Mark Wells named Nelson’s new coach

Nelson County didn’t have to search far to find the successor for outgoing football coach Tim Crawford, promoting defensive coordinator Mark Wells, a standout tight end and linebacker for the Governors in the mid-1980s who has served on their coaching staff for the past 18 years.

Superintendent Roger Collins, a former football player at JMU and coach at Western Albemarle, Virginia and Hawaii, selected Wells over one other candidate nominated by a committee that included former coach Billy League, who Crawford replaced in 2004.

“He’s an outstanding young man and a good role model for the kids,” outgoing athletic director Charles Bennett said of Wells, 43. “It should be a real smooth transition.”

League, 59, who has served as golf coach and dean of students at Nelson over the past four years, was appointed to succeed Bennett as the Governors’ AD in December, effective July 1.

“It’s time to let somebody else do it,” said Bennett, a former assistant coach under League who is retiring after 22 years as AD on June 30.

He could think of no better person to fill his shoes than League, the son of longtime coach and athletic director Sherman League for whom the Governors’ stadium complex is named.

“Every time we go out on that track, one of the first things you see is the monument to my dad,” Billy League said. “Our house is right behind the field, so, yeah, it’s like being at home.”

League played for his father at Nelson before going to Virginia and returning to Lovingston in 1980 as the head football coach, a title he held for 29 years.

“He’s part of the community,” Bennett said.

He stepped down four years after a bout with multiple myeloma cancer in 1999, one year after his wife Darlene was declared in remission from her case of breast cancer. Both are now cancer-free.

League served as a mentor for Crawford for more than 20 years and both coached Wells when he was an All-American for the Governors.

“We go way back,” League said of Wells. “He was a sophomore on the first team I had 29 years ago. In 29 years I’ve been here, up until B.J. Cabell, who started every game for Virginia last year, Mark was probably the most accomplished kid we’ve had play at Nelson County.”

He was teammates at Nelson with former Brookville coach Bobby Johnson, who guided the Bees to a state championship in 1999.

After starting his college career at Chowan (N.C.), Wells transferred to Ferrum where he played tight end out of its wishbone offense for three seasons and still holds the school’s receiving records for yards (889) and touchdowns (eight) in a season.

He had a little stint in training camp with the Washington Redskins after graduating before playing semi-pro football with the Virginia Storm in Manassas for about three years.

“I always wanted to get involved in coaching, to be a big part of a young kids’ life and having them come back five years later and say, ‘Thank you,’” Wells said.

At Nelson, he started out coaching the Governors’ receivers and linebackers before taking over as defensive coordinator when Crawford was promoted to head coach, coaching Cabbell on the line his final two seasons.

“He’s taken kids to camp and run the weight room for years,” League said. “When I was coaching and he was assisting me, he was in charge of the weight room and instrumental in getting them to come out.”

Wells applied for the head coaching job when League resigned, but believes he’s much better equipped for the position now.

Ted Allen is a staff writer for the News & Advance in Lynchburg.