FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville football received stunning news Thursday when head coach Daryl Patton announced his resignation.
Patton, who guided the Bulldogs to four state championships in 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2015, informed players of his decision during a team meeting.
Patton submitted his resignation Thursday afternoon and cited personal and family reasons.
“We are grateful to Coach Patton for his work in building our football program, winning the first football state championships in school history, and setting the stage for Fayetteville High School to be football powerhouse,” Fayetteville superintendent Dr. Paul Hewitt. “We wish him well in his future endeavors and thank him for his outstanding work here. He will be missed.”
Patton came to Fayetteville prior to the 2003 season from his alma mater, Bryant. He posted a 116-43-2 record with the Purple Bulldogs and was named state coach of the year in 2007 and 2011, and 7A coach of the year four times.
He also served as a coach of the 2015 International Bowl USA vs. Canada in 2015.
Fayetteville has named offensive coordinator Benji Mahan as interim coach for the remainder of the school year.
"We'll be pulling our resources together in the next couple of days to figure out what our best course of action will be in terms of our next coach," Fayetteville athletics director Steve Janski said.