Bruce Hanson at first was nervous about being the center of attention during a recent ceremony recognizing his 40 years as Yorktown High School’s head football coach.

But by the end of the Saturday (Feb. 8) event at the Knights of Columbus in Arlington, just around the corner from Yorktown, Hanson’s emotions had changed. He was happy about all the memories that flowed.

“I was so lucky to end up at Yorktown. It’s a pleasure to see everyone here,” Hanson told a gathering of dozens of former players, some assistant coaches and others on hand to celebrate his time at the school.

“When I took the job at Yorktown back then, nobody knew where Arlington was,” he said.  I told them it was right next to D.C.”

Hanson, well known for his use of multiple incarnations of a productive wing-T offense, retired as the Patriots’ coach at the end of the 2024 season. He won 272 games at the school, and a total of 302 throughout his head-coaching career.

The other victories came when Hanson was the head coach at Arlington rival Wakefield High School. He took over as Yorktown’s coach in 1985.

Overall, Hanson coached high-school football for 52 years. He also was an assistant coach between the Wakefield and Yorktown head coaching positions.

Hanson’s Yorktown teams won 12 district championships and two regional crowns.

The ceremony was organized for former players and alumni to celebrate Hanson’s time as a coach in Arlington. He also served more than 50 years as a county teacher before retiring in January.

Some of the notable former players on hand were Chris Williams, Max Milien, Kerby Long, Joe McBride and his father Dave McBride, Alex Hicks, Dave McBride, Antonio Francis and Mike Geter. Hicks will be Hanson’s replacement as head coach. Dave McBride’s band played music at the event.

Former Westfield High School head football coach Kyle Simmons stopped by, as well. Westfield defeated Yorktown in a region-tournament championship game in recent years.

“I heard about this, and figured this was a place I needed to be,” Simmons said.

Yorktown director of student activities Mike Krulfeld organized the event. He spoke of how much he enjoyed working with Hanson as the school’s football coach.

Les Zimmerman, a longtime friend of Hanson’s dating back to when both attended the College of William and Mary, helped organize the event.

“It is so great to have so many people here with Bruce,” Zimmerman said. “At first, he didn’t want this or the attention. Look now. He’s enjoying this.”

Toward the end of the ceremony, a group photo, with Hanson in the middle, was arranged. As the group gathered with multiple cameras pointed its way, someone said, “Everyone say wing-T.”