Few coaches are the face of a program, and for a school like Buckingham County, where football is most certainly king, Craig Gill has been a lot more than just the Knights’ coach in that department. He’s been at the helm for 21 years. He’s battled with his own health issues since 2013 to stick with the team. He kept his team playing at the same high level. However, for the first time since the mid 1990’s, the school will have a new coach. The task is now tall for Buckingham as Gill is now officially retired.
A Fork Union graduate, Gill started coaching with the Blue Devils before coming to Dillwynn and taking over the Knights in 1996. Before his arrival, Buckingham had just five playoff appearances and sported an 0-5 record. Since then, Gill coached the Knights to 10 playoff appearances, including the last seven straight. Since Scrimmage Play launched in 2009, of the public schools, only Buckingham and their James River District rival, Goochland, have made the playoffs each year. On top of that, the Knights have not lost a home playoff game.
Under Gill, the program had its best year in 2002 with all-time leading rusher John Perkins helping to put the Knights in the Group A championship game. In 2009, the Knights put together a perfect 10-0 regular season and Gill earned Scrimmage Play’s Coach of the Year honors. Since then, Buckingham has won at least eight games each season and had four double-digit win campaigns. In 2013, the Knights upset Dan River in the second round of the Region 2A West tournament to pave the way to a Group 2A final four showing.
In 2013 Gill was diagnosed with cancer, but fought through it to coach two more years, both of them right up there with the rest. Under his watch, the Knights have become Central Virginia’s version of “Running Back U” with Maurice Taylor, Kenneth Johnson and Leon Ragland all putting together 2,000 yard rushing seasons and Johnson setting the single season record in 2013.
Gill has well over 100 wins at Buckingham. He has 20 years at the helm, a rare feat. Not many coaches can say they left such a large void in their departure. Gill, through his work on the field as well as in the classroom, leaves Buckingham in vastly better position than what he inherited. And now it’s up to someone to inherit the unenviable task of filling his shoes. In Buckingham County, Craig Gill is so much more than just a name, teacher or coach.