Remembering coaching legend Buck Godfrey

The winningest high school football coach in DeKalb County School District (DCSD) football history passed away in August, as the family of William Godfrey announced. 

 Better known as Buck, Godfrey became one of the all-time great high school football coaches in Georgia history after 30 seasons (1983-2012) running the Southwest DeKalb Panther football program. 

 Most only know of his 273 wins, a state championship (1995), and 13 region titles, but it wasn’t just about football for Godfrey but helping all people to succeed. 

 “If you really got to know my father, you would have found a softer side that really cared about not only his football players, but everyone walking the halls of the school and the community,” said Godfrey’s son, Colin Godfrey. “He really wanted people to succeed even if they never stepped foot on the football field.” 

 Colin’s sister, Rashan Ali Smith, saw the same things in her father and remembered the family taking in others in need.  

 “I remember Dad and Mom (Joyce Godfrey) opening up our home to others in need,” said Ali Smith. “These are the type of things he did that showed us how to treat people and live a life of giving. It is an example of staying humble and using his platform for good.” 

 Buck Godfrey helped more than 300 student athletes receive scholarships, with his two children being two on the long list. 

 “Dad got me in the pool at the age of 3 and had me competing by the age of 5,” said Ali Smith. “He showed me and others the way to a better place in life through the water. I was multi-sport athlete and did think that swimming would be my avenue to a college scholarship.” 

 Colin Godfrey echoed his sister’s thoughts on being coached by his father. “Dad instilled so much in my sister (Rashan Ali Smith) and myself that was never really talked about but came to us through how he lived his life. Playing for him in the late ‘80s, I found myself as just another player on the team. I had to earn my playing time just like everyone else,” he said. 

 Despite his work on the field, Buck Godfrey’s family said he left that behind when he walked into his home – it was family first at that point. 

 “Even while playing for him once we got home it was all about the family,” said Colin Godfrey. “He never slighted the family. He became my best friend and was the best man at my wedding. That was the kind of man he was.” 

 Ali Smith remembered when summer came it was not about signing up for camps it was family time, “When we got to summertime it was Daddy Day Camp. I never noticed early on how he was putting the family first, but I’m grateful he put us first outside of God.” 

 A graduate from Burke High School in Charleston, South Carolina, Buck Godfrey moved to Delaware State University with scholarships for football and baseball. He became a team captain in both sports while winning the CIAA batting title with an impressive .511 batting average. 

 An avid student, Buck Godfrey earned postgraduate fellowships at Columbia and New York universities before completing his master’s degree in English from Atlanta University. His two passions were baseball, which led him to play in the New York Mets organization) and boxing, where he was a successful Golden Gloves middleweight. He began his educational career shaping young minds in New York City’s Spanish Harlem before relocating to Georgia. 

 Once in Georgia, Buck Godfrey found coaching as a new passion at Gordon High School. He coached the baseball team to a 31-16 record during two seasons, including a 26-4 record in 1976. He also got into coaching football as an assistant at Gordon and later at Towers High School. 

 In 1983, he took over the Southwest DeKalb High School football program making an immediate impact as the team went 10-2 overall, won the Region 7-AAAA title, and reached the state semifinals 

 “I hate to say he kind of fell into coaching football, but his true loves in sports were baseball and boxing,” said Colin Godfrey. “I remember that first win over Redan to start the year while I was a ballboy. He taught the players mental toughness and accountability and used his adaptability year to year to match the team with its strengths.” 

 The second season earned another 7-AAAA region title, a 13-1 mark, and a trip to the state semifinals.  

 During his 30-year-career, Buck Godfrey never had a losing season and went to the state playoffs 27 times. He won 10 or more games 12 times with three 5-5 records being the worst over his 30-year tenure leading Southwest DeKalb. 

 “As I reflect on the impact he had, one thing always stands out: he never stopped investing in people,” said current Stephenson head coach Marcus Jelks. “Coach Godfrey always found time to seek out young people in the community and offer words of wisdom—to those willing to listen. He genuinely cared about developing young men, and that passion never faded.” 

 Jelks continued, “Ironically, we lost more than a few games to Coach Godfrey when I was at Lithonia High School. Yet after those games, he would almost always come over to me or give me a call and tell me what a good job I was doing. Back then, I didn’t fully understand why he would do that after competing so fiercely against one another. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that he wasn’t just coaching a football team, he was mentoring the next generation of coaches. Today, I value those conversations more than I can adequately express.” 

His squads reached seven state semifinals (1983, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995) and two championship games (1990 runner-up and 1995 state title). He put together a string of 18 consecutive playoffs appearances from 1986 to 2003. 

He retired following a 7-4 playoff season in 2012 as the winningest football coach in DCSD history, a record he holds to this day. He faced 147 different coaches during his 30 seasons and only 31 of them have a winning record against Godfrey, including only nine with more than one win. 

Buck Godfrey’s career led to Hall of Fame honors by the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame, the Geogia Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Delaware State Athletic Hall of Fame for his college accomplishments.  

In 2015, DeKalb County gave him one more honor by renaming Panthersville Stadium—the field on which he patrolled the sidelines to many wins—to Willam “Buck” Godfrey Stadium. 

Godfrey was also an accomplished author whose books reflect his love of history, family, sports, and humanity. One of his books titled The Team Nobody Would Play (2008) tells the story of his Little League baseball team that was barred from vying for the World Series in the regional in Rome, Georgia, due to being a Black all-star team from Charleston, South Carolina. Other books by Godfrey include Moods of a Black Man and Songs for My Father.