Longtime Kings Mountain football coach Greg Lloyd steps down

After 16 years as Kings Mountain High School football coach, Greg Lloyd announced his resignation Thursday afternoon, according to school athletic director Matthew Bridges.

“First off, I would like to thank and congratulate coach Greg Lloyd for his 16 years of service to our football program, school and community,” Bridges said in a statement. “Coach Lloyd and the Lloyd family have dedicated their lives to building a successful program on and off the field, and they will be greatly missed.

“Coach Lloyd is a great coach and an even better person. The life lessons he taught his student-athletes and coaches will continue to leave a lasting impact for years to come. I wish the best for Coach Lloyd as he steps into the next chapter of his life.”

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Whoever is selected for the job will have big shoes to fill.

Lloyd’s 133 wins are most in the program’s 100-year history. After five of his first seven seasons as Kings Mountain coach ended with losing records, his teams from 2014-23 won 80% of their games.

The Mountaineers have won at least 10 games in five of the last six seasons, and in the abbreviated spring 2021 season they went 8-1.

Lloyd led Kings Mountain to four conference titles and 3A West regional final appearances in 2018 and 2019. For his work, he was selected as conference coach of the year four times (Southwestern Foothills in 2008; Big South 3A in 2017, spring 2021, 2022).

Sixty of Lloyd’s former players have gone on to play at the college level.

In his final game last November as Kings Mountain coach, Lloyd was accompanied off the field at John Gamble Stadium by his son Jake, a senior defensive back.

“They’ve committed so much time and effort to this football program and our community. Them leaving the field together for the final time is one of those memories I’m sure they’ll cherish for the rest of their lives,” Bridges said.

The school will begin accepting applications for his replacement on Monday, Jan. 30. Bridges said he and Kings Mountain’s administrative team plan to “be aggressive” in the search.

“We have a good thing going. We want to get the right person in here to keep the ball rolling,” he added.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Greg Lloyd: Longtime Kings Mountain football coach steps down