DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Sid Maxwell almost retired after last season, but he wanted to stay for one more season.
The 2024 season, although not exactly how the Tigers wanted to end it, was a season that Maxwell said completed his 37-year career.
"I don't measure anything on wins and losses with this football team," the long-time Dawson County football coach said. "I got the most of them with what we had, talent-wise, and like I told them, they completed me.
"But I can't say anything has been bitter for me, to be honest with you. I mean, I've been blessed. How many people can go out how they want to go out, and how many people in Georgia can be a football coach for 30 years? So I've been truly blessed, and I've been at three different schools and was fortunate enough to have success at all three schools. I've had a lot of people help me along the way, and I've watched people grow and build a lot of relationships. So, I've been blessed throughout my 37 years."
After 10 seasons at the helm of Dawson County, Maxwell retires as the program's winningest coach, leading the Tigers to a 69-45 record in his tenure. He led the Tigers to the program's only two region titles, five second-round, one quarterfinal, and three first-round appearances.
Maxwell credits the program's success to the system they implemented 10 years ago.
"To get the buy-in early and get the kids to win was a big plus for us," Maxwell said. "You know, they just took off from there."
And it did. The Tigers went 9-4 and captured the program's first region title and a quarterfinal appearance in Maxwell's first season. After that, the Tigers won seven or more games over the next seven seasons.
But Maxwell said the 4-6 2024 campaign completed his career.
"This year, they worked in the weight room. They played hard. They did everything hard with a lot of grit, making it really fun to coach," Maxwell said.
Maxwell will officially retire from teaching on May 31. He said he would help with the transition but has no desire to coach again. As he says, the body cramping is over.
"It's time for me to go back and be a cheerleader and cheer for Dawson," he said. "Like I tell people, I didn't know my mind was racing for 36 years of trying to win every day. You wake up at night, trying to find ways to make yourself better every day. So, I knew this was my last run, and it was like I'd had a body cramp for 36 years, and I don't have a cramp anymore."
Maxwell finishes his 30-year head coaching career with a 197-128 overall record, leading Sequoyah, Lambert, and Dawson County to a combined 19 playoff appearances and three region titles.
"It's time for me to enjoy life with my wife," he said. "I'm lucky to have a lovely lady who has been by my side for 36 years, and as a coach's wife, it's not an easy road because you're giving back to everybody else. So, I'm truly blessed to have someone who is my soul mate that I can really enjoy life with. So, we're going to have a lot of fun in retirement."
Dawson County athletics director Bradley Fowler said the search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
