MOULTRIE — Nine seasons after he returned home to coach the linebackers at his alma mater, Darius Dawson has resigned from the varsity football staff.

But Dawson, who took over as Colquitt County High’s athletic director in July, will continue to coach, joining the ninth-grade staff.

The change in re-sponsibilities will allow Daw-son to concentrate on his duties as athletic director, he said Thursday.

“I need to give this my full attention,” said the former Colquitt County High and Georgia Southern linebacker, who said he is “leaning toward” a long-term career in administration.

Coaching the ninth-grade team does not involve the time commitment that is required of a varsity coach.

“I’ll still be around,” he said.

Dawson said he told Packers head coach Tim Cokely after the Packers defeated Meadowcreek in the season-opener that he would not return after the 2005 season.

Courtney Davenport, who helped with the linebackers last season, apparently will take over for Dawson next year.

“Coach Davenport will do a good job,” Dawson said. “He’s young and he can relate to the kids and help keep them motivated. And I’ll be around to help as much as I can.”

Dawson was an outstanding linebacker for the Packers and after graduating in 1990, went on to a fine career at Georgia Southern, where he started as a freshman on the 1990 national championship team.

After graduating from Georgia Southern, he coached two seasons at Southeast Bulloch before returning to Colquitt County to work with the linebackers under his former head coach Jim Hughes.

He remained on the staff when Mike Singletary succeeded Hughes in 2000 and when Cokely took over this year.

Dawson had been named assistant athletic director by Hughes in 1999. When Cokely was hired as head coach and director of football operations, Dawson was named athletic director in charge of all sports except football.

Dawson said he will especially miss coaching returning linebackers Reggie Lawson and Derek Illian, both of whom are fine players and outstanding students.

“They are leaders, role models, both are college prep,” Dawson said.

But Dawson will have his hands full overseeing the rest of the athletic department, which has some new coaches this year, including Kirven Davis in boys basketball, Randall Balch in wresting and boys soccer, Carman Phillips in softball and Grant Hammack, returning to do boys tennis.

Dawson said he also wants to make sure athletes in all sports take advantage of the weight room.

“If we are going to be good in all facets, it’s going to start in the weight room,” he said.