Brookwood's Hunter resigns after 15 years

SNELLVILLE - Brookwood High football coach Dave Hunter, who built the Broncos into one of the state&#39;s largest and most successful programs, announced his retirement Friday. <br> <br> The Gwinnett Daily Post reported in Saturday editions that Hunter, 57, told his players he was stepping down but would remain as the school&#39;s athletic director. Hunter, who has battled high blood pressure recently, cited personal health problems as a concern. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s the most difficult professional decision I&#39;ve ever had to make,&#39;&#39; Hunter said. <br> <br> Hunter led Brookwood to the Class AAAA championship in 1996 the first state football title won by a team in the Gwinnett County School system. The Broncos went 149-35 in 15 years under Hunter, who coached for 36 years, including four as a head coach in Tennessee. <br> <br> Hunter&#39;s first Brookwood team went 10-2 in 1987. The Broncos had gone 1-9 the year before he arrived. His 1988 team went 13-2 and lost the Class AAAA state title game to Warner Robins. <br> <br> Nine of Hunter&#39;s teams won at least 10 games and only three, the last coming in 2001, failed to reach the playoffs. This year&#39;s team, which went 5-5, was the first not to have a winning record. <br> <br> The Broncos won 100 games in the 1990s, including a 26-game winning streak that set a Gwinnett record. <br> <br> Parkview, Brookwood&#39;s archrival in Region 8-AAAAA, broke the streak in November and ended the year with a second straight state championship. The Panthers have won 30 straight.