is a great opportunity for me,” Stanford said. “I am stepping into the shoes of a well-known and respected coach (Davis, who coached West Point to four state championships in the 1980s). Over the last two years, we have been building and heading this program in the right direction. I am excited to get going and proud to be a part of a great school with such outstanding kids.”
Stanford becomes Columbus” fourth head coach in seven years. The previous three coaches — Rusty Funk, Daryl Jones and Davis — coached the Falcons two seasons each.
Columbus was 4-18 during Davis” tenure, going 1-10 in 2008 and 3-8 in 2009.
The Falcons last had a winning season in 2007 when they were 6-5 and last made the state playoffs in 2005 when they made it to the second round.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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