Paul Standard joined the 200-win club when Gilmer defeated Ridgeland 38-6.
The 25-year football head coach became the 70th in Georgia high school history to reach the career milestone. He was congratulated by Bobcat players and coaches before a celebratory ice bath to commemorate the rare feat.
While Standard had previous assistant coaching gigs, his time as a head coach has been spent at two schools.
“I had no idea I would ever be in this situation when I started coaching,” said Standard, whose career record stands at 200-99. “It is a good milestone and accomplishment, but I believe in my heart that any coaching accolades are due to some major factors that you have no control over. If you don’t have good players then your record may not be very good. I’ve been blessed over the years to have some outstanding high school football players. That hasn’t changed since I’ve come to Gilmer and we’ve had some success.
“Another part of that is having great assistant coaches. Today’s game is much more detailed and you have to have a staff. When I was a player, my head coach (George Maloof) was great and the reason I got into coaching, but it was only him and three other guys. You couldn’t do that today, and I’ve been surrounded by great guys who are great men, role models and teachers my whole career.”
Standard revived his alma mater when he got his head coaching start at St. Pius X in 2001. Over the past five seasons at Gilmer, he has taken the Bobcats to the playoffs three times.
“There are tremendous similarities to the players I coached at St. Pius and now at Gilmer,” Standard said. “One is they’re good kids who have been raised right. It makes it easier to coach them. The parents buy into what we’re doing with their sons and know we’re trying to teach them more than just football.”
St. Pius snapped a 33-year playoff drought in Standard’s second year, their first of 15 playoff appearances under his guidance.
SPX won eight region titles with Standard at the helm and captured back-to-back championships on three occasions. The Golden Lions reached the state championship game in 2012 and 2014 and ended 11 seasons ranked in the top 10.
He concluded his career at SPX in 2020 as the school’s all-time wins leader and compiled a 174-72 record. He ranks above mentor George Maloof, who led Pius to a 158-83 record in 26 seasons.
Standard became a member of SPX’s inaugural sports hall of fame class and was inducted Oct. 25.
“There are three guys (along with Keith Maloof and Ed Dudley) in this 200-win club, and we’re all from St. Pius. We all were classmates. That’s pretty neat and a great tribute to George Maloof and his legacy. I’m proud to be part of that,” Standard said.
Standard has righted the ship in his five seasons at Gilmer. In the five years prior to his arrival, the Bobcats posted a combined record of 7-42. Standard’s GHS record is 26-27, and he ranks fifth in career wins.
When GHS reached the state playoffs in 2023, it was their first berth since 2014. The Cats then won an elusive first-round game over Adairsville, which had not occurred since 1999. Gilmer returned to the playoffs in 2024 and nearly pulled an upset over North Hall, but a field goal attempt as time expired was wide. GHS went on to lose in overtime.
The Cats’ qualification to the playoffs this season marks only the third consecutive trip for a Gilmer team in school history.
“It was a challenge when I came here with our staff to try to turn the program around,” Standard said. “It was a great opportunity, and we had the things in place that made me feel like we could do it. There have been some bumps in the road, but anything worth working for, you’re going to have those.
“The group of seniors this year, you’re not going to find a group who will fight and play so hard. I believe we’re going to be a tough out in the playoffs just because of the types of kids we have. Those are the kinds of kids I love coaching. We’ve had to go through some adversity this year, but this has been one of the most fun years of coaching because of the kids and staff and how close they are.”
Gilmer opens the state playoffs next Friday at Fredrick Douglass High School.