Bowdon's Dwight Hochstetler, whose 345 victories are the most among active Georgia head coaches, wants to retire, but he was planning to meet late Thursday with Bowdon football supporters who hoped to talk him out of it.
"That's one reason I'm delaying," Hochstetler told GHSF Daily on Thursday. "I have some respect for these people, and I'm going to listen. Some things need to change. They'll give their side, and I'll give my side and we'll see what can be worked out. If I do retire, I will make it official in a week or two. I've been in it for a long time."
Hochstetler began coaching in 1972 at Manchester and started Greenville's program in 1978. He won state titles at Greenville (1980, 1984) and Bowdon (1992), making him one of 14 coaches to win state titles at two schools. His career record is 345-114-1, putting him fourth all-time in Georgia behind Larry Campbell, Robert Davis and Dan Pitts. Hochstetler's teams have won 20 region titles.
"I've been in Bowdon for 27 years, and my staff has not changed that much," Hochstetler said. "That's a big key. We pretty much know year in, year out what system we're running. The last three years, I got Evan [Hochstetler, his son and offensive coordinator] on the staff, and that's one of the reasons I've been hanging on, to be able to coach with him."
Hochstetler, a native of Cullman, Ala., said he would retire in Bowdon, where he owns a farm with cows.
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