The Atlanta Falcons Coach of the Week program recognizes 12 high school football coaches across the state of Georgia for their hard work and dedication to making a difference in student-athletes' lives on and off the field over the course of the GHSA season.
The first winner of the 2017 season is Don Norton of Johnson County High School. Norton was nominated by Steve McDiffitt, an assistant football coach and teacher at Johnson County.
"Coach Norton has been at Johnson County for a long time," McDiffitt said in his nomination. "He has positively impacted many kids and has put less fortunate kids in situations where they were successful and able to have a positive experience as an athlete."
"Coach Norton has been selfless in his tenure at Johnson County," McDiffitt added.
Norton has been at the helm of the Johnson County program since 2007. At Johnson, Norton has compiled a 76-34 record over the course of 10-plus seasons. In 2010, Norton reached a coaching milestone by winning the Region 3-A title with a 6-0 region record. That season, the Trojans finished with an 11-1 overall record and reached the second round of the playoffs.
This year, the Trojans are 1-0 after defeating East Laurens 20-14. Johnson County will look to move to 2-0 at Groves this Friday.
As much as Norton has done for Johnson County, he cannot say enough about the community he loves to serve.
"Johnson County has done everything for me," Norton said. "It has not only given me a great career but a great place to live and to be a part of a community like Wrightsville. It is a wonderful experience. We have good people here and people make a place, so we love Wrightsville."
