Lovejoy hires Todd Dodge, 7-time Texas high school football state champion coach

Dodge led Southlake Carroll to four UIL titles hired as football coach and AD

Lucas Lovejoy (Texas) announced it has hired a Texas high school football coaching legend as its next head coach on Saturday.

Nine-time UIL state champion Todd Dodge will be the school's next head football coach and athletic director. He most recently led Austin Westlake to three straight 6A state titles (2019-21) and won four as a coach in Southlake Carroll ISD in the early 2000s.

Dodge replaces Chris Ross, who left four seasons for the college ranks to become Stephen F. Austin's offensive coordinator in early January.

Lovejoy went 12-2, won a 5A District 7 title and made the regional finals in 2023.

"I am absolutely ready to pour myself into these student athletes here at Lovejoy," Dodge said through a district press release. "The legacy of excellence has been set. We will do everything to honor those hard working coaches and athletes that have come before us."

Dodge, who has a 71-8 career record, said he has been a fan of Lovejoy athletics for "quite some time." He's a four-time national coach of the year and has been referred to as the Nick Saban of Texas high school football. (Saban, who retired in January, has won seven NCAA national titles.)

Westlake head coach Todd Dodge lifts the Class 6A Division II State Championship trophy after defeating Guyer 40-21 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Dec. 18, 2021 / Photo by Aaron E. Martinez, American-Statesman, USA TODAY NETWORK

“His experience and accomplishments are unmatched," Lovejoy Superintendent Katie Kordel said in a press release. "There is no doubt that Coach Dodge will take Lovejoy’s legacy of excellence to the next level and provide our student athletes with a meaningful experience. Coach Dodge’s passionate commitment to serving and impacting students through athletics tightly aligns with our mission and core values in Lovejoy ISD.”

Here is Dodge's full statement:

“This opportunity for Elizabeth and I is absolutely answered prayers. Our five grandchildren, our children Riley and Molly, and Elizabeth's mother and sister will all be within 20 miles of us. That is truly a blessing. Thank you to Katie Kordel, her team, and the Lovejoy ISD Board of Trustees for having confidence in me to lead the Lovejoy Athletic Program. I am absolutely ready to pour myself into these student athletes here at Lovejoy. The legacy of excellence has been set. We will do everything to honor those hard working coaches and athletes that have come before us. I have been a fan of Lovejoy Athletics for sometime and to watch this program grow under the leadership of LISD's former athletic directors was truly amazing. I am very excited to be the Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Lovejoy ISD.”

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx