Former Coffee coach Bonwell Royal dies at 83

Bonwell Royal, who coached his hometown football team, the Coffee Trojans, for 26 seasons over two stints and won three region titles, died Wednesday morning. He was 83. Stanley Lott, a family friend and sports radio host in Douglas, confirmed the news.

Royal was Coffee’s head coach from 1972 to 1993 and from 2001 to 2004. His teams won region titles in 1981, 1982 and 2002. His coaching record, which included a 1969-71 run at Manchester, was 185-115-5.

Royal’s best team was a Class 4A semifinalist led by running back Andre “Pulpwood” Smith, who would go on to star at Georgia. Royal also coached Joel “Cowboy” Parrish, an All-American offensive lineman on Georgia’s 1976 SEC championship team.

Royal played in the 1950s at Coffee County High, then for Bobby Bowden at both South Georgia College in Douglas and at Howard College, now Samford University.

Royal explained his love for coaching in a 2018 AJC interview.

“My players would have told you that I told them I coached high school because I liked to hunt and fish on Saturdays,” he said. “However, the truth of the matter is that I liked coaching high school-aged athletes. This is the age that I related to the most. You see, I just liked those Friday night lights. I still do.”