Carrollton, GA October 26, 2005 – For Mike Ledford, the road to rebuild a winning program at West Georgia has been a long and often rocky one. The veteran coachs efforts, however, have paid off in 2005 as UWG has clinched its first winning season since 2001.
West Georgias athletic director Ed Murphy announced Tuesday that Ledford would be offered a contract extension to return for the 2006 season.
Mike has done an excellent job in getting this program turned around, said Murphy. He walked into a tough situation when he took the job (in 2002), and hes done it the right way. We look forward to seeing him continue to do a great job for us.
Ledford took the West Georgias head coaching job less than a month before the beginning of preseason practice in 2003. The program he inherited was strapped after several years of poor recruiting and the mass exodus of most of its veteran assistant coaches.
Thought West Georgia struggled on the field for three seasons, the foundation was being laid toward becoming a contender. Ledford has continually upgraded his coaching staff, and has worked hard to rebuild the programs recruiting ties around the state.
Those efforts have resulted in West Georgia this Saturday hosting the programs biggest home game in five seasons. UWG is locked in a four-way tie for the lead in the GSC as they welcome North Alabama to Grsiham Stadium for the 2005 home finale. Kickoff time for the Braves and Lions is set for 7:00 p.m.