All states are now consolidated on the HSFHA!
The transition from the GHSFHA to the
High School Football Historians Association (HSFHA)
is essentially complete. All nine states and all major features are now available on the new platform.
This site will remain available for the time being, but will eventually redirect to the new site.
Editing has been disabled — please
create an account on the HSFHA site
if you haven't done so already.
Jess Simpson/Notes
Background
- Simpson played high school football as a lineman at Marietta under Dexter Wood.
- He played and college football as a defensive end at Auburn University under Pat Dye and Terry Bowden. Simpson earned a bachelor’s degree from Auburn in 1993 and a master’s in education from North Georgia College in 2002.
Coaching career
- Simpson began coaching as a student assistant at Auburn in 1993.
- He then spent one year coaching at Marietta under Wood before moving with Wood to Buford in 1995. In their first season with Wood as head coach and Simpson as defensive coordinator, Buford won its first region title in 11 years and reached the Class A semifinals, the program’s best finish since 1982. Simpson would serve as defensive coordinator and strength coach on Wood’s staff from 1995 to 2004 except for one season, 1997, when he became head coach at East Paulding. He returned to Buford in 1998.
- In 2005, Simpson became Buford's head coach, succeeding Wood, who remained as athletics director. Under Simpson, Buford won seven state titles and reached the state finals each of Simpson's final 10 seasons with the program, marking the most dominant 10-year stretch of any high school program in state history.
- More than 100 of Simpson's Buford players went on to play college football, and one, Oakland Raiders guard Vadal Alexander of LSU, plays in the NFL.
- He is currently a defensive assistant coach for the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.
Awards
Personal life
- Simpson and his wife, Tricia, have four children: Luke, Cooper, Jake and Emma. Jake is a linebacker at Wake Forest as of 2017. Cooper is an offensive lineman at the U.S. Military Academy.