He now takes over the tradition-rich Toros. Thats what we get from our kids, for sure.. A former Rebel defensive back and member of the 1998 state championship team, Evans returns home after four years as Mountain Brooks defensive coordinator. The Toros have won four state championships since 2010. The event will take place in the schools gymnasium and is open to the public. During those discussions, Ford was fired, live and on the air, by Gazette general manager John Junkin. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). American football player and coach (born 1957), Dismissal from Colquitt County High School, Sanctions imposed against Valdosta High School, "Rush Propst returning to high school coaching in Alabama", "Hoover's Rush Propst gets head football coaching job at Georgia high school", "Propst considers college job, chooses to stay at CCHS", "High School Football Coach Relishes His Second Chance", "2010 Georgia High School Football State Championship Bracket", "2011 Georgia Boys State Football Playoff Bracket: GHSA Class AAAAA", "Norcross rallies to win state high school football championship", "Three teams win their first state championships", "Superintendent pledges independent probe", "Letter from attorneys for Richard Bishop to the Hoover Board of Education, reprinted by, "Hoover must forfeit games due to ineligible player", "Rush Propst resigns but will coach through end of playoffs", "Hoover (Ala.) High coach agrees to step down", "Rush Propst suspended a year for head-butting own player in this video, will appeal", "Colquitt County coach Propst appeals one-year suspension | Prep Zone: High School Sports blog", "Propst suspension dropped, will receive reprimand - WALB.com, South Georgia News, Weather, Sports", "School board relieves Propst of coaching duties", "Propst investigation cites pill incidents, dishonesty, insubordination", "MINUTES Georgia Professional Standards Commission", "Valdosta football barred from 2021 playoffs, fined $7,500, four players ruled ineligible", Amazon.com: "Building A Championship Football Program 12 Months A Year," by Rush Propst, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rush_Propst&oldid=1134535480, Jacksonville State Gamecocks football players, High school football coaches in Georgia (U.S. state), Articles with dead external links from April 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 January 2023, at 04:49. As usual, the high school football offseason has been filled with coaching changes throughout the state maybe more than most years. Coach, Assistant Athletic Director - Pizitz, Head Coach - 7th Football, 8th Women's Basketball, Assistant Athletic Director - Pizitz, Head Coach - Pizitz Wrestling, Varsity Head Coach - Men's Golf, Asst. [25] The letter was a result of the board voting to not renew Bishop's contract as principal, an act which garnered widespread coverage by local news media. The 2021 team went 14-0, defeating Pleasant Grove 51-14 in the state championship game in Birmingham. The Mustangs went 9-3 in 2021. I may have some different tactics, but when you get down to the basics of our program, the foundation coach Anderson has already laid is absolutely fantastic. He sure had a big impact on me and my life, and I am grateful for him., 2010 graduate Austin Whitt speaks to a similar influence on his life. We just have to follow him and make our own footprints and build on his legacy. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He will have to guide the team through a new class as the Lions make the jump from 4A to 5A. Lane is probably a little bit heavier and Andrew is a little bit longer. They are like brothers. VESTAVIA, Ala. (WBRC) - Vestavia Hills High School has announced that a former rebel will return as the schools new head football coach. Thats what really matters. (Jeff Lee/Contributed). We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Shelby County Newspapers, Inc. One of the first things they did in their efforts to move forward was to hire Buddy Anderson as their head football coach. The Gazette went out of business about five weeks later. information in hopes our visitors will participate in assisting
[20][21] In 2014, Rush Propst led his Colquitt County Packer football team to their second undefeated season (15-0) and a second state title (first one came in 1994), by defeating Archer High School 28-24 on December 13, 2014 to claim the 2014 1-AAAAAA State Championship and his first state title within Georgia. St. Paul's head coach Steve Mask instructs tight end Chett Elder in the first half of a prep football game against Faith Academy on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell | preps@al.com). . January 13, 2022 Vestavia Hills High School head football coach Robert Evans and his wife, Anne Evans. In the spring of 1973, Coach Anderson and his wife, Linda, made their first trip to a National Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) conference. Then, I wanted a great mix of guys who were Vestavia guys and who really love this place. Absolutely not. They wrestled together, they are in the same workout group. I dont think Alabama football gets talked about. 