While football is a sport often compared to a religion at many high schools in the South, Buford High School in Buford, Georgia, proudly aims to encourage “Triple A Excellence” in academics, athletics, and arts.
“The biggest dynasty in the school is their arts program,” says Bryant Appling ’01, head coach of the Buford High School football program. This speaks volumes considering Buford’s football program is massively impressive in its own right, winning three state championships since Appling took the reins as head coach in 2019 and 14 state championships overall.
Appling is the first coach in Buford history to win a state championship in his first year as head coach and has a 6-0 record this season as of this writing. The next big game is against rival Mill Creek, airing on ESPN on October 13.
A strong foundation
Appling attributes his success on the field to his time spent on South Mountain. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into at Lehigh,” he says, recalling the quick revelation that his choice of mechanical engineering might not be right for him. He credits the leadership of head football coach Kevin Higgins and Joe Sterrett, Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics, with offering more than football mentorship. They showed him that there was more to his time at Lehigh than what happened “between the white lines,” molding him into the man he would become. 
While he was always active in sports, Appling never thought he would be a coach until he played under the Lehigh coaching staff. “They coached me on what I would be off the field and what I would be after Lehigh.”
“I have the utmost respect for all the guys who coached me. My defensive coordinator, Joe Bottiglieri, helped me to understand what a relationship with a coach should be.” Appling says that the love he was shown by his coaches at Lehigh, regardless of his performance on the field, is always at the forefront of how he wants his coaching staff to approach the job.
He was also solidly prepared for coaching at Buford through his time spent in the College of Business, which instilled a strong work ethic in Appling. The academics and regimen taught him to stay organized, always thinking of what’s next so he wouldn’t get blindsided.
“The rigor of the program at Lehigh showed me that you need to do something every day to be successful. You can’t take a day off. Doing everything at a high level there prepared me to perform at a high level here [at Buford High School].”
A network of support
Lehigh also taught Appling the importance of community, being an active member of the school and its programs, and that athletes are more than just one thing.
“A lot of people get the impression that they can get away with what they want as football players,” Appling says, but that doesn’t fly with him. “You can always talk about what a good player and team you are, but they will always remember how you supported people and what a good person you were.”
The Lehigh coaches encouraged the players to support the other teams that were consistently supporting them. In doing so, they built solid connections across campus, and that made them a stronger team. Appling encourages the same with his students, preaching respect for the network of support around them: those at school and at home. 
But expecting excellence doesn’t equal demanding perfection.
“I believe I’ve been put in this position to help them understand that one mistake doesn’t define you,” he says. “If you apologize and are genuine and try to do better, they will come around and support you moving forward.”
Answering the call
While it wasn’t his goal upon leaving Lehigh, it was always in the back of his head that he’d like to coach. His mom was a PE teacher, and both his parents always coached. Sports were always a part of his life, and when he entered the business world for a brief period after graduation, he was always focused on finding games to watch on the weekends. He decided to start training and returned to his old high school to coach. He remembers having a lot on his plate back then, but that was when he knew that coaching was his calling.
He went on to get his teaching certificate. Appling spent his first 14 years teaching special education and eventually began to transition his focus to physical education and business classes before moving to PE entirely. He says that teaching immediately gave him the fulfillment he hadn’t experienced in his business career.
Even so, his degree in business and economics became very useful when taking over the football program at Buford because there is essentially a business running behind the game that he’s in charge of managing. He was also drawn to the leadership courses, which gave him a solid foundation for coaching and teaching.
Pep talk
Appling’s experience has taught him that people who are inspired should follow the call to teach or coach. “If you feel the itch to do something like this, there is usually a reason. There’s more work than you think, but the reward is worth the hard work — it’s the biggest reward I ever had.”
He appreciates the opportunity he’s had to influence so many young people both in the classroom and on the field. “The transition is not as hard as you think, and kids need support. If you feel like you are one of those people as a coach or a teacher, it’s worth it. You don’t get a second chance to go back and say ‘I wish I did.’”