Jeff Woody, who led E.C. Glass football to rebuild over eight seasons, to resign post and pursue position in Charlottesville area

E.C. Glass head coach Jeff Woody chats with quarterback George White before the start of the second half against Halifax during the Region 4D quarterfinals at Lynchburg City Stadium on Nov. 12, 2022. Woody announced Thursday he is resigning his post after eight seasons at the midtown school.

Hilltoppers coach Jeff Woody consoles Taeon Mosby after a fourth-quarter fumble during the 2021 Jug Bowl.

E.C. Glass coach Jeff Woody (right) gives Heritage coach Brad Bradley a friendly pat on the head when the two greeted each other after the Pioneers won the Jug Bowl, 49-42, on Sept. 18, 2021.

E.C. Glass football coach Jeff Woody, seen in this 2018 file photo, made football more relevant at the school during his tenure and posted a 58-26 record.

E.C. Glass head coach Jeff Woody talks with players in this photo from August 2017.

LYNCHBUG, VA - OCT. 28: EC Glass coach Jeff Woody talks to players during a time out in the 2nd quarter on Friday, Oct. 28, 2016 in Lynchburg, Va. (Photo by Jay Westcott/The News & Advance)

E.C. Glass coach Jeff Woody watches as players run drills during practice on Wednesday August 10, 2016, in Lynchburg.

E.C. Glass coach Jeff Woody oversees his team's practice on an October day in 2015, his first year at the helm.

E.C. Glass coach Jeff Woody oversees his team's practice on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015 in Lynchburg, Va. (Photo by Jay Westcott/The News & Advance)

Jeff Woody sat in the football office in the basement level of E.C. Glass' athletic wing Thursday afternoon and looked around. The same room, with its banners, trophies, chairs and sofas, will be home to a new head coach next season.

"It's bittersweet," Woody said. "Its like I'm going home but I'm leaving home."

Home is Charlottesville, where the 43-year-old coach resides with his wife and three children, ages 13, 10 and 7.

But home is also E.C. Glass, where for eight seasons Woody led the charge, taking the Hilltoppers from pushover to powerhouse program.

Woody formally announced his future plans Thursday. He is stepping down as Glass' head football coach and will continue teaching U.S. History at the school until the school year comes to a close. In the meantime, he will pursue a football job in the Charlottesville area.

"It's time," Woody said of his decision. "My kids are getting to that age where they need Dad. I'm missing their practices, I'm missing their parent-teacher conferences, I'm missing their plays, I'm missing their recitals. I've gotta teach them and I miss them."

Then he looked around the office, the place where coaches plan their schemes and athletes sit when they need advice. "It's been a hell of a ride, though," he added.

Woody met with players in the school's weight room to tell them the news early Thursday afternoon. He talked about his family, about making the commute from Charlottesville to Lynchburg and back again daily. He estimates he's logged more than 400,000 road miles and spent tens of thousands of dollars on gas doing that the last eight years.

"Hugs and laughter and good stories and tears of remorse, tears of joy," Woody said of the meeting. "I let them know I was appreciative of them but also know that I laid it on the line for them."

Quarterback George White, a senior, was in the weight room. White, who served in his role for the last three seasons, grew up around the Glass football program and began showing up to work out at the school in seventh grade.

"First and foremost, just super happy for him," White said of Woody's decision. "As players, we've seen firsthand that he's sacrificed a lot for us."

***

As a head coach, Woody first cut his teeth at Brookville, where he became one of the most revered coaches in the successful history of that program. In eight seasons at his alma mater, he won two state titles and never failed to qualify for the Virginia High School League playoffs.

He left at age 33 having amassed an 81-22 record and then became head coach at Monticello High, outside Charlottesville, for two seasons.

When he was introduced as the new coach at E.C. Glass in 2015, there were smiles all around for a program that had fallen on hard times. The Hilltoppers had endured nine straight losing seasons and hadn't advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 2005.

