Former University of Georgia standout Damien Gary has been selected by the Dougherty County Board of Education to lead football operations at Dougherty Comprehensive High School.

Gary is the All-Time career punt return leader in both returns and yards in UGA History and second leading punt returner in SEC history and was part of the Bulldogs’ 2002 SEC and Sugar Bowl Championship Team. He comes to Albany from Charlotte, N.C., where he served as an assistant coach and Wide Receivers coach at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

“Coach Gary has a strong history in building student athletes both on the field and off, and we’re excited to welcome him to our team,” Superintendent Kenneth Dyer said.

Gary is a member of the Athens Athletic Hall of Fame and the American Football Coaches Association. He holds a Masters of Education in Elementary Education from Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, N.C., and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sports Communication from the University of Georgia.

During his coaching career he interned with the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers during their training camps, where he worked on various aspects of coaching including player development, mentoring and game management.

During his tenure in Charlotte, Gary mentored players and helped prepare them for the next level of play in the NFL including Kalif Phillips, a running back with the Green Bay Packers, and PJ Gore, a wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons.