John Wilson spent much of Thursday morning at the Bob Jones football practice field taking in the Patriots’ 7-on-7 tournament.
The former Bob Jones assistant football coach looked right at home in his new position as the Patriots’ athletic director.
Wilson officially took over as the athletic director at Bob Jones earlier this month, replacing Kent Chambers.
“This is really a humbling experience for me to be the athletic director at the biggest high school in the state,” Wilson said. “Our kids, our parents and our community support make this school’s athletics so successful. I’m just proud to be a part of it.”
Wilson, currently the assistant principal at Bob Jones, coached football and baseball from 1992-98. He was the defensive coordinator for the Patriots’ football team from 1995-98.
He left coaching to pursue opportunities to go into administration and returned to the school as an assistant principal in 2004.
“I really look forward to the opportunity to work with the kids here at Bob Jones,” Wilson said. “Bob Jones is the biggest school in the state and it is great to see all the opportunities our kids have. This athletic program can go nowhere but up. We’ve had such great success here and I think in sports we can look forward to even better things.”
Chambers offficially stepped down June 1, but he will continue to serve as the school’s associate athletic director.
Chambers will continue his teaching duties at Bob Jones, as well as remain the head coach of the Lady Patriots’ softball program.
“This was a voluntary decision for me,” Chambers said. “I just felt that I wasn’t able to do all the things that all three jobs required.
“With over 800 athletes, to handle all the eligibility and also coach and teach, it just became too much.”
During Chambers’ tenure as the school’s athletic director, Bob Jones has enjoyed tremendous statewide success. Since the 2004 season, Bob Jones has won six boys swimming state championships, one in girls swimming, two in girls basketball, two in volleyball and one in boys basketball.
Bob Jones’ cheerleaders also won five national championships.
In 2008, Bob Jones was honored by Sports Illustrated as the state’s top sports program.
Chambers was chosen the state’s athletic director of the year by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors and Coaches Association in 2009.
“I’m not leaving Bob Jones,” Chambers said. “I love this school. I’ll probably be buried at Bob Jones when I die.”