Doug Wood attended Danvers High School and was a 3-sport athlete. He then went on to a year at Vermont Academy and then went on to U Mass Amherst on a football scholarship. He was the head football coach at Thompson Academy and an assistant at Gloucester High School. In 1968 he was hired as head football coach and physical education teacher at Amesbury High School. He was one of the more successful football coaches in the history of Amesbury High School. He took a losing program and within 2 years brought Amesbury back to respectability. Under the 10 years of Doug’s leadership, Amesbury won the Class D Championship in 1970. They were also CAL Co-champs in the 1970 and 1974 seasons.
Jimmy Stehlin, legendary football coach of Newburyport High School, said, “I have a great deal of respect for what he achieved in his years in Amesbury as a football coach and Athletic Director. Doug really loves football, and has a strong belief in the values derived from the game. He always made an effort to promote football.” In 1990 Doug was inducted into the Massachusetts Football Coaches’ Hall of Fame.
The real reason Doug belongs on the Amesbury Athletic Hall of Fame is his time as the Athletic Director at Amesbury. He did so many things for sports at Amesbury and the CAL. He helped the CAL become one of the better conferences in the state of Massachusetts. He hired a number of outstanding coaches. He made coaches and athletes accountable even when it wasn’t the most popular thing to do.
Jimmy Stehlin said,” Doug and I served as Athletic Directors for many years, and he was a strong force in promoting CAL sports and the growth of women athletics. Doug did things with class, and wanted his players, coaches, and school to have the best. Do things right, and create an environment to produce a sound program. Doug is indeed a “Hall of Famer.”
He put girls sports on the map in Amesbury. Gail Kelleher said about Doug, ” We instantly became teaching and coaching buddies. Under his guidance and leadership, my teams and I were encouraged to soar. He was a remarkable leader in the push for girls in sports. We were given equal rights without asking for them, and that was very unusual in that day. Doug rarely said no to my many requests, and our teams flourished because of this. He often dropped by practices and always stopped by the games to make sure that things were running smoothly.
I will say this with a huge smile on my face, “Doug always brought out the best and the worst in me. We had some mighty fine battles, but I knew that those were just challenges that would make me better. One constant irritation to him was the disorderly state of my desk. He would come in at least once a week and demand that I clean it up, and I would laugh and then clean it up. I was blessed to teach and coach for so many years at AHS. A big part of that blessing was working with Doug.”
Amesbury won CAL titles in 10 different sports during his tenure as AD from 1969 until 2001. He helped numerous athletes to get into college. It’s hard to put a number like wins and losses on a job that the Athletic Director does, but if we could do it, he would have the best winning percentage in the history of AHS sports.
Dick Baker talked about Doug, “I had the good fortune of working with Doug Wood for many years as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Cape Ann League (CAL) while Doug was Athletic Director for Amesbury High School. I would call Doug the Dean of the CAL for his longevity and knowledge of high school sports in the state of MA. His major concern on any and all matters was how would it affect the student-athlete, and if it was going to have a positive outcome, then he would support it. While he supported all sports, the two he was responsible for in the CAL, were cheerleading and football. The CAL Cheering Competitions were the top in the state, due to Doug’s work and the work of all the CAL cheering coaches. His leadership with football had the CAL on the cutting edge with schedules, divisions, and playoffs via the MIAA. I ran the CAL for 41 years and while Doug was an AD, he never missed a meeting (held monthly) and was a mentor to many of the AD’s in the league. I believe he was instrumental in the development of the ‘River Rats’ tournaments for Amesbury, Newburyport, Pentucket, & Triton. I am thrilled that he is being inducted into Amesbury’s Hall of Fame. CONGRATULATIONS DOUG AND WELL DESERVED!” My best, Dick Baker
When Doug retired, Kevin Doyle, sportswriter for the Newburyport News, wrote under Doug’s leadership he watched Amesbury develop consistently competitive programs, and leaves as one of the CAL’s most respected administrators, one who was unafraid to rock the boat and ask tough questions when necessary.
Congratulations to inductee Doug Wood, Coach and Athletic Director.
