ALFCA Executive Director Jack Wood (right) just before his induction into the National High School Athletics Coaches Association Hall of Fame last Tuesday night in Bismarck, North Dakota. Pictured with Coach Wood is Helena football Coach Richie Busby, Vice President of the ALFCA.
ALFCA Executive Director Jack Wood was honored last Tuesday night with induction into the National High School Athletics Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Coach Wood was inducted along with 27 others from varied sports from all over the United States. The ceremony was held at the NHSACA Annual Convention in Bismarck, North Dakota.
"It is a true honor to be selected for this award by the NHSACA," Coach Wood said. "Not only from a personal standpoint, but also as a former coach from the state of Alabama. We take great pride in football in Alabama and I have been extremely fortunate to represent all of our great coaches as the executive director of the Alabama Football Coaches Association."
Coach Wood has become a legend in the coaching circles in the state of Alabama. After19 highly successful years as head coach at Hewitt Trussville High School, he is entering his 20th year as the executive director of the Alabama Football Coaches Association. He is the only executive director the ALFCA has ever known. From selecting the association's colors and logo in his first days to becoming an influential part of high school football in the state, Coach Wood's leadership has improved the game and helped many coaches along the way.
A native of Wetumpka, Alabama, Coach Wood played football and wrestled in high school. He went on to Auburn University, graduating in 1973 and joined the coaching staff as an assistant at Auburn High School.
In 1983, he became the head coach of the Hewitt-Trussville Huskies. He was one of the youngest coaches in 4A at the time. During his tenure at Hewitt, Coach Wood compiled an impressive 141-78 record in 19 years. 14 of his teams made the state playoffs. Three of his teams had 9-1 regular seasons. In 1992, under Coach Wood’s leadership, the Huskies were state runners-up, finishing with a school-best 12-3 record. He also won four region titles, turning the Hewitt-Trussville football program into one of the top teams in Class 6A.
There were 27 inductees into the 2024 NHSACA Hall of Fame class. Coach Wood is pictured on the second row, fourth from the left.
Wood was also named head coach of the Alabama team in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game twice as well as having Husky Stadium named after him (Jack Wood Stadium) in 1998. Wood was also named Alabama Sports Writers’ Coach of the Year in 1992 and he was inducted into the AHSAA Hall of Fame in 2003.
In addition to serving on the ALFCA as Executive Director, Coach Wood also served as President of the Alabama Coaches Association in 1995, and a member of the Executive Board of the National Federation of High School Coaches. He served on the AHSAA Central Board and was a member of the original All-Star Sports Week Committee.
As executive director of the ALFCA, Coach Wood has been responsible for securing corporate sponsorships allowing the association to run all of the its programs. He has established a scholarship program for children of coaching members and senior students who desire to go into coaching, as well as representing the ALFCA on national committees and strengthening the association’s relationship with the AHSAA. The ALFCA annual convention has become a must for football coaches in the state. Each year under Coach Wood's direction, the convention holds a clinic bringing in some of the top college coaches in the nation as well as outstanding high school coaches from Alabama and surrounding states.
The ALFCA also holds a Coach of the Year banquet in connection with the convention. The association presents a Coach of the Year award in each classification as well as an Assistant Coach of the Year award. Three retired coaches are also honored each year with the ALFCA Lifetime Achievement Award.
ALFCA President and UMS Wright head football coach Terry Curtis believes that Coach Wood has been one of the most influential coaches in the history of high school football in the state. "No one has cared more about the game, the players and the coaches than Jack Wood," he said. "His work with the ALFCA has helped keep football strong in Alabama and he has earned respect throughout the country because if it. He is very deserving of this induction into the NHSACA Hall of Fame."
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