Valwood’s Tidwell Named Valdosta Daily Times Coach of the Year
by L. G. Cannon • photography by Dave Sundin

The Valdosta Daily Times recently named Valwood head football coach Brannon Tidwell its Coach of the Year for 2010.  

In his second season as head coach, Tidwell led the Valiants to a 9-3 record and a trip to the GISA Class AA state semifinals. After a 1-9 record in his opening campaign at Valwood, Tidwell engineered an eight-game swing and instilled a new attitude for the program.

“In the Bible, it says [to] stay humble,” Tidwell says. “It’s all about the kids, what they’ve worked hard to do. The only thing I’ve done is try to lead them. It’s a great honor and I appreciate it, but that kind of stuff doesn’t matter. I told the kids I’ve been part of three national championship games (in college) and have seen some pretty cool stuff. Now it’s not about me, it’s about them and trying to make their lives better.”

Tidwell knew from the beginning that his job would be tough. After a down year in 2008, the 2009 Valwood team had only one senior and three returning starters.

“Coach Patrick had done an excellent job here and had some good teams (Mike Patrick’s 2006 squad played for the AA State Championship), but the number of players had dropped, especially upperclassmen,” says Tidwell. “I felt like we had a good core of younger players and if they worked hard, that we could build on that.”

That first season was hard on the team, mentally and physically. The Valiants recorded a single win. In the offseason, the team dedicated themselves to getting better, which started with early morning workouts and extended to summer camps against competition from larger schools. The players eventually bought into Tidwell’s program and began to see results. After a preseason win over Sherwood Christian, the Valiants beat archrival Tiftarea in the season opener. That led to a 5-0 start heading into region play. Valwood finished the regular season at 8-2, winning a wild 41-40 game over Flint River to make the GISA playoffs.

A loss to eventual state champion Piedmont in the semifinals ended the Valiants’ season, but they had become competitive again. Tidwell credits his coaches and players for the turnaround.

“I’ve been blessed to be able to work with one of the finest groups of assistant coaches I’ve ever been around,” Tidwell says. “This team is lucky to have such an experienced, intelligent and hard-working staff. And the kids this year bought in to what we were doing, worked hard and played hard every single Friday. You can’t ask for more than that.”

Tidwell’s qualifications extend well beyond high school football. In addition to stints in several Jacksonville high schools, he worked as a graduate assistant under Bobby Bowden at Florida State, and then as an assistant under Jackie Sherrill at Mississippi State.

“I’ve seen a lot of different types of situations,” Tidwell says. “It’s helped to prepare me to deal with kids from all different backgrounds. It doesn’t matter where a kid’s from or what type of situation he’s in.  If he wants to work hard in the classroom and on the field, he can play for us here at Valwood.

“Valwood is a great situation for me,” he adds. “It’s like a big family. I love it here and hope to be here for a long time.”