Propst named head coach at Pell City, Ala.

Published 9:12 pm Friday, March 31, 2023

MOULTRIE, Ga. — For the second time in three months, Rush Propst has taken a football coaching position in Alabama.

The former Colquitt County and Valdosta head coach, who was named the associate head coach and athletic director at Coosa Christian in Gadsden, Ala., in January, was introduced on Friday as the new leader of the Pell City High School program.

Pell City, which was 1-9 last season in Alabama’s Class 6A and has not won a playoff game since 2012, is getting a coach who has won 295 games and seven state championships in his career.

Propst started his head coaching career in Alabama and went 110-16 during nine seasons at Hoover High, winning five state titles while leading the Bucs.

He resigned after the 2007 season following allegations of improprieties and was named the head coach at Colquitt County early in 2008.

In 11 seasons with the Packers, he posted a 119-35 record. His 2014 and 2015 teams went a combined 30-0 winning back-to-back state championships. His 2015 team won a national championship.

His 2010, 2017 and 2018 teams were the state runners-up.

But three months after the 2018 season, he was fired from the Colquitt County job after an investigation revealed violations of the Georgia Code of Ethics for Educators.

He did not coach in 2019, but was hired at Valdosta and led the Wildcats in the 2020 season.

But he was dismissed after the one season at Valdosta after a Georgia High School Association investigation revealed recruiting violations.

Valdosta was forced to forfeit its seven victories and finished 0-12.

Propst has not coached the last two seasons.

Pell City has gone 11-37 the last five seasons. The last time the program won as many as 10 games was 2005.

Steve Mask, who coached the Panthers last year, left to coach at Theodore High in Alabama.

Propst also has coached at Alma Bryant, Alba, Eufaula and Nashville high schools in Alabama.