Wofford enjoying success at Central Gwinnett

Bartow County native and Cass High School graduate, Todd Wofford, has always loved sports. While excelling at football, he also played basketball and ran track in high school to stay competitive all year long. "I would have played baseball in high school too, if it were not at the same time as track," said Wofford. His passion for sports and love of competition has ultimately led him to a profession he loves as well. Wofford, now the head football coach at Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville, was a standout receiver at Cass High School and later at Presbyterian College.

Like most coaches, the route to a head coaching position has taken him down many roads. Following his playing days at Presbyterian, Wofford spent time as an assistant coach for the Blue Hose. His resume' also includes coaching stops as an assistant at Woodland in Cartersville, Hiram, Peachtree Ridge, and Gainesville High Schools before becoming the head coach for the Central Gwinnett Black Knights in 2010. The father of four (Kennedy, age 9; Christian 6; Peyton and Parker 3) and wife Aja now make their home near work in Lawrenceville, but says he still feels the draw of family and friends back in Bartow County. “I try my best to get back to Cartersville once a month or so,” said Wofford, “but sometimes my schedule simply doesn’t allow it.” He believes the Gwinnett County school is the right spot for building a championship caliber program. “Central is an attractive situation because it is a Class AAAAAA school at the highest level in Georgia and we play in the toughest county in the state. There is a ton of talent and tradition around here as well. The administration is really supportive and a huge reason we’ve been able to turn things around,” the coach remarked. “With all that, I believe we can ultimately win a state championship here.” After a pair of 4-6 seasons in 2010 and 2011, the Black Knights were 6-4 in 2012. Wofford’s team slipped to 2-8 in 2013, but last season was a huge change of direction for the program full of accomplishments and a 7-5 record. “Last season was a great experience for myself and the community of Lawrenceville,” noted Wofford. “Making the playoffs for the first time since 2005 was huge and getting to the second round of the state playoffs was exciting. Accomplishing that in my fifth year as a head coach was nice. When I was hired, we projected that it might take that long to get the program turned around. We had a winning season in 2012, but last season was the true turn around. Beating county rival Brookwood for the first time in 21 years helped too,” Wofford said.

The veteran coach says men he played for and worked with over the years have influenced him and the way he works with players. “Coaches Bruce Miller and John Camp had a huge impact on my style,” said Wofford, “but I’ve also been impacted by a lot of other coaches I’ve worked with throughout my career.” Wofford has quite a list of accomplished former players, including Kendrick Lewis (Gainesville) who is currently playing for the Baltimore Ravens and T. J. Jones (Gainesville) who is currently with the Detroit Lions. Other notable players coached by Wofford include: Blake Sims (Gainesville) Alabama; Trevor Lindley (Hiram) former Philadelphia Eagle; Antonio Sims (Hiram) UGA; Trey Johnson (Central Gwinnett) Ohio State; Adonis Thomas (Central Gwinnett) Alabama; and Francis Kallon (Central Gwinnett) Georgia Tech.

Wofford not only looks forward to the future at Central Gwinnett, he is excited about his chosen profession. “I expect Central to continue to improve. We are always working to get back into the playoffs and expect to make another run in the state playoffs,” added Wofford.

“The challenge of going against great competition and great coaches excites me. It’s also exciting to watch young men progress both on and off the field,” the coach concluded. Central Gwinnett plays in Region 8-AAAAAA with Archer, Berkmar, Brookwood, Dacula, Grayson, Parkview, Shiloh, and South Gwinnett. Coach Wofford and his Black Knights open the 2015 season at home August 28 when they host Collins Hill.