Rushing named Shoals Christian head football coach, AD

FLORENCE - Kelly Rushing knows what it takes to run a successful sports program. He will take over as head football coach and athletic director at Shoals Christian School on March 1.
Rushing, who currently is assistant principal, assistant football coach and head softball coach at Winston County High School, in Double Springs,  is retiring from the public education system with 27 1/2 years service. He will be under contract with the private school as of March 1.

A 1983 Haleyville High School graduate, he has coached football, basketball, baseball, track and has claim to two state championship  4A softball titles and almost a three-peat as head coach at Haleyville High School. He served as Haleyville Parks and Recreation Director from 1990 to 1994, before entering the education field.
He began his career at Haleyville High School. After two years, he went to Speake as the head football and baseball coach, where he served two years.
Rushing   then coached at Winfield for a year and  hired on at Cherokee High School for three years. He then came back to Haleyville, successfully coaching a multitude of boys and girls sports programs.
Rushing began employment at Winston County High School in 2014, where he will close this chapter in his life.
Rushing said he met with the parents, booster club members and students who were sixth grade and older recently at Shoals Christian. “They have been through three football coaches in three years. I want to be the person who comes in and brings stability for them,” said Rushing. “I want to be the person who is going to stay and be there to build a program. That is my plan.
“I want to start with the young group and work them up the way I have done at places I have been in the past.
“There has been a problem getting enough kids to play at the 1A school. My job is to get every kid in that school who can play football out there. We need to build depth and team unity.
“I want them to be able to say, ‘He is with us. He believes in us and he will stay the course.’ I know that stability will not happen overnight. It is a building process.  
“I hear kids saying all the time they want to specialize. If you have a good athlete, they need to be playing different sports. I am a big Alabama fan and I use Nick Saban’s philosophy. He says when he recruits, he is not looking for someone who specializes. He wants someone who has played several sports, evaluating how they react to different situations, different teams, their character, etc.
“I want to thank Mr. (Jeff) Cole and Mr. (Greg) Pendley for bringing me into the Winston County School system. They gave me a chance to be an administrator and I appreciate that.
“I want to thank the Haleyville City School system for my time there. There are so many administrators, coaches, parents and especially the players who have been part of my life in coaching and teaching.
“I have had a lot of former co-workers and students send me congratulations. Those relationships mean a lot to me.
“I have worked with many good people throughout the years and this is one of the last phases of my work career.
“I am looking forward to going to Shoals and developing the football program, working with those at the school, the parents and especially the kids.”

Rushing said his wife, Michelle, will continue to work in the Haleyville City School system, where she is a science teacher at the middle school. Their son Brock is in the fifth grade at Haleyville Elementary School. Their other son, Dakota, has graduated from West Alabama.