Charlotte Latin football coach Larry McNulty to retire after the 2017 season

Charlotte Latin football coach Larry McNulty, one of the most successful high school coaches in Mecklenburg County history, will coach his final season next fall.

McNulty announced Tuesday night that the 2017 season will be his last.

“The student-athletes that come out of Coach Mac’s football program are top-notch men who embody Latin’s values,” says Headmaster Arch N. McIntosh, Jr. “I am honored to call him a colleague and a friend. His 33 years of service at the school have established a powerful legacy of a commitment to excellence.”

McNulty has coached at Latin since 1985 and led the Hawks to 11 state championships, including the 2016 N.C. Independent Schools Division I state championship. His teams have had three undefeated seasons and McNulty has coached three NFL players.

Latin already has McNulty’s successor on staff. Justin Hardin, who joined the staff last season, will become head coach after McNulty leaves and will start officially in the fall of 2018. Hardin was most recently a head coach at Providence High and Independence High.

McNulty said he and Hardin share similar coaching styles.

“This team,” McNulty said, “is as much about relationships and sportsmanship as it is about hard work and focus, and Justin takes these qualities very seriously,”

McNulty and Hardin worked together at Latin from 2007-09, when Hardin served the Hawks as defensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.

“I have loved working for Mac,” Hardin said. “He has been a mentor to me. I really value how well he teaches the game. Coach Mac has built a great foundation for the program here, and I want to continue a lot of the traditions he’s started.”

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 9:42 PM with the headline "Charlotte Latin football coach Larry McNulty to retire after the 2017 season."