LHS Hires New Football Coach

The football program has found their man to replace a legend. Earlier this week, LHS athletic director Naomi Martin announced that George Peterson has been hired to take over the Minutemen, following the retirement of Bill Tighe, who had coached the team since 1975.

A Vermont native, Peterson has coached in a number of roles at Bedford High School in New Hampshire since 2008. He started out as head coach of the freshman football team and worked his way up to defensive coordinator of the Bulldogs’ varsity squad last year.

With Peterson’s help last season, the Bulldogs finished 5-4 overall and 4-4 in the NHIAA’s Division III. The team’s defense allowed 106 points in nine games.

Collegiatelly, Peterson was an All-America selection and an All-New England honoree as a member of the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, where he played from 2000 to 2004 under Chip Kelly. Kelly is now the coach of the University of Oregon.

At Lexington, he will be the first person beside Tighe to lead the football team since Gerald Ford was the U.S. President. Tighe shortly before the annual Thanksgiving Day matchup against Burlington High School.

He spent a total of 62 years coaching football, and at 86 was officially recognized as the oldest coach at the high school level in the nation.

Tighe’s 36 years at Lexington included a Division 1 Super Bowl title in 1984.