David Boyd, who led Milton’s boys basketball teams to state championships in 2010 and 2012, will be named head coach at East Jackson on Thursday.
Boyd has won more than 600 games and six state championships. He is the only boys coach in state history to win state championships at four schools - Milton, Berkmar, Tucker and Campbell.
‘’I love coaching high school players,’’ Boyd said. “I love being in the gym. I love following all my former players in college. It is a lifetime commitment to them. I also love the small-town environment at East Jackson. Folks care about their teams, their school.’’
Boyd was forced to resign from Milton in 2013 amid allegations that he used undue influence to persuade athletes to transfer to Milton. East Jackson’s principal is Jamie Dixon, who was the athletic director who hired Boyd at Milton.
In 2013, Boyd took a job as head coach at Excel Christian in Cartersville but resigned before the season, saying it was not a good fit. Boyd, who had retired from teaching, had bought a new home on St. Simons Island and didn’t count on coaching again.
‘’I was perfectly fine living a mile from the beach,’’ Boyd said. “But when I saw the beautiful school building, talked to Jamie Dixon, looked at the two nice gyms, the state of the art weight room, and realized the community was hungry for a winner, my interest peaked.’’
Boyd’s history at Milton, which became a nationally recognized program with several transfers who went on to play at Division 1 college programs, has made him a lightning rod for controversy. Boyd is accustomed to that.
‘’I'm sure there will be critics who will say let's see how fast he can bring in D-I talent,’’ Boyd said. “I don't have a magic wand to put a spell on families to move anywhere. … I encouraged a number of parents not to send their son to Milton because Milton would not have been a good fit. Good players want to play for good coaches in good programs in good schools.’’
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