Andro Williams ends 10-year run at Linden, headed for W.S. Neal

After 10 seasons and 110 wins, Andro Williams is leaving the Linden Patriots. The winningest coach in the history of the program, Williams tendered his resignation Monday and will head to Class 4A W.S. Neal. to take over a program that was 3-7 in 2016.

“It’s the right situation,” Williams, who has passed up numerous job opportunities over the last decade, said. “It was God’s grace that carried me over these 10 years. It’s going to be God’s grace that carries me over. When He says, ‘Yes’, you go. You don’t hesitate.”

Williams began his tenure with Linden in 2007, compiling a 110-23 record in his career. Williams won at least 10 games in a season eight times during his time with the Patriots and holds a 25-10 playoff record that includes four semifinal and one state championship game appearance.

“The main thing is these kids,” Williams said of what he’ll remember most about his time in Linden. “You come in and ask them to work and grind. It’s just the everlasting relationships for these kids over these 10 years. But it’s also the faculty and staff. I’ve met some of the best people you can meet in the world here. But it’s nothing compared to these kids. Those relationships will last forever.”

Williams’s Linden teams outscored opponents 5,418 to 1,502 and the coach known primarily for his defensive genius led the Patriots to a single-season state record with 764 points in 2016. Of the 23 losses Linden has taken during Williams’s 10-year tenure, nine were to teams in higher classifications, 13 were to the trio of Sweet Water, Maplesville and Brantley.

An alumnus of Sweet Water High School and the University of West Alabama, Williams replaces Doug Hoehn at W.S. Neal, who was 33-31 in six seasons with the Eagles.