Ford ready to take reins of ALJ program
A.L. Johnson High School has just its third football coach since 1975 after the hiring of Johnny Ford Thursday.
Ford, the first new head coach at ALJ since 1993, replaces Mose Jones, who retired earlier this year due to health issues following a 21-year career in which he went 113-108 atop his alma mater’s program.
“I just thought it was a good opportunity to come back to west Alabama. It has always been my goal to be a head coach. What better place to start with A.L. Johnson with their football tradition,” Ford said of the opportunity he seized last season when he joined the ALJ staff as offensive coordinator.
Ford began his coaching career in 1994 on the Anniston staff, a season in which the Bulldogs won the Class 6A state championship under the tutelage of Rodney Bivens.
Ford went on to work as an assistant in Linden for 13 seasons beginning in 1996.
“Coach Jones, we’ve always been friends because I coached for 13 years in Linden. Before that, I had coached in Anniston under Coach Rodney Bevins and Coach Schussler Ware. In 1994 I was a coach on the 6A state champions,” Ford said. “I am thankful to the superintendent, Mr. Luke Hallmark, the principal, Mr. Lapoleon Peterson, and the board for giving me the opportunity to make a difference in these young men’s lives.”
Ford takes over for Jones, who was at A.L. Johnson for three decades.
“It’s going to be challenging. Coach Jones is a great coach. I admire him and I thank him for giving me the opportunity to follow in his footsteps,” Ford said. “I’ll take what I’ve learned in 18 years of being a coordinator and carry that over and try to get the players to believe in the system that I am going to install. With me being there last year, I think that it made the transition go even more smoothly.”
Ford inherits a team that went 8-3 and bowed out of the first round of the playoffs with an overtime loss to Autaugaville.
“It’s a veteran team,” Ford said of the Eagle squad, which saw a pair of wins in its spring jamboree. “We went down and we had a good showing in the jamboree game with Marengo and R.C. Hatch. We were able to beat R.C. Hatch 24-0 and we were able to beat Marengo 16-14.”
Ford will return a senior-heavy team in 2014 that will also include a handful of new players from a pool of John Essex transfers.
“We’ve got to keep working. We’ve got a senior group with about 11 seniors. We’ve got a lot of goals we’ve set as a team to be competitive and to come out and compete every Friday night,” Ford said. “We’re going to welcome the kids from John Essex and acclimate them to what is going on at A.L. Johnson. The earlier they get started in the program, the more camaraderie they can build with one another. We try to embrace them and let them know that we love them, we care about them and we want them to be a part of the Eagle nation.”
Ford will be tasked with guiding the Eagles through a region that includes Linden, Maplesville, Keith and Akron among others.
“I would think that we’re probably playing in the toughest region in the state when you look at having two teams that, in the last five years, have been to the state championship game,” Ford said.
The new ALJ head coach will get his team to work in the weight room next week.
“We plan on implementing a rigorous summer workout program,” Ford said. “We’re going to try to take advantage of the opportunity that was given to us over the summer. We are hoping to continue to build on the foundation that Coach Jones has laid.”