After nearly three years at Freedom High School, Head Football Coach Floyd Graham has announced that he plans to retire from coaching.

The coach recently shared the news with his players.

“I’ve just lost the passion for it,” explained Graham. “I don’t think that I was giving the kids everything that they deserve. After 27 years of coaching, you just kind of get tired.”

Once he leaves, Graham intends to return home to Alabama.

“I’ve got a grandchild there now, so I’d rather spend time with her than spend time coaching football,” said Graham.

Graham has been coaching from the start of his career.

“I’ve known what I wanted to do since I was 16 years old. Never changed. [I] went to college, played [football] as long as I could and started off with my very first coaching job [at Durant High School] in 1989.”

Following that, Graham also opened Newsome and Steinbrenner as Head Coach.

After a long legacy of coaching, Graham recalls this year’s victory against rival Wharton as his fondest Freedom memory.

“At that game, I remember turning around and looking at the stands – that was the largest crowd we’d had. The kids were really going crazy,” stated Graham, “Not being from this school and not knowing what the traditions were, it was great to see.”

“After this year, I’m just tired. It has nothing to do with the kids or anything, it’s just me. The telephone, the tweets, the Snapchat, all that other garbage – I don’t do any of it. In order for us to get messages out to the kids, I would have to text them or get the coaches to post them or something like that.

Graham emphasized that he is content with the success he’s had with Freedom as well as the other schools he has coached for, but is ready to move on.

“I’m just too old. Times have changed, and I refuse to change with them.”

This is not the first time Freedom football players have seen a change in coaching. In fact, the school has had an incredibly high turnover of football coaches – six new faces since 2002.

To his players, Graham gives one final piece of advice, “Be patient.”