Walker Valley High School has promoted offensive coordinator Glen Ryan to fill the position as head football coach, announced Tuesday morning.
He replaces Ted Lockerby, who resigned on Nov. 1 after compiling a 12-39 record in five seasons with the Mustangs.
"We are excited about what Coach Ryan brings to the table," Walker Valley principal Danny Coggin said in a released statement. "His vision for the football program, his excitement for the school and his dedication to the young people at Walker Valley are contagious."
Ryan has had two previous head coaching positions -- 1998-2003 at Soddy-Daisy and 2004-08 at Munford High. He has an overall record of 57-60 in 10 seasons, which included an 8-4 season in 2006 that included his only playoff victory, 45-12 over Raleigh-Egypt.
The Mustangs won six games in 2008, Lockerby's second season, and advanced to the Class 4A playoffs, but since then have limped to a 3-27 record, including an 0-10 mark this past season.
The 2008 win total was the second most in the history of the school, topped only by a 7-4 record in 2004. In both seasons, the Mustangs defeated nearby Cleveland, but they have yet to defeat county rival Bradley Central.
"Coach Ryan also looks forward to building the total football program in the school and looks forward to creating a relationship with [feeder school] Ocoee Middle, their administration, their coaches and their student body," the release stated.
Walker Valley will return explosive senior running back Kelvin Wells Jr. and wingback Gabe Cartwright in 2012. Wells is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including a career-high 1,599 in eight games as a sophomore in 2010.