“You’re working with young people and have a chance to influence lives. I had an understanding of that at a young age — that this game can make a difference.”– Philip Haywood, interview with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Nov. 2, 2015
For a man who would become the winningest high school football coach in Kentucky, Philip Haywood’s coaching career began in an unusual place — not on the sidelines, but in the dugout.
He was 13 years old, and he was filling in as a Little League baseball coach.
Something about the position, if not the sport, must have clicked, because he would go on to spend his lifetime coaching football, beginning as an assistant at Tates Creek in Lexington in 1972.
An early indication of the success he would achieve would be seen at his first head coaching job at Prestonsburg High School, beginning in 1975. There, he would lead the Blackcats to unprecedented success, notching four straight state semifinals appearances. He coached the Blackcats for 9 seasons finishing with a record of 72-32.
From there, he would move on to Belfry High School in 1984, a move that would be his final and most successful stop.
Over the next 41 years, ending only with his death on Wednesday, Haywood would ascend to the pinnacle of high school football, earning the most wins of any Kentucky coach, his overall record in 50 seasons was 491 wins to 160 loses, he won eight state championships.
He was also the 2017 national high school athletics coaches association coach of the year along with being inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. He was rank the 5th winningest high school coaching nationally before beginning his final season with the pirates.
We at Mountain Top Media send our prayers to his family, friends, fans, and the many lives he touched throughout his career.