Legendary high school football coach Todd Dodge will retire after the upcoming season, he announced Thursday.
Dodge is currently the head man at Austin Westlake, where he has led the Chapparals to consecutive state championships in Class 6A, Texas's highest, most competitive classification. Westlake won the 2019 crown in Division II, the second in school history and first since a Drew Brees-led title in 1996. The 2020 crown came in Division I and at the expense of his son, Riley Dodge, and the program he built into a national power, Southlake Carroll.
That game was believed to be the first father vs. son state championship game ever in high school football.
Dodge was the head coach at Southlake Carroll, in between Dallas and Fort Worth, from 2000 to '06. His teams won four state championships and went 79-1 from 2002-06, their only loss coming by one point in the 2003 state championship game.
Dodge left Southlake to become the head coach at North Texas, where he went 6-37 in four seasons.
In addition to his work at Southlake and Westlake, Dodge has served as the head coach at Cameron Yoe, Keller Fossil Ridge and Marble Falls. His lifetime record stands at 204-70.
Beyond his personal success, Dodge will be remembered for revolutionizing the way the game is played in the state of Texas. The home of Earl Campbell and Billy Sims became the ultimate passing hotbed under his way. The first quarterback in Texas high school football to top 3,000 yards in a season, the former Longhorn signal caller built his teams with a lethal passing attack led by future Division I signal callers.
Dodge's swan song will come with 5-star recruit Cade Klubnik looking to secure their coach's first three-peat, with all signs pointing toward a rematch with Riley and his own 5-star quarterback, Ohio State pledge Quinn Ewers, at AT&T Stadium in December.