Aledo football icons, who led the Bearcats to UIL record 11 state titles, will retire
Aledo high school football legends Tim Buchanan and Steve Wood will both retire at the end of the school year, the school district announced on Friday morning.
Assistant coach and offensive coordinator Robby Jones will be promoted to head football coach. It will be the first time an Aledo football team will be led by someone other than Buchanan or Wood since the 1992 season.
Buchanan or “Buc” has been with Aledo for 30 years, becoming head coach in 1993.
Buc amassed a record of 281-58-3 in 25 years at the helm.
The Bearcats extended their UIL state record to 11 titles after a 52-14 victory over College Station in the Class 5A D1 championship in December.
It was Buc’s eighth title as head coach, tied for second most in 11-man state history.
He’s only the fifth head coach to reach that mark all-time (11-man/6-man), joining Gordon Wood (9), Scott Surratt (9), Jerry Burkhart (9) and G.A. Moore (8).
“I am proud of the work we’ve done and, honestly, I do sometimes step back and say, ‘wow’ as I think of all of the coaches, administrators, trainers, parents, student-athletes and so many more who have been a part of something so special as what we have in Aledo,” Buchanan said in a press release.
Wood, Aledo’s athletic director, has been with the program for 21 years, most of which as Buc’s defensive coordinator. He was head football coach from 2014-18. Buc continued to be the school’s AD full-time during that stretch.
Wood and Aledo won three titles and made the championship game four times.
The Bearcats beat Temple (49-45 in 2014), Corpus Christi Calallen (24-16 in 2016) and Fort Bend Marshall (55-19 in 2018). They came up short against College Station 20-19 in 2017.
Wood posted a 75-4 record before he and Buc flipped roles in 2019.
“What we have been able to accomplish is remarkable, and I have enjoyed being a part of it as an assistant coach, a head coach and an athletics director. I will certainly miss our kids and getting to know them and cheer them on, but I will be a Bearcat for life,” said Wood, who will retire after 42 years in education.
He also had stops at Port Lavaca, Pasadena Dobie and Boswell.
Building a dynasty
Between Buc and Wood, Aledo is running on a national record 111-game district win streak that dates back to 2007.
But before that streak started, the Bearcats won their first state title in 1998. Aledo won the Class 3A D1 championship over Cuero 14-7.
It took Aledo 11 years to win another, but once it did, it couldn’t stop.
The Bearcats have 10 titles and 11 appearances in the past 14 seasons. During that span, they’ve won back-to-back titles on three occasions. They’ve won three in a row on two occasions.
Aledo secured its second title and the start of three straight in 2009 after a 35-21 win over Brenham in the Class 4A D1 championship.
On that team was running back Johnathan Gray.
Gray helped Aledo to titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and finished his career as one of the all-time best players in state history. He broke multiple rushing records and ended with nearly 11,000 yards and over 200 touchdowns.
Gray returned to the sideline this season as Aledo’s running backs coach.
Buc would win his final title during his first run as head coach in 2013 when Aledo beat Brenham 38-10 for the Class 4A D2 crown. Then Buc became AD full-time and Wood was promoted to head coach.
Buc was set to retire after the 2013 season, but changed his mind after Aledo superintendent Susan Bohn asked him to stay. Nothing changed as Wood won in his first year, a 49-45 decision over Temple in the 2014 Class 5A D1 championship.
“I am so grateful for the impact Steve Wood has had on our athletics program in Aledo,” Bohn said. “I have seen it time and again his love for our student-athletes and coaches, and his genuine interest in the success of both. To know him is to love him.
“We’ll definitely miss his leadership but wish him well in his much-deserved retirement after 42 years in education and his 21 years in service to his Bearcats.”
The two icons swapped after the 2018 season and again, it was back to business as Buc won in 2019 (vs. Fort Bend Marshall) and 2020 (vs. Crosby) to secure another three-peat.
Aledo has won a district title in 15 straight seasons. Its also posted 10 or more wins in 17 straight seasons.
Four state championship teams went undefeated (2010, 2013, 2016, 2018). Four other championship teams only dropped one game (2009, 2014, 2019, 2020).
Buc has 20 seasons with double-digit wins and two undefeated seasons. His only losing season was his first. He was 8-0 in state title games.
During Buc’s time as AD from 1993 to 2018, Aledo also won state titles in golf (2007), softball (2008, 2014, 2015) and baseball (2014). Aledo played for titles or qualified for the state tournament in soccer, volleyball and girls basketball, and has had several individual state champions in track and field, cross country and golf.
“When you get into coaching, you have big plans and dreams, but never could I have envisioned that nearly 40 years later, I’d be leaving with eight state titles as a head coach and three as an athletics director,” said Buchanan, who will be inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor this summer in Houston during the THSCA Coaching School and Convention. “When I came to Aledo, the school was on its sixth head football coach in five years - one two years before me had left after two days.
“We had a lot of work to do, but we had the buy-in of thousands of young men and Bearcats who grew up wanting to be a part of something special.”
Buc also spent time at Bastrop, Killeen Ellison, The Colony and College Station A&M Consolidated, where he helped the team win the 1991 Class 4A state title as an assistant.
“We will most certainly miss coach Buc on our sidelines at Aledo,” Bohn said. “In 30 years, he has created a culture and a community of Bearcats who are extremely proud. His high expectations, his extreme preparation, and his desire to see each student-athlete in his program succeed are just a few of the reasons that he’ll retire as one of the most decorated and respected coaches in Texas state football history.
“I have been honored and blessed to have worked alongside both coach Buc and coach Wood and to have seen first-hand the impact they have had on our community and defining what it means to be a Bearcat.”
Handing the keys over
Jones will be the next head football coach at Aledo.
He started at Aledo in 2000 and has won 10 state titles in 14 years as the Bearcats’ offensive coordinator.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be the next head football coach at Aledo High School because it is the top program in the state of Texas,” Jones said. “Since I’ve been a Bearcat for 23 seasons, you’ll probably notice that not a whole lot will change. We know what works, and we’re going to stay the course and continue with the great traditions, the high expectations and the incredible work ethic that are well established in our program.
“It is not easy to follow a coaching legend, but I know coach Buc will be my biggest supporter. I can’t wait to continue to build upon what coach Buc and coach Wood have done in Aledo.”
As offensive coordinator, Aledo has averaged 49.4 points per game and 45 points per game during the playoffs in 14 seasons.
In 2013, the Bearcats scored a national record 1,023 points (64 points per game).
Jones was also an assistant at Dublin and Munday. He became Aledo’s head track coach in 2018.
“I cannot think of anyone more qualified to take over the Bearcat football program than Robby Jones,” Buchanan said. “Robby has dedicated 23 years to Aledo High School and is one of the very best coaches I know both in X’s and O’s and in his dedication to kids. I cannot wait to see him succeed.”
Despite an 0-2 start this season against Dallas Parish and Denton Guyer, Aledo won the final 14 games. During that stretch, the Bearcats scored 50 points six times and won by double digits 12 times.
Aledo accounted for nearly 7,000 yards of total offense and 93 touchdowns.
The Bearcats averaged 43.4 points per game.
Jones’ father, Jerry, won 206 career games in 25 years at Celina, Maypearl, Pilot Point and Prosper. His brother, Rocky retired from Aledo last season.
“We are excited to introduce Robby Jones as our next head football coach, but we know he’s no stranger to our community or to Bearcat football,” Bohn said. “Coach Jones has been a constant in this program for 23 years, and I know he will continue to build on our rich football tradition at Aledo.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2023 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Aledo football icons, who led the Bearcats to UIL record 11 state titles, will retire."
