STARKVILLE — Ricky Woods knew from an early age where he wanted to be on Friday nights.
His love for football came from all of the time he spent at practices and games with his father. Seeing so many games and packed stadiums on Friday nights ignited a passion in Woods that drove him to become a teacher and a coach.
“I wanted to all my life,” Woods said of his desire to be a coach. “I’ve loved the game ever since I was a little bitty boy. My daddy, he went 23-straight years before he missed an Ackerman game. I used to go with him and I used to go to practice with him all the time and I just liked it. I still enjoy the game, enjoy the kids and enjoy the competition.”
Woods will get to enjoy another packed stadium and a national television audience Friday, when Starkville High School (0-1) takes on Oxford High (1-0) in the “Little Egg Bowl at 8 p.m. in Starkville. ESPNU will broadcast the game live.
Woods began his head coaching career at Eupora High School in 1990. He spent five seasons with the Eagles before taking over at Ackerman High in 1995. In six seasons with the Indians, Woods won two Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 2A State championships (1997, 2001). He led Ackerman High to runner-up finishes in 1996 and 2000.
Woods took over at South Panola High in 2002 and led the Tigers to four Class 5A titles from 2003-06. He was 74-1 with the Tigers.
Woods spent one season at Bainbridge High in Georgia (9-5 record, quarterfinals of the state playoffs in 2007) before taking over at Northwest Mississippi Community College. Woods went 35-13 at Northwest, and finished 24-6 in division play with two Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division titles and two runner-up finishes. He was named the 2010 MACJC Coach of the Year after leading Northwest to an undefeated regular season and the Rangers’ first top-10 finish since 1999. His 35 wins and .729 winning percentage are second all-time behind Hall of Fame coach Bobby Franklin.
Woods spent two seasons at Trenton Peabody in Tennessee, where he went 22-5 and led the Golden Tide to the 2A state title, before accepting the job at Starkville High.
“Coach Woods is a very good coach,” Starkville junior linebacker Willie Gay said. “I love coach Woods. He’s cool, he’s laid back, he let’s us play ball, he corrects us when we’re wrong, but he let’s us do our thing and let’s us have fun.”
Along with being enthralled by the sport and the atmosphere that comes with it, Woods got in the business of coaching football because of the words Gay had to say about him.
“I think just messing with the kids,” Woods said of his favorite aspect of being a coach. “They keep you young. I enjoy the game. You form relationships and there’s nothing like going out on Friday nights and seeing the lights and being part of a team.”
Woods has earned the respect of his players in a few months. After Jamie Mitchell left to take a job at North Little Rock, Arkansas, Woods was hired in late May. He missed all of spring practice and kept many of the coaches from Mitchell’s staff. He stepped in during the summer and worked with many of the Yellow Jackets prior to the start of the preseason.
“He makes us feel like grown men,” Starkville senior running back Avery Brown said. “We are young adults, but we have more responsibilities that he expects from us. I know we expect a lot out of him and he expects a lot out of us to make big plays.”
Said Starkville High running backs coach Carlos Kemp, “Coach Woods is going to do what’s best for the team. He’s going run the best offense that fits his personnel. Whether that’s throwing the ball or running the ball. He doesn’t have a set game plan.”
The Yellow Jackets have noticed Woods’ temperament on and off the field. Gay and Brown used the term “laid back” when talking about Woods. They said Woods’ mentality has given them the freedom to blossom.
“He’s not coming at you hollering, grabbing you, and slapping you upside the head,” Gay said. “He’s correcting you in a nice tone. He makes sure you understand. He’s not trying to be rough and physical with you. He just makes sure you understand what to do.”
Woods admits he sometimes isn’t laid back, but he said he always has done what’s best for his players in 30-plus years of coaching.
“We want them to work hard, try hard, be at practice, be good people, and be very respectful for this program,” Woods said. “That’s what I need to do and that’s what they need to do no matter what happens.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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