2826 Columbiana Road. When my career is done, if I can even be in the same sentence or book as Coach Anderson, I have done a couple of things right. He played with a broken forearm last year. "I made mistakes. What is one great lesson youve learned as a coach? Ralph Clyde "Shorty" Propst, who was born in 1924 and played for Alabama Crimson Tide, is his uncle. In the letter by Bishop's attorneys, which The News obtained through a public-records request, the attorneys state that Browning told Bishop that Propst "had a separate family and led a completely separate life," and that Bishop was told by Craig not to investigate the matter. Everyone who knows Coach Anderson knows that this is why he did it, and what he cared about mostpositively impacting the lives of everyone around him. The lessons you learn in athletics last longer than the actual event itself. Now as a coach, his biggest lesson from Anderson is: The student is more important than the athlete. That was a big weight off our shoulders. He won 77 games with the Toros and the 2015 6A title. [5] During Propst's tenure, Hoover was repeatedly ranked in the nation's top-25 polls, finishing as the #16 team in the nation in 2003,[6] #4 in the nation in 2004,[7] #8 in the nation in 2005,[8] and ranked #1 entering the 2006 season by Sports Illustrated, USA Today[9] and the National Prep Football Poll. Calhoun was recommended to the Board of Education by a search committee including Vestavia Hills City Schools Superintendent Todd Freeman, VHHS Principal Tonya Rozell, Athletic Director and VHHS alumnus Jeff Segars, and Assistant Superintendent Patrick Martin.Freeman described Calhoun as a dedicated family man and professional with impeccable character. There are so many predators out there and its scary to me. Coach, Head Coach - 7th Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Head Coach - 8th Women's Volleyball, 7th Women's Basketball. In just his second year of coaching at Colquitt County, Propst took a team that had finished 2-8 in 2007 to an 11-3 season and the state semifinals in 2009. He can move, too. Some went on to the NFL, and former player David Jordan was a member of the 1986 Super Bowl winning New York Giants team. Coach, Varsity Head Coach - Flag Football, Bowling, Women's Golf, Varsity Head Coach - Football Cheerleading, Varsity Head Coach - Basketball Cheerleading, Head Coach - Cross Country, Track and Field, Defensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach, Linebackers/Director of Football Operations/Special Teams Coordinator, Varsity Head Coach - Wrestling, Asst. Hes a tough, hard-nosed kid who I definitely think is going to have a heckuva season for us. All of our coaches are really good men, first, and really good football coaches.. It took about five months to find a house for the five Calhouns after he took on the task of replacing Alabamas all-time winningest high-school football coach Buddy Anderson in January. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com)Dennis Victory | preps@al.com. In 1998, Propst coached Alma Bryant High School, the school that resulted from Alba's merger with the high school in Grand Bay, Alabama. 2017 Season Highlights. Spanish Fort needed a new coach after Blackmon left after seven years. Hes a good football player and one of those who makes you better, for sure., Calhoun also singled out his top two defensive ends juniors Andrew Sykes and Lane Whisenhunt. Hes a kid who has played some quarterback, but he hasnt played much varsity. Vestavia Hills Magazineis publishedquarterly by He was named state coach of the year three times and the Vestavia Hills football field is named in his honor. In 2006, he took over a Beauregard program that had won just two games in two years. Sean Calhoun was named the Rebels' new coach Wednesday at the Vestavia Hills Board of Education meeting. Greenville has been an annual threat in 5A but hasnt won a state title since 1994. Were settling in, getting our feet stabilized and the kids are starting to meet new friends.. Propst's Hoover team was one of the top-ranked teams in the United States over much of the first decade of the new millennium, winning Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 6A state championships in five of the first six seasons including four consecutive titles from 2002 to 2005 (missing out on 6 straight after losses in the championship game to Daphne in 2001 and Prattville in 2006). In 2015, Colquitt County completed another 15-0 season with a 30-13 victory over the Roswell Hornets to claim their second consecutive Georgia AAAAAA State Championship. I told them to write down how they want to be as an individual, as a football player and as a team. In a 30-minute address to the board and a large crowd inside the board chambers, Propst tearfully admitted to a relationship outside his marriage and a child as a result of that relationship, but no other wrongdoing. Neal; Josh Harris, Blount; Renardo Jackson, LeFlore; Jerrel Jernigan, Eufaula; Rodney Jordan, Satsuma; Jed Kennedy, Dothan; John McKenzie, Murphy; Gus Smith, Gordo; Mike Vickery, Pelham; Brandon Wilcox, Escambia Academy. Former Alabama wide receiver Nikita Stover replaces veteran Steve Meek at Decatur Heritage. us to complete every school. A whole lot. Calhoun was hired as the new head coach at Colquitt County High School in Georgia. Propst gained national notoriety through the MTV series Two-A-Days, which chronicled the 2005 and 2006 seasons of his Hoover team. fv. Morson hired Brett Mask away from Colbert County to be his offensive coordinator and has one of the states top recruits on his roster in Alabama commit Jahlil Hurley. Select Year: 1970 <-- 2016 <- 2017 -> 2018 --> 2022. When I introduce him people ask, Did you say Mickey Rebel?. I dont know what that plan is either, but I know it is a great one. He was named Region Coach of the Year at the end of the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Coach: Buddy Anderson. