Ex-Hoover High football coach sets eyes on Choctaw
Rush Propst, the famed football coach who guided Hoover (Ala.) High School to unrivaled national prominence before leaving the school amid a firestorm of controversy, is the biggest name among more than 50 applicants for Choctawhatchee High School’s head football coach and athletic director position.
The job came open Dec. 5 when Bobby Moore stepped down after nine years with a 41-48 record. The deadline to apply was Thursday, and now Choctawhatchee Principal Cindy Massarelli and her eight-member committee will review the 55 candidates.
Propst led Hoover to five Alabama Class 6A titles and a top national ranking for numerous years.
The team gained national attention while being featured on the MTV reality show “Two-A-Days” for two years.
But Propst ran into controversy this season and resigned as head coach earlier this year amid numerous allegations of misconduct in the program and questions about his personal life. A Hoover City Board of Education investigation reportedly found evidence of many problems with the Bucs’ football team, including grade-changing and preferential treatment for some players.
It also questioned Propst’s finances and cited an affair he had and that he supported a second family in another town.
Propst reportedly denied that he was directly responsible for any of the misdeeds at the school, but accepted full responsibility as head coach. He admitted to having an affair, but denied that he had been involved with any school administrator, as some reports mentioned.
Propst could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Along with Propst, another big name that applied for the Choctaw job is Greenville (N.C.) Rose coach Greg Thomas. Thomas has been one of the top coaches in the Tar Heel state for years, leading Rose to the Class 4A state title for four straight years (2003-06).
Coaches from as far away as Washington have applied. Twenty-four are current head coaches.
Fort Walton Beach coach Mike Owens figured there would be some big-name applicants.
“It doesn’t really surprise me,” he said of Propst’s interest.
Moore, whose salary is about $85,000, will work for the Okaloosa County School District until the end of the school year.
The new coach’s salary will be based on where and how long he has worked, said Massarelli.
She and the committee will whittle down the choices to a more manageable number before interviews begin.
“I am very happy with the number of applicants,” she said. “I think it speaks for the high school and this county that so many experienced people are interested.”
The committee’s first meeting will be Jan. 7, when the group will produce a list of 10 to 15 candidates based on resumes. From there, Massarelli and the committee will conduct interviews with those who made the cut.
Massarelli has set the ambitious goal of Jan. 14 for making a recommendation to the Okaloosa County School Board, but said she does not want to rush things.
“I am not going to push it,” she said. “We certainly want to get the best person and the right person. I know the program needs a coach and we need an AD on campus.”
The applicants include two Choctaw coaches and two former Choctaw players. Offensive coordinator Keith Hendrix and JV coach Mike Utter have applied for the job along with former players Franklin Beasley and Gary Pegues. Beasley is the head coach and AD at Dunnellon High School, while Pegues is an assistant coach at Auburn (Ala.) High School.
Ex-Choctaw coach Ryan George, now a defensive coordinator in Hutto (Texas), has also applied.
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| Propst should be hired outside of an affiar years ago he did nothing. The affiar is over. The media and the school board which is controlled by the rival school is what got this blown out of bounds. |
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| Hoover fan - Dec 26, 2007 05:20:08 PM | Remove Comment |