Looking back on his first stint as head football coach at Addison High, Phil Wilson credited much of his success to the caliber of players at the school.

After being hired last week to lead the team for the second time, Wilson expects much of the same.

“I was really fortunate all the years I was at Addison to have some really great athletes,” said Wilson, who was named Addison’s new coach during a meeting of the Winston County Board of Education this past Tuesday night. “They played hard and they played with a lot of class. This year will be no different.”

Wilson returns to the post after compiling a 40-9 record in four years at Addison from 2001-04. That included a 6-4 playoff record and a 23-4 regional mark.

Wilson’s best season came in 2001, when the Bulldogs completed a 10-0 regular season and advanced to the third round of the Class 2A playoffs.

This season Addison returns to Class 1A, where it won its third state title in 2005. The Bulldogs finished 4-6 and missed the playoffs for the second straight season last year in Class 2A under first-year coach Scott Curd, but Wilson said the team was better than its record indicated.

“Last year they just had some tough luck,” he said. “They lost three games right at the end.”

Wilson was quick to point out the solid job Curd did in his one season as coach. Curd’s contract was non-renewed by the county board on May 25.

“Coach Curd did a great job with them, especially with the weight program this offseason,” he said.

Wilson will be assisted by Randy White, who led the Bulldogs to the 2005 state title, and Craig Bell.

The new coach met with his team for the first time this week and said he was impressed by what he saw.

“There was some speed there, and some size,” he said. “That’s not something (size) we’re used to having at Addison. We’re used to being small and quick.

“They’re a good group of kids that work hard.”

Wilson and his assistants are still in the process of finalizing their summer schedule. The Bulldogs plan to play a fall jamboree, but have not lined up an opponent yet.

• Mike Cummings can be reached by email at michaelc(at)cullmantimes.com or by phone at 734-2131, ext. 258.