High School

Kentucky's all-time winningest high school football coach, Philip Haywood, dies days after a car crash

The Belfry High head coach won 491 games and eight Kentucky state championships

Caleb Sisk

Belfry head coach Philip Haywood roamed the sidelines as his team took on DeSales in the Class 3A state semifinal game. Nov. 29, 2019
Belfry head coach Philip Haywood roamed the sidelines as his team took on DeSales in the Class 3A state semifinal game. Nov. 29, 2019 / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal, Louisville Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The state of Kentucky was in shock Wednesday as they learned the passing of Belfry High head football coach Philip Haywood.

Haywood was recently involved in a car crash that caused him to suffer many injuries.

Haywood was hospitalized on in the early morning hours of January 17th following a crash caused by icy road conditions. After battling for his life for nearly a week, he was pronounced dead on Wednesday due to the injuries he suffered.

The talented coach was the all-time winningest high school coach in the history of Kentucky High School football, having just finished his 41st season with Belfry, going 11-3 and coming up short in the 3A state championship.

He performed as a coach for 50 years and totaled 491 wins as a head coach which landed him inside the top five nationally.

He finished with multiple state championship appearances and won eight state titles with his last coming in 2021.

He would’ve turned 74 one week from today.

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Caleb Sisk
CALEB SISK

Caleb Sisk is a talented sports journalist from the state of Georgia. Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sisk's passion for sports grew. Bringing years of recruiting coverage experience, he has been named a National Recruiting Reporter and covers various college sites on the On SI network. He takes pride in covering recruiting and has been featured by numerous companies for his excellent coverage and knowledge. He has also spent time at other companies, including Rivals, where he covered the Tennessee Volunteers.

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