L.C. Bird veteran football coach David Bedwell, who captured three straight 5A state titles from 2012 to 2014, has stepped down as football coach and will assume the duties as the Skyhawks’ new athletic director.
New Bird AD Bedwell
Bedwell, who spent 17 years as the head coach at the Chesterfield County school, will take over the AD position from Steve D’Adamo, who got the job after Chuck Thomas accepted a position at Fuqua School in 2015. D’Adamo accepted a position with the Richmond Kickers.
If championships put a school’s athletic program on the map, credit Bedwell with the placement of the Skyhawks on that map. The school’s run of three straight state titles included a 33-game winning streak, which is one of the longest such streaks in the area in at least 60 years, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Bedwell, who came over to L.C. Bird from Henrico High School (1997-99) after taking the Warriors to the state championship game in 1999, went 180-30 during his 17 year tenure for the Skyhawks, and he has 203 overall wins.
During his tenure, the Skyhawks football program became a dynasty. Athletes from all over the Central Region chose to move into the district in hopes of seeing the field, aiding further in the program’s success. Numbers for football soared, allowing L.C. Bird to have multiple junior varsity teams that helped the development of talent.
During his tenure, Bedwell coached two NFL players, Jason Snelling (Atlanta Falcons) and Ant Harris (Minnesota Vikings), with others receiving invites to pro camp, including Virginia Tech alum Deon Clarke. The Skyhawks’ most recent recruiting class included two ACC recruits, linebackers Rayshard Ashby (Virginia Tech) and Isaiah Moore (North Carolina State), and a Division I running back in Shedrick McCall (Norfolk State).
Many speculate that the Skyhawks will hire internally for the position, no information has been made available yet by school officials. There’s little doubt that a stack of applications will be received for the job.
In his new role, Bedwell will look to continue the success of the athletic program that just won its first 5A boys basketball state title, and has seen both field hockey (2015) and boys’ soccer (2016) make 5A South region appearances. The berth for boys’ soccer was the program’s first-ever. For field hockey, it was their first berth since 1991. And the success doesn’t stop here.
L.C. Bird girls’ volleyball also experienced a renaissance under coaches Sarah Iruegas and Caroline Brown, winning two Conference 12 titles and making three appearances in the 5A South region tournament. The boys’ cross-country and track teams have brought home Conference 12 championships in the past year under the guidance of Adam Canning.
The Village News will have coverage of the new football coach at L.C. Bird when information becomes available.
