Buford has hired Roswell's John Ford as head coach, the Gwinnett County city school announced Monday.
Ford led Roswell to consecutive state final games and 14-1 finishes the past two seasons. His four-year record is 40-12. Roswell was 3-7 the season before he was hired and 0-10 as recently as 2011.
Ford will replace Jess Simpson, who took a job as a defensive line coach at Georgia State. Simpson won seven state titles for Buford, most recently one in 2014.
Buford has been a state runner-up the past two seasons, just as Roswell was with Ford. Roswell lost to Grayson 23-20 in overtime in the Class AAAAAAA final last month. Roswell lost to Colquitt County 30-13 in the state finals in 2015.
Ford, who was promoted from offensive coordinator to replace Justin Sanderlin in 2013, joined Roswell in 2008 and started as running backs coach and special teams coordinator. He had spent the previous five seasons at Harrison under Bruce Cobleigh.
Ford announced his departure from Roswell on his Twitter account late Sunday night.
Ford addressed the move to Buford in a statement release by Buford: "I am thrilled, honored and excited to have the opportunity to join the staff at Buford High School. I am humbled that I get to be the steward of something so special as Buford Football."
About the Author
