OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — It’s the end of an era at at Oak Ridge High School as legendary football coach Joe Gaddis announced he is stepping down.

Gaddis has been coaching since 1974 and led the Wildcats to a state title appearance in 2020. He says he’s going to miss his relationships with his players and that he wanted one more season, but he didn’t feel it was fair for the next head coach.

“I’ve coached for 48 years. You kind of know when it’s time. Selfishly, I would’ve liked to coach one more year, because we had a bad year,” he said. “I’m going to teach here, beyond that, I don’t know.”

Gaddis is unsure what he will be doing next but will be teaching weightlifting at Oak Ridge.