Aledo football icons, who led the Bearcats to UIL record 11 state titles, will retire

Aledo high school football legends Tim Buchanan and Steve Wood will both retire at the end of the school year, the school district announced on Friday morning.

Assistant coach and offensive coordinator Robby Jones will be promoted to head football coach. It will be the first time an Aledo football team will be led by someone other than Buchanan or Wood since the 1992 season.

Buchanan or “Buc” has been with Aledo for 30 years, becoming head coach in 1993.

He amassed a record of 281-58-3 in 25 years at the helm.

The Bearcats extended their UIL state record to 11 titles after a 52-14 victory over College Station in the Class 5A D1 championship in December. It was Buc’s eighth title as head coach, making him just the fifth to reach that mark in state history.

Wood, Aledo’s athletic director, has been with the program for 21 years, most of which as Buc’s defensive coordinator. He was head football coach from 2014-18 when Buc moved up to be the AD.

During that time, Wood and Aledo won three titles.

Wood posted a 75-4 record before he and Buc flipped roles in 2019.