Story by Rusty Ellis
The Clay County Bulldogs have their new football coach, as former Livingston Academy head coach Bruce Lamb will take the reins beginning in the 2022 season.
Lamb follows former head coach Jake Johnson after a season that saw the Bulldogs go 10-2 and make it to the second round of the TSSAA state playoffs. The Bulldogs’ lone losses came to Gordonsville in the region championship and South Pittsburg in the playoffs.
For Lamb, he says that while he wasn’t really looking for a job, the right opportunity came along and he made sure to take advantage of it.
“I heard some things because Coach Johnson and I are good friends, and he told me he was stepping down,” Lamb said. “I missed coaching, and I missed the kids. It seemed like a great opportunity, and God put me in the right place at the right time…I just fell in love with it, and I’m excited to do this once again.”
The main thing Lamb says he missed about coaching was the ability to impact young athletes, citing how the relationships have been his favorite part of his career.
“I just missed those relationships I had with the kids,” Lamb said. “There’s a different relationship when you’re out on the field. You go to work for them, and they go to work for you…knowing that they count on you and you count on them, it’s something special. Anyone that’s ever coached before, they can feel that relationship and that vibe. It’s something that you can’t just get anywhere else.”
Many around the Upper Cumberland are familiar with Lamb, as he spent 13 seasons as the head coach at Livingston Academy and was an assistant there since 2002. For any Bulldog fans who aren’t sure what to expect, Lamb says he’s excited for what he’s got coming back in 2022 and that there are good things on the horizon for this program.
“I watched a lot of film, and they were really good last year,” Lamb said. “One of the best seasons I believe they’ve ever had…all I’m going to try to do coming in is be fundamentally sound and just try to add a little something to what they’ve already got. I’ve got some great coaches in there in Coach Dickerson and Coach Harris, and those guys do a great job. There’s a lot of people who want to help, and it’s exciting for me to do this again.”
As far as what he’s looking forward to the most, Lamb is quick to mention that the feeling under the Friday night lights is just unlike any other.
“I’ve done this for 28 years, and never had a dull moment in it,” Lamb said. “The excitement on Friday nights, and watching the kids perform what they’ve learned, it’s just something that you can’t replicate…watching them grow up to be men, that’s really special. I hope I can be a positive influence on these young men.”