The wins didn't come easy at first. Glass went 1-9 in Woody's first season as the coach implemented new offensive and defensive schemes.

That first year, he said Thursday, "weathered me."

The lone victory occurred in Week 2 against Halifax County. The losses were often brutal. Glass lost games, on average, by 33 points that season and was shut out three times, including a particularly painful outing at Brookville, in what was the coach's first game at Stinger Stadium since leaving the Campbell County school after the 2012 season.

Still, he told players to trust the process, believing the glory days of Hilltoppers football could come along again.

Turns out, they weren't too far off. Glass reeled off six victories in 2016, eight the following season (including a trip to the second round of the playoffs), and 11 in both 2018 and 2019 (with trips to the third round of the playoffs both years) before a COVID-shortened 2021 campaign threatened to set the program back once more.

The 'Toppers bounced back, though. This past season, they finished 12-2 and advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in 27 years. That state semifinal game was historic for Lynchburg, as for the first time both Glass and Heritage made appearances in separate state semifinals on the same day and at the same venue, City Stadium.

Woody amassed a 58-26 record during his time at Glass.

The rebuild wasn't easy. After that first season, Woody and his staff began demanding more accountability from players. No missing practices and weight room sessions. The Hilltoppers set team GPA goals, meaning some players had to improve theirs. The coaching staff worked to create more chemistry, and Woody said that chemistry trickled down to players over time.

"We demanded excellence and we got it," the coach said. "It's not about what Woody did. It's about everybody buying in."

White witnessed that up close the last three seasons. The record-setting quarterback who became Glass' all-time passing leader this past season saw how Woody built relationships. It went far beyond Xs and Os.

"That can't be understated," White said. "Building relationships is by far his biggest tool. When he showed up and the program was as bad as it was, he started forming relationships and changed things. But it wasn't because he was a genius football coach. It was because he was able to use the building and make relationships with people inside the building. That's how he built his culture; it was based on family and forming relationships with people and getting them out to play for the team. And then forming relationships with his players."

Glass defensive coordinator Jermaine Johnson has spent the last nine years at the midtown school, so he oversaw the rebuild. Asked about what it took to turn Glass back into a feared program, he too moved away from the glow of Friday lights.

"If I could sum it up in one word," Johnson said, "it would be 'time.' The time it takes Sunday through Thursday to get the program there. It's honestly not even football related. The work we had to put in to keep the guys accountable with making it to their classes, working on their grades, the discipline; people don't see what happens in the building from 7:30 to 2:30 every day."

***

There has been plenty of speculation about where Woody will land next, but nothing is official yet. Charlottesville High currently has a vacancy for a head coach, and Woody said this week he may take an assistant coaching position somewhere in the Charlottesville area.

Should he end up at Charlottesville High, Woody would face another significant rebuild. The Black Knights haven't put together a winning campaign since 2017 and have lost 39 of their last 46 games.

But Woody said he wouldn't shy away from the possibility of another rebuild in the future.

"Everybody should want a challenge," he said. "Get up off the couch and get it done. I'm gonna keep coaching and keep teaching. I like the challenge. I think that's why I'm on the planet."

Johnson also described the developments at Glass as "bittersweet."

"Bitter for us at Glass but it's sweet for him to get that opportunity [to spend more time with family]," Johnson said. "That commute — I don't know how he's done it for eight years. Hopefully, if he gets an opportunity to coach up there, it'll be a win-win for him."

***

As much talk as there's been of the future, there also was talk of the past Thursday. White recalled how a middle school coach switched him to quarterback in eighth grade and how Woody thought it was a bad decision at the time (it turned out well for White). Johnson recalled Woody's humor, and how the coach kept the atmosphere light while still garnering respect. And Heritage coach Brad Bradley recalled some fierce battles between the two squads, while noting he owns a 7-1 record against Woody's Glass teams in Jug Bowl games.

