Gentleman. Scholar. Coach. Godfrey.

High School Sports

Gentleman. Scholar. Coach. Godfrey.

SWD HS football coach Buck Godfrey photo profile.

Exactly who is William Henry (Buck) Godfrey Jr.?

Well, Godfrey (in yellow sweater) is the legendary head football coach at SW DeKalb High...

... who's won 229 games and a 1995 state championship in his storied career as Panthers coach.

Off the field, Godfrey (with daughter Rashan Ali Smith, holding granddaughter Bailey Sky) is a devoted family man -- married 39 years to wife Joyce -- as well as a bookworm with a master's degree in English. "I'm engrossed in the language," he says.

He's also a survivor. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in July, Godfrey took time to reflect on what's important to him: "This thing -- cancer -- is something else. I don't want to be by myself too much anymore. Any other time I would go way out in the woods or I'd fish by myself and contemplate like [philosopher] Thoreau. Now, not so much."

He's a leader by example. Players come back to visit as principals and businessmen and lawyers -- educated young men influenced by Godfrey's way. "He taught me himself how to be a quarterback, how to compete and how to be a winner," Clemente Gordon, Panthers' QB in 1985-86, says. "His lessons carried over into my life and have lasted with me since then."

Coach Godfrey? Is a doting grandfather to 10-month-old Bailey Sky.

The man is SWD to the core. "I have this sick thing in me," Godfrey says when trying to explain his hesitancy to call it a career, "called loyalty. And I just love the kids. Simple as that."

Coach loves kids. And kids love Coach. Just ask Panthers ball boy Nicholas Evans, 10, (left, with Godfrey) who wants to play for SWD when he's in high school. "Kids need so much these days," he says. "You can't save them all, but the ones you do -- man -- that's a great feeling."

He's a man who knows what's important. "I've got things that last -- family. And one or two good friends."

Gentleman. Scholar. Coach. Buck Godfrey is all of these things. But he aims for even more. "If I ever get a piece of money," he says, "I would put it toward combating teen pregnancy, working with kids on speaking proper English and creating a community for the homeless. If I ever hit it big, that's what I'd do."

1/11

Exactly who is William Henry (Buck) Godfrey Jr.?

Today's Gallery Headlines

Valentines for Veterans

Metro Atlanta students write valentines to veterans

GHSA Championship, Dance, Akins Ford Arena, Athens

PHOTOS: Georgia teams dance way to state championships

Spring Training Day 3 (Thursday)

PHOTOS: Day 3 of Spring Training for Braves

Her Story Art and Food

AJC photos of the month -- January 2026

More Galleries

toombs county, worth county

PHOTOS: Worth County wins Class A Division I Championship

Binta Darbo (front) runs drills during the 5th annual Girls Flag Football Showcase hosed by the Atlanta Falcons Monday, Aug. 25, 2025 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Photos: Falcons’ Girls Flag Football Showcase

081425 milton buford hsfb

PHOTOS: Buford hosts Milton in new stadium

081025 Super 11

PHOTOS: Meet the 2025 class of the AJC Super 11