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By FOSS FARRAR
Traveler Staff Writer

Former Bulldogs head football coach Bill Atwell, believed to be the winningest football coach ever at Arkansas City High School, will pack his bags for Salina later this summer.

After 25 years as a math teacher and coach here, Atwell will move to Salina to continue his career. He has taken a position as an assistant football coach for Salina Central High, a school with a strong football tradition, he said Wednesday.

Salina Central won the 5-A football state championship last year. Central has won a total of six state championships.

"It's really hard to leave this community," Atwell said. "We are excited about moving, but we've made a lot of friends here."

Atwell and his wife, Dana, were honored by the USD 470 Board of Education and administration at a recent awards ceremony. Dana Atwell retired at the end of the school year after serving 24 years as an elementary school physical education teacher. Bill Atwell received a 25-year length of service award.

Atwell said he preferred not to discuss why he is leaving Ark City High, only that he felt "it was time."

He added that coaching freshmen and serving as an assistant varsity football coach over the past few years had been a "bittersweet" experience.

Commenting on Atwell's resignation, Athletic Director Tom Hollingsworth said today that he had nothing but positive things to say about Atwell.

"He does a great job working with kids," said Hollingsworth, who is retiring from his position at the Ark City Schools later this summer. "He spends a lot of time with the kids, even in off-season, working with them on conditioning. He works hard and he cares about them."

Next year will be a transition year for Ark City High football. Lawrence High offensive coordinator Darrin Wegner will be the new head football coach next fall. He replaces former head coach Jack Crumbliss.

Two other assistant football coaches besides Atwell have left the Bulldogs program -- Bill Stinson and Aaron Bucher.

Fellow coaches and former players have praised Atwell as a coach.

Jalon Crowley played defensive tackle from 1997-1999, toward the end of Atwell's term as head coach.

"We had moved here from Wellington my sophomore year," Crowley said. "I didn't know anybody on the team. But (Atwell) went through everything with me. He was real easy to get along with."

Crowley, who now lives and works in Edmond, Okla., said Atwell encouraged his players even in defeat.

"My senior year we were 5-1 heading into the district (playoffs)," We had lost only to Derby, but ended up losing all three games in district, including to Winfield," he said. "After that game was over, I was upset, but he really encouraged me. He told me 'You'll be fine and be good in whatever you do.'"

Atwell had a tough act to follow when he started as the Bulldogs head coach in 1981. Just two years before that, in 1979, the Arkansas City Bulldogs won the 5-A state championship. In 1978, the team took second in the state.

But Atwell held his own in carrying on the Ark City football tradition. He finished his 19-year as head coach with roughly 120 wins and 60 losses, he said.

"The first year we weren't very good, and the next few years we broke even," he said. "Then, for 15 years in a row, we did well. Our worst record was 6-3, and that happened only once or twice."

Under Atwell's leadership, the Bulldogs were ranked consistently among the Top 10 teams of the state, 5-A division. They also finished high in the Ark Valley League standings.

In 1984, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 throughout the season, won the district championship, but lost in the state playoffs to Kapaun-Mt. Carmel, he said.

His teams continued to do well until his final year as head coach, 2000, when the team went winless. After that, he resigned as head coach and for the next four years coached the high school freshman team.

In 2005, Atwell served as defensive line coach for the varsity team.

"I feel so good about having to work with such quality youngsters," Atwell said. "It was a privilege to work with those kids and those guys on the football coaching staff, and with fellow teachers."