Winningest high school football coach suffers serious injuries in collision in Eastern KY
Philip Haywood, the winningest coach in the history of Kentucky high school football, has been seriously injured in a car crash, his family said Saturday.
Last season was Haywood’s 50th season as a head coach at Belfry High School in Pike County.
Haywood’s daughter, Melissa Haywood, asked for prayers in a video shared to Facebook, saying her father was being sent to the University of Kentucky for treatment.
“He’s got two punctured lungs, a hematoma on the brain and a cervical fracture,” she said. “Please keep my dad and family in your prayers.”
Haywood’s vehicle went into a creek after hitting black ice in Pike County on Saturday morning, the Williamson Daily News reported.
Haywood, 73, reigns as Kentucky high school football’s all-time coaching wins leader with a record of 491-62.
He began his career in 1972 as an assistant coach to Roy Walton at Tates Creek High School.
A Prestonsburg graduate, he coached his alma mater for nine seasons, beginning in 1975.
He began coaching at Belfry in 1984 and has been a Pirate ever since, amassing eight state championships and six runner-up finishes. The Pirates’ titles included four straight Class 3A crowns from 2013 to 2016. They also won in 2003, 2004, 2019 and 2021.
During the 2021 state title season, he coached Kentucky Mr. Football winner Isaac Dixon, who rushed for 1,986 yards and 29 touchdowns that year.
Last season, Belfry went 11-3 and won district and region titles on the way to a Class 3A state semifinals appearance.
In 2013, he was named USA Today’s Best High School Football Coach in America. In 2017, Haywood became the first Kentucky coach to be named the national football coach of the year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association.
He’s also written two books, 2014’s “Faith, Family and Football,” an autobiography, and 2023’s “Climb the Mountain,” his guide to success in sport and life. Both are available on Amazon.com.
This story was originally published January 18, 2025 at 5:33 PM.
