After a two-year retirement, Todd Dodge is returning to the sideline as the head coach and athletic director at
Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas).
The 2020 MaxPreps National Coach of the Year and seven-time state champion said in his introductory press conference that a speaking engagement at a football clinic a year ago stoked his passion to return to the game.
"It was about that time that the fire was lit back in me," Dodge said. "I knew that I wanted to get back in coaching. The two years off have been good for me and Elizabeth (his wife), but I don't know who's more excited, her or me."
Dodge retired following the 2021 season after leading Westlake (Austin) to a 16-0 record and Class 6A Division 1 state championship. The Chaparrals finished the year ranked at No. 2 in the MaxPreps Top 25. He went 88-11 at Westlake and has won state titles in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
After a two-year retirement, Todd Dodge is returning to coaching as the leader of the Lovejoy program. Dodge, the 2020 MaxPreps National Coach of the Year, retired after leading Austin Westlake to a state title that season. (Photo: Robbie Rakestraw)
Lovejoy becomes his sixth stop after coaching at C.H. Yoe (Cameron), Newman Smith (Carrollton), and Fossil Ridge (Keller) before taking over at Southlake Carroll (Southlake) in 2000. He is 233-72 as a head coach and trails only Scott Surratt of Carthage and the late Gordon Wood for most coaching titles.
At Southlake, Dodge coached the Dragons to the 2006 Class 5A Division 1 title as his son Riley Dodge was named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year.
The recent success of the Leopards, in part, drew Dodge back to coaching.
"You look at the excellence that they've had here … and I'm so impressed with how it all started," he said referring to how Lovejoy built the program as a new school with its first graduating class in 2010. "I'm just excited to meet the most important people in this process and those are athletes … and how can I use my experience to maybe take this to another level?"
Lovejoy was 12-2 last season, reaching the Class 5A Division 2 quarterfinals.
