Former standout Sturdivant returns to Parkview as head coach

Joe Sturdivant, a star player during Parkview’s glory days two decades ago, is the Panthers’ new football coach, the Gwinnett County school announced Thursday evening.

Sturdivant will replace Eric Godfree, who took the North Gwinnett job last month. Parkview was 70-37 with two region titles in Godfree’s nine seasons.

Sturdivant was head coach at Providence Christian in Lilburn last season and two years prior at Rabun Gap, a northeast Georgia boarding school that was a runner-up twice in a North Carolina independent school league.

Sturdivant previously coached for four years in Germany and Belgium. He was IMG Academy’s defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014. He began his coaching career as a student assistant at SMU, where he played.

Sturdivant was an outstanding player on Parkview’s 2000-02 state championship teams that went 45-0.

Parkview was 8-4 last season and placed 10 first- or second-team all-region players who were juniors, including Region 4-7A player of the year Khyair Spain, a running back, and five-star wide receiver/defensive back Mike Matthews.

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