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Georgia Tech HC Paul Johnson stepping down

Head coach Paul Johnson of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets watches a replay of a touchdown by the Miami Hurricanes on November 21, 2015 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

ATLANTA — Georgia Tech football coach Paul Johnson is stepping down.

“After 40 years of coaching, it’s time to take a break,” Johnson said.

Johnson, 61, has been the head coach at Georgia Tech since 2008. He has a career record of 82-59 in 11 seasons.

Johnson, a three-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year, is Georgia Tech’s winningest football coach in more than five decades,

“My family has sacrificed a lot over the years. I want to watch my daughter [Kaitlyn, a professional opera singer] perform and do some things with my wife [Susan] that we’ve never had a chance to do," Johnson said. "It’s been a great run for the last 11 years here on The Flats. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and am looking forward to having the chance to coach this team one last time at our bowl game next month.”

Before coming to Georgia Tech, Johnson was the head coach at Navy. He was the head coach at Georgia Southern before that.

Georgia Tech finished the season 7-5 (5-3 in the ACC) and is bowl eligible. The team will find out which bowl game they'll play in within the next few days. Johnson plans on coaching the bowl game.

“I was saddened when Coach Johnson informed me that he was going to step down as our head coach,” Georgia Tech director of athletics Todd Stansbury said.