Westfield football's Ronnie Jones to step aside from head coaching position
For so long, Ronnie Jones had a routine.
It was a simple one, and it worked well for 40 years: coach high school football.
From Brookwood to Calhoun County to a small school in his hometown of Phenix City, Alabama, to Westfield, Jones coached.
His routine is changing. Drastically.
Westfield announced in an email release Tuesday afternoon that Jones was stepping down as the Hornets' football head coach after 23 seasons.
"It's something I've been thinking about for a little while," said Jones, who turns 65 in February. "It's my 40th year of being a head coach. I've never been an assistant. Twenty-three years here.
"I just felt like it was time."
Jones started thinking about the move a year ago, and more as time went on. He said he told school administrators at the time, then informed them a few weeks ago that it looked as if this would be it.
He made it official with the school last week, and he told the team Tuesday afternoon.
"I made sure it was very quick, because that's tough," Jones said. "I've coached a lot of young guys in 40 years."
But Jones isn't retiring. That's what he said in the team meeting.
"I just told them I was stepping down," Jones said. "I didn't want to say 'retiring' or 'resigning.' I'm just stepping down as football coach."
Jones said his health was fine.
"I think it's more of the full-time (thing), teaching all day," he said.
"I just want to cut back a little bit and see what it's like after 40 years. I may like it, I may not."
One option he's considering is unique: perhaps coaching at the school he's stepping down from under his successor in some form or fashion, like maybe with the junior high team.
He didn't sound like somebody completely hanging up his whistle.
"I still hope I'm involved in some way in some type of football," he said. "I know I will be."
One of the state's longest-tenured head coaches is 346-126-5 as a head coach in two states at four schools. He is 217-68-3 at Westfield, with 11 region titles, four state runner-up finishes and two GISA titles.
Jones had two losing seasons in Georgia, 2-7-1 in 2006 at Westfield ad 4-6 at Brookwood in 1988. His teams cracked the 10-win mark 16 times, and Brookwood went 13-0 in 1983, winning the Southeastern Association of Independent Schools Association -- a precursor to the GISA -- Class AA title.
Barney Hester knows better than most what it was like to go up against Jones. Hester's career at Tattnall Square ran from 1982-2012, and the Hornets and Trojans played at least once a year, often twice.
That the familiarity of Jones being on the Westfield sideline as head coach was over stunned Hester, now head coach at Howard.
"Wow," Hester said, repeating the sentiment three more times. "Man. He just did a great job every year."
The teams often played again in the postseason.
"He had some real good teams, and we had some battles," Hester said. "Usually, during the regular season, he'd get the best of us. Somehow, we'd figure out a way to get them in the playoffs."
Hester said Jones basically introduced the GISA to the wing-T back in the early 1990s.
"He ran it well," Hester said. "And it got a lot of other folks running it."
The Hornets won consecutive GISA Class AAA titles but lost a heartbreaking 27-26 game to Valwood in the semifinals.
The only positive from that loss was that it gave Jones to watch son Chance in action as offensive coordinator for Prince Avenue Christian, a GHSA Class A school.
Jones and wife Beth -- who will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday -- have another son, Trevor, an attorney in Athens. with three grandchildren.
While they haven't competed against each other since 2012, Hester still finds it hard to imagine Middle Georgia high school football without Jones.
"He was as good a football coach as you'll ever see," Hester said. "And even better person."
Jones is content with his decision, but he is adjusting to the unknown for the first time in a long time.
"I'm nervous about the future," he said. "But God has always looked after me."
All-time
Larry Campbell, Lincoln County 477-85-3
Robert Davis, Warner Robins/Westside 352-74-1
Dan Pitts, Mary Persons 346-109-4
Dwight Hochstetler, Greenville/Bowdon 345-114-1
*Alan Chadwick, Marist 343-63
*Barney Hester, Tattnall Square/Howard 333-153-9
Ronnie Jones, Brookwood/Westfield 329-114-3
Luther Welsh, Dougherty/Thomson 323-162-5
Bill Chappell, Dalton 317-74-9
Tom McFerrin, Elbert County/South Gwinnett 317-84-4
* indicates active
Schools listed are where coaches spent the majority of their careers.
Source: Georgia High School Football Historians Association
This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Westfield football's Ronnie Jones to step aside from head coaching position ."