 He arrived at Lanier in 1956 as an assistant, moved up to head coach the next year, and turned the Poets into a dynasty.During his 13 years at the helm, the Poets won six state championships and compiled a 92–24–6 record, including a 33-game win streak in the mid-late 1960s, one of the longest in Alabama high school football history.Wilson's first three titles – in 1957, 1961, and 1964 – were determined in various newspaper polls throughout the state, but the next three – 1966, 1967, and 1968 – were decided on the field, representing the first three years of Alabama High School Athletic Association state playoff system.