"There were some classic battles," Bradley said, referencing a 14-12 HHS victory in 2017, a 25-22 Glass win in 2018, a 15-14 HHS win the following season and 12-0 Heritage celebration last fall.

"This year was a great example of how Lynchburg city football has come around," Bradley said. "In 2012, when I interviewed for the Heritage job, they had they had put a committee together because the level of play had been so down. I think we've done our due diligence. I think Woody did a great job building that program. At the end of the day, we're enemies, but it's always good to see the other school in Lynchburg do well."

White, who will play football at William & Mary, talked about the impact Woody made on his life. "No person, outside of my parents, has meant more to me than him," he said. "I'll certainly miss him."

On Thursday, Woody was asked about his players, and specifically about what he believes the rebuild meant to them. Some have gone on to play college football. Others watched the transformation happening when they were kids. And still others can recall their youths, when the Hilltoppers rarely won.

"Now they come in here and football is attractive," Woody said, "and they know the Blue and White means something now. The buy in, once things turned, was incredible, from administration to faculty to students to the community. Once we built it, they came. I'm gonna be so [ticked off] because they're gonna do it again next year and I'm not gonna be here.

"They can do it again. And it's gonna be tough for me to watch from afar, because I believe in them and I know what they can do."

Year 1 (2015): 1-9

Highlights: There aren't many. Glass gets its lone win of the season in Week 2 of the regular season, a 20-14 victory over Halifax. It's the Hilltoppers third one-win season since 2007.

Year 2 (2016): 6-4

Highlights: The turn-around begins. Glass wins its first four games of the season, winning four straight for the first time since 2004. Late in the season, the Hilltoppers defeated rival Jefferson Forest 26-21, but go on to lose their final two games of the season and fail to qualify for the playoffs.

Year 3 (2017): 8-4

Highlights: Woody starts to put the doubters to rest. Glass wins its first four games of the season and goes on to claim seven of its first eight. The successful stretch includes a thrilling 14-12 victory over Heritage in the Jug Bowl for its first victory over the Pioneers since 2010. Glass will also advance to the second year of the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

Year 4 (2018): 11-2

Highlights: A 25-22 heartbreaker to Heritage is the only blemish on the record in the regular season. Glass wins three straight to start, falls to Heritage and then plows through opponents, winning eight straight. The Hilltoppers have finally taken the step to being a state contender. They advance to the region semifinals, a historic feat, but can't break into the state semifinals.

Year 5 (2019): 11-2

Highlights Eight straight wins to start the season, which is another milestone achievement for Woody & Co. Glass can't win the Jug Bowl, though, falling in a thriller, 15-14. The Hilltoppers blaze into the playoffs once more, but fall again in the region finals for the second straight seasons.

Year 6 (2021): 1-3

Highlights: The challenges of playing football during a pandemic are present all over the state. Glass starts the season with a 28-0 loss to JF on a cold, rainy and windy night in Forest. Things won't get much better. The 'Toppers will only play three more games and then cut the season, already shortened to six regular-season games by the VHSL, short after contact tracing reveals exposure. The team enters quarantine and doesn't play its final two games.

Year 7 (2021): 8-3

Highlights: An epic September afternoon battle on a scorching day ensues at City Stadium and Heritage walks away with a 49-42 victory. But Glass, winners of three straight to start the season, goes on to reel off five more victories before losing its last two games. A disappointing first-round loss to Louisa sticks in the minds of returning players all offseason.

Year 8 (2022): 11-2

Highlights: Arguably one of the most thrilling seasons in recent memory at E.C. Glass. The Hilltoppers bulldoze opponents, suffer just one regular-season loss (to Heritage) and claim nine straight at one point. They finally get over the playoff hump and advance to the state semifinals for the first time since winning a state title in 1995. That sets up an epic day in Lynchburg as for the first time in history, Heritage and Glass both play in separate state semifinals on the same day at City Stadium. The Hilltoppers fall that night to Kettle Run, but the school pride is evident.

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