In 1967 the face of High School football in Florida changed. For the first time in the state, Tom Atwell’s Kathleen High School football team utilized the run-and-shoot offense. A young coach coming to Florida in 1960, Atwell installed his new offense at Southwest Junior High and then carried it with him to Kathleen in 1967. A native of Bradshaw, West Virginia, Atwell played high school sports at Jaeger School before going on to play football for Concord College. He also coached basketball and football in West Virginia for four years prior to coming to Polk County. Upon arriving in Polk County, Atwell began coaching in the popular junior high football conference at Southwest. His record there was an impressive 39-1-1. Atwell then coached at Kathleen for 11 years and then coached for two seasons at Winter Haven High School. He then returned to Lakeland and coached Lake Gibson until 1984, then became coach and assistant principal at Seth McKeel before retiring from teaching in 1995. High School football in Florida is serious business, and Tom Atwell has a lot to do with the way the game is still being played today. Atwell lives in Lakeland where he spends a great deal of time playing golf and enjoying retirement with his wife, Carol.