Longtime Oklahoma high school coach takes over third program

Zach Gardner, who’s been a head coach for nearly 20 years, led Afton to a state title in 2017

Wyandotte Bears Football/Facebook

An Oklahoma high school football mainstay is set to take over a third program in his career.

The Wyandotte football squad posted on social media that Zach Gardner, who coached at Miami High School in Oklahoma for eight seasons, will lead the Bears next season.

Wyandotte will be Gardner’s third different head coaching position in his career. Before Miami, he coached at Afton for l1 years.

Once Gardner stepped down from his position at Miami, he replaced former Wyandotte coach Doug Buckmaster – who resigned in December after four seasons. The Bears went 9-3 in the 2025 season.

“This is a massive hire for the bears. Welcome to the Bear Family Coach Gardner. We hope you love it here,” noted on the Wyandotte Bears Football Facebook page.

Gardner compiled a 29-52 record at Miami, but the Wardogs racked up 25 wins the previous three seasons and notched playoff victories in the past few years. Before that, Miami last reached the postseason in 2008 under former coach Chris Risenhoover.

“Although Gardner’s overall record at Miami doesn’t scream impressive, the fact that he got this program to the playoffs is impressive, considering the Wardogs had gone over a decade without being there,” noted on the Wyandotte Football Facebook page.

Gardner coached at Afton from 2007 to 2017. During his time with the Eagles, Gardner had a 96-32 record. Afton’s best season under Gardner was in 2017 when the team went 14-0 and captured the OSSAA Class A title following a 44-12 win over Crescent.

Afton also had four 10-plus win seasons and no campaigns with a record under-.500.

Miami Public Schools posted a tribute to Gardner on its Facebook page:

“We want to thank Head Football Coach Zach Gardner for his leadership and dedication to Wardog Football as he moves on to coach at Wyandotte. During his time at Miami, Coach Gardner helped lead our program to a level of success not seen in recent years – including multiple playoff appearances and the opportunity to host a playoff game. We are grateful for the impact he made on our student-athletes and wish him the very best in his next chapter.”

Miami Public Schools also noted they are actively looking for a new head coach.

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