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. His Rebel teams won 16 area and region championships, and made 31 state playoff appearances. Any games that the five players played in were forfeited. Calhoun played as a defensive back and quarterback for Valdosta State University from 2000 to 2004 and later joined the teams coaching staff. Grider has had success as a program builder. Calhouns hiring follows the 2020 retirement of Buddy Anderson who had served as Vestavia Hills head football coach since 1978. Coach, Varsity Head Coach - Men's Bowling, Asst. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. He led Fayetteville (Tenn.) High to the 2020 Class 1A state title and compiled a 34-4 record in three seasons there. Before Mondays opening fall practice, the Rebels had already experienced something new. The topic was the focus of considerable discussion on the Paul Finebaum syndicated sports talk radio show, where Hunter Ford, a reporter for The Hoover Gazette newspaper, reported the rumors. His brother, Philip was a star on that team. The Valdosta State Blazers won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2007 while Calhoun served as a running backs coach. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. From what I was told, this was the first time [Vestavia] had been to a 7-on-7 in a tournament format. Mask added to his Hall of Fame resume with a dominant decade at St. Pauls in Mobile. Meek was the teams coach for 11 of the 12 years the school has had a program. Baseball Adam Moseley amoseley@hoover.k12.al.us (256) 348-5442. VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (WBRC) - Vestavia Hills High School head football coach Sean Calhoun has resigned after one season with the Rebels. VHSC Academy Staff U8-U11. Josh Niblett followed with six state titles in 14 years. Rigby comes in after a successful stint at Eufaula and does have talent returning, including sophomore running back Anthony Rogers and senior offensive tackle Vysen Lang. [39][40], Propst has been featured in an instructional video entitled Building A Championship Football Program 12 Months A Year, published in 2007. Stover replaces Steve Meek, who retired after 11 seasons leading the Eagles. RELATED: DuBose confident in Orange Beachs future. If you have a disability or face any barriers accessing website content, please contact (205) 402-5100 or email webmaster@vestavia.k12.al.us. If you are at a place this long, you are doing a lot of things the right way. They havent won a playoff game since playing for the 7A state title in 2015. VESTAVIA, Ala. (WBRC) - Vestavia Hills High School has announced that a former rebel will return as the school's new head football coach. During his 42 seasons with the Rebels, Anderson became the winningest football coach at any level of play in Alabama history and was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame. Smith spent his last several seasons trying to resurrect a struggling Robertsdale program and then starting the Orange Beach team. In four varsity seasons, the Patriots went 42-7 overall, including a 36-2 mark in the last three seasons. Football Staff Vestavia Hills Football Staff Players (99) Staff (2) Robert Evans Head Coach Are you the coach? In fact, he has the most wins of any high school football coach in the entire state of Alabama, and his 342-153 record speaks for itself. Thank you all for all that you do for Vestavia Athletics. Thats one of the biggest things that drew me to the Vestavia Hills football program. Vestavia High School names new head football coach, Two people in custody after police chase, manhunt near Warrior & Hayden, Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee happening this weekend, Nonprofit organization donates cars to residents of Jimmie Hale Mission. Coaching is a commitment to working with kids. He has three state titles on his resume and expects to win at Orange Beach as well. Not that many high school teams in the nation have as many as Thompson. [1] He is also the former head coach at Colquitt County High School in Moultrie, Georgia, Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama, and Valdosta . Hazel Green coach Smitty Grider shares words with the referee as Ft. Payne plays Hazel Green at Hazel Green High School Friday, Oct. 19, 2018 in Hazel Green, Ala.Eric Schultz | AL.com. Kids want to belong to something bigger than their self. In January of 1972, three Vestavia Hills High School coaches decided to head off campus for a quick lunch. Reach her at madoline.markham@homewoodlife.com. He went 7-4 his first season and won 64 games in eight years overall. He takes over a Northridge program that Mike Vickery rebuilt before leaving for Pelham. He is an emotional leader who is great in the locker room. 2022-2023 VHSC Boys Staffing. Box 947 As a truck traveling down Highway 31 lost its brakes and barreled through an intersection, those three lives were cut short in a tragic event that still shakes the entire community when it . Enter Waldrop