Tony Lotti
Coach Lotti enters
his 15th year as a head football coach, 27th in coaching and his 4th
season leading our Seckinger football program. In 2025, Coach Lotti led our
program to another winning season and for the first time in school history, a berth
to the GHSA Football State Playoffs. In 2024, Coach Lotti led our program to
its first winning season in school history in only his 2nd year at
Seckinger and was named GHSA Region 7 AAAAA Coach of the Year. In 2023, he led
our program to its first varsity win in school history. In 2022, Coach Lotti
was named the Atlanta Falcon’s High School Coach of the Year and a finalist for
the NFL Don Shula High School Coach of the Year. He was also named the winner
of the GHSA Inspiration Award. In 2021, he led the Apalachee Wildcats to their
first state playoff appearance in 12 years and was the region runner-up. He was
named GHSA Region 8 AAAAA Coach of the Year and Mainstreet News Coach of the
Year.
Prior to his time
at Apalachee, he led the West Hall Spartans to five straight state playoff
appearances in his six years at West Hall. In 2016, the Spartans advanced
to the AAAA State Playoffs Sweet 16 for the first time since 1995. In 2014, his
third season at West Hall, he led the Spartans to their first Region
Championship in the school’s 27-year history. In 2014, Coach Lotti was named
National Coach of the Year from Dove Men + Care and the College Football Hall
of Fame. He was featured in an ad in the December 2014 Sportsman of the Year
issue of Sports Illustrated. Coach Lotti was also named Region 7AAA Coach of
the Year and Area Coach of the year multiple times.
Coach Lotti holds a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Wesleyan College in
Athens, Tennessee and a Master of Education degree in Cross Categorical Special
Education. While in college, he earned All-American and All Conference
honors in football as a punter, and was brought into training camp with the New
England Patriots in 1990.
In 2005 Coach Lotti was the first State of Georgia recipient of the National
Sportscasters & Sportswriters Association – USA Football Champion’s Award
and he was inducted into the Tennessee Wesleyan College Hall of Fame.
Coach Lotti is the author of two best-selling books: Fourth
Down and Long: Everything Is Possible When You Believe & A
Break in the Rain: A Boy, His Coach and a Special Wish. A
Break in the Rain, released in 2011, has received the Editor’s Choice
designation and won the Rising Star Award. A Break in the Rain was
also named the Winner at the 2011 International Book Awards and a Winner at the
2011 Hollywood Book Festival. Both books are available through major booksellers’
world-wide. Coach Lotti often speaks at conventions, business functions and
seminars throughout the year.
Prior to his time at West Hall, Coach Lotti spent seven years at Union Grove
High School, where he helped build their new program resulting in a Region
Championship and a State Quarter-Final berth in only their third season. (2002) The
Wolverines made State Playoff appearances four of his last five seasons at
Union Grove in both AA and AAAAA classifications. In 2007, Coach Lotti moved to
Woodland High School to help start their new program and in only their third
year of existence, he helped their program to a 7-3 record and first trip to
the AAA state playoffs.
Coach Lotti has been married for 36 years to Debbie and they have three
children. They have three grandsons, James age 9, Carter age 7, Reid age 2 and
one granddaughter, Adaelynn age 6.
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