Westside’s Fendley leaving for head coach job at Bowdon

Westside’s defense, coached by defensive coordinator Rich Fendley, was one of the Middle Georgia’s top units during the past season. Bowdon High apparently took notice.

Fendley will be moving on from the Seminoles program after just one season to take over as head coach of the Red Devils, who compete in 1A.

“I’m really excited. I’ve enjoyed the year I spent at Westside. It’s kind of a family profession. I’ve been wanting to be a coach since I was in elementary school,” Fendley said. “I’m blessed with the opportunity to finally do it, I’m excited.”

Fendley’s final day at Westside was Wednesday, one consisting mostly of bidding farewells to coaches and players with whom close bonds were built during the past few months. That also came during a stretch in which Westside gave up more than 14 points on just four occasions, helping the Seminoles to an 8-4 record and trip to the second round of the GHSA 3A playoffs.

“It’s going to be hard to replace him, he got us to be one of the top defenses in the state. That’s going to be hard to replace,” said Westside head coach Spoon Risper, a college teammate of Fendley’s at West Georgia. “The kids gravitated to him, he has that type of personality that the kids are attracted to.”

In more ways than one, Bowdon will feel like going home for Fendley, who grew up around the Warner Robins program and coaches such as his father, Richard Fendley, in addition to Robert Davis and Bryan Way.

Bowdon not only has built in atmosphere of excitement around the Red Devils, but there’s an expectation of on-field success. Fendley will take over a Bowdon program that went 2-8 last year — its worst since 2007. There’s a built in fervor for the Red Devils around the community, partially due to perennial success on the field. Bowdon is a regular in the postseason, but has not advanced to the semifinal round since 2005.

“One thing that attracted me, it has a strong community support. It’s a small town that loves football. I’ve always wanted to coach in a small town that shuts down on Friday night,” Fendley said. “Before I came to Westside, I actually lived in Carrollton in the past 22 years, so it’s kind of like going back home. My wife has lots of family there, that kind of attracted me.”

And much like the famous “demon head” associated with the Warner Robins program that Fendley was influenced so much by, Bowdon has a similar item for its Red Devils — a testament to the excitement that’ll surround Fendley on Friday nights going forward.

“It reminds me a lot of what i remember growing up,” Fendley said. “I remember back in the ‘70s and being the ball boy and thinking, ‘My dad has the greatest job in the world,’ and really just wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

This story was originally published December 21, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Westside’s Fendley leaving for head coach job at Bowdon."