a consistent winner at Chelsea, James Clemens and Florence still looking for his first championship as a head coach. Coach Anderson was inducted into the 2003 Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame. Ford, was then hired by editor Dale Jones of The Western Star in nearby Bessemer, after his firing from The Hoover Gazette. Congratulations to Robert Evans, who has been named the new Vestavia Hills High School head football coach. David Lundberg will coach the offensive line and serve as running game coordinator. Buddy Anderson enters his 40th season as Head Coach at Vestavia Hills. When the breaks of the game go against us, we dont let up, we go harder., Finally, I asked Coach Anderson what led him to choose 2020 as his last to coach high school ball. Since the early 70s, on Wednesday nights his house has been full of athletes who want to learn more about God. We wanted to see our guys compete and see them make some plays. Calhoun, 39, has served as the head football coach at Carrollton High in Georgia since 2016. Orange Beach head coach Chase Smith in action during a 7-on-7 prep football tournament at University of South Alabama on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell | preps@al.com). [28][29] Despite the forfeits, the Bucs finished the regular season with a 4-5 record and qualified for the AHSAA 6A playoffs. VHHS Athletics. All rights reserved (About Us). Anderson had just seven losing seasons three in the past 10 seasons, although two of last years six setbacks were forfeits due to COVID-19 protocols. Thomas Rush Propst (born December 1957) is a high school football coach who currently serves as athletic director and associate football coach at Coosa Christian School in Gadsden, Alabama. Basketball, Boys' He won 110 games and four state titles with the Saints and has 210 wins in 26 years as a head coach overall. Vestavia Hills High School, home of the Rebels, is a public school located in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. RECRUIT VESTAVIA and 3 others. But youve got to care about the kids. Calhoun went 4 and 6 this past season at Vestavia. (Dennis Victory | preps@al.com). RELATED: Waldrop embracing Bucs tradition, Former Eufaula coach Ed Rigby has been named head football coach at Pike Road. [18][19] In 2013, Colquitt finished 11-3 after losing 14-9 to the eventual state champions, Norcross High School, in the state semifinal game. Calhoun, 39, has served as Carrolltons head football coach since 2016. All rights reserved. I told him as long as he is comfortable with it I definitely need to use him as a resource. Returning coaches are Jake James, Greg Smith, Brent Welborn all Vestavia alums and Sammy Queen, who had head coaching experience at Pelham. Vestavia Hills, AL 35216. When you get knocked down, you get back up. Coach, Head Coach - 8th Women's Basketball, Head Coach - Football, Wrestling, Outdoor Track, Asst. The DVD outlines the steps to build a successful gridiron program, including the preparation and responsibilities of a coaching staff including the importance of building a booster club.[41]. Its a game that teaches you lessons you cant learn in a book. I dont think its any kind of secret that people talk about Vestavia not being very athletic, he said. #1REBEL. If you cant do the right thing in the classroom, theres no way in the world I can count on you on the field. I want leaders to have character, not be a character. In his column in the edition of July 4, 2007 of The Western Star, Ford reported that a number of sources, none of which would allow their name to be used, said that Propst's alleged affair also included a child born out of wedlock. Today eight coaches at VHHS are Andersons former players too. I have failed you as a community. Through the years Linda has been a school teacher, a stay-at-home mother, a private tutor and worked for Alabama Public Television as well as in the ministry field. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. During the 2019 football season, Propst co-hosted Tennessee Two-A-Days, a radio show on Fox Sports Knoxville. Michael Seale , Patch Staff Posted Thu, Jan 14, 2021 at 9:13 am CT Every team has two things: good coaches and good players. Pike Road went 14-0 and averaged 46 points a game a year ago, but coach Patrick Browning left for Greenville and star players Iverson Hooks, Quinshon Judkins and Khurtiss Perry will be playing on Saturdays this fall. He graduated from Jacksonville State in 1981 with a degree in Physical Education. Life is like football, he told me. Calhoun previously served as offensive coordinator for two seasons at Colquitt County High School in south Georgia. He was also the founder of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at Vestavia Hills High School. Sadly, it would be their last. Columbiana, AL 35051, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, 7 November Events Not to Miss in Vestavia Hills, Meet New Vestavia Hills High School Football Coach Sean Calhoun, Five March Events Not to Miss in Vestavia Hills, Five February Events Not to Miss in Vestavia Hills, Five January Events Not to Miss in Vestavia Hills. Vestavia Hills High School has hired a new football coach to replace legend Buddy Anderson. Photo provided to Vestavia City Schools by Robert Evans. You cant always get that in practice., RELATED: American Christians Chris Smelley steps down.