Aledo ISD head football coach Tim Buchanan, athletic director Steve Wood retires

PARKER COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) – On Friday morning, Aledo ISD announced that coach Tim Buchanan and athletic director Steve Wood would retire at the end of the school year.

Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Robbie Jones was named head football coach.

According to the county, Buchanan spent 30 years at Aledo (25 years as head coach) and 40 years in public education and coaching.

“We will definitely miss Coach Book on the Aledo fields,” said Superintendent Dr. Susan Bohn. “Over 30 years, he has created a Bearcat culture and community that he is very proud of. His high expectations, his extraordinary training, and his desire to see every student-athlete in his program excel are just some of the reasons he will retire as one of the most decorated and respected coaches in Texas football history.”

The announcement comes just six weeks after the Bearcats won their UIL-record 11th state title 52–14 over College Station at AT&T Stadium on December 17, 2022.

Buchanan, who amassed a coaching record of 281-58-3, has won eight state championships, second only to 11-man state record holders Scott Surratt and Gordon Wood (Brownwood/Stamford). G. A. Moore has also won eight state titles at Pilot Point and Celina.

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done and to be honest, sometimes I take a step back and say wow when I think of all the coaches, administrators, instructors, parents, student athletes and so many others who were part of something so special. like what we have in Aledo,” Buchanan said.

Buchanan finishes 20 seasons with double-digit wins and two undefeated seasons. His only losing season was his first in 1993. Buchanan went 8-0 in state title games, winning in 1998, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020 and 2022. defensive coordinator Steve Wood took over as head coach, the Bearcats won three more state titles (2014, 2016, 2018).

Aledo’s 11 state football titles are the all-time UIL record regardless of classification. Between Buchanan and Wood, Aledo has a 111-county win streak that is still active; Aledo’s last defeat in the county was on October 5, 2007.

“I have been honored to work with Coach Book for the past 18 years and see firsthand the impact he has had on thousands of young student athletes,” said Aledo High School Principal Angie Tims. “His student athletes are not only good football players, but also good students and representatives of Aledo High School. He set a very high standard of craftsmanship. We will miss him, but we wish him only the best in retirement.” “

Buchanan will be inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor this summer in Houston during the THSCA Coaching School and Convention. Prior to Aledo, Buchanan was an assistant coach at Bastrop (1984), Killeen Ellison (1985, 1987), The Colony (1986) and A&M Consolidated (1988–1992), where he won the 1991 Class 4A state title as an assistant coach.

Wood spent 21 years as Aledo ISD’s defensive coordinator, head football coach, and director of athletics.

His retirement comes after 42 years of study. Wood had other stops in his career as a teacher and assistant football coach at Port Lavaca High School (1981–1984), Pasadena Doby High School (1985–1992), and Saginaw Boswell High School (1993–2001).

He became Buchanan’s assistant head football coach and defensive coordinator in 2002, then was named head football coach from 2014 to 2018 while Buchanan retired from coaching to become Aledo ISD’s director of athletics. Wood’s Bearcat teams have won three state championships (2014, 2016, 2018) in four title games. Wood posted a 75-4 record in five seasons.

“I have so many memories and moments of pride in my 42 years of training and these last 21 years at Aledo have been unforgettable,” Wood said. “What we have been able to achieve is remarkable and I have enjoyed being a part of it as an assistant coach, head coach and director of athletics. I will certainly miss our children, get to know them and cheer for them, but I will be Bearcat for life.”

Wood and Buchanan switched places ahead of the 2019 season, with Wood becoming district director of athletics and Buchanan returning to the game as head football coach for AHS. Wood has won four state titles as Aledo’s assistant coach (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013), three as Bearcats head coach (2014, 2016, 2018) and three as athletics director (2019, 2020, 2022) for 10 states. titles.

“I am so grateful to Steve Wood for the impact he has had on our athletics program at Aledo,” Bon said. “Over and over again I saw his love for our student athletes and coaches and his genuine interest in the success of both. To know him is to love him. We will definitely miss his leadership, but we wish him well in his well-deserved retirement after 42 years of training and 21 years of service with the Bearcats.”