In the storied history of Noxapater High School football, one name stands alone when it comes to coaching victories.
The legendary Buck Kennedy, who had two stints as head coach of the Tigers, amassed 122 wins and one tie against only 46 losses. Kennedy was 4-6 in 1967 and then after one year away returned from 1969-1983 to pick up 118 more wins.
Only five other head football coaches in Noxapater history have earned 30 or more career victories. Mike ‘Red” Hatcher went 60-22 from 1984-1990 and 5-5 in 1994 for 65 total wins. Third on the list is Casey Orr, the only other coach to win at least 50 games with the Tigers. He went 50-26 from 2014-2019.
Jim Ray had one of the most impressive winning percentages, going 38-13 from 1997-2000, while Leon Burton posted a 34-24-6 record from 1954-59. The only other coach to win at least 30 games with the Tigers was Bobby Bowman who went 31-26 from 2004-2008.
The next most wins belong to Tyler Peterson, who went 23-15 from 2009-2011, claiming the MHSAA Class 1A State Championship with a 21-10 win over Shaw in 2011.
The only other Noxapater coach with at least 20 wins was Doug Sullivan, who went 20-10-1 from 1960-62.
