An attempt to oust Rush Propst from what he described as his final coaching job failed on Wednesday.
A special meeting of the Pell City (Alabama) School Board was called Wednesday morning with an agenda item to "non-renew" Propst and his wife, but the push failed after no motion was called for a vote.
A rally to keep Propst was held Tuesday night, and the meeting room was filled with Propst supporters on Wednesday morning.
"There's monumental growth that is bound to happen from this," Pell City junior Jachian Dunnaville told WVTM-TV. "I just thank God and I thank my teammates and I thank everyone that supported us."
WVTM reported the room filled with applause when a board member called for the renewal of Propst's contract and the firing of Pell City Schools Superintendent Dr. James Martin, who called for the meeting. No reasons for dismissing Propst were offered, and Martin did not return messages seeking comment to AL.com. Ultimately, only two people of the 5-member board spoke up, both in favor of Propst.
“I think there is a lot of support for our football program and what we are trying to get done,” Propst told AL.com. “There is always going to be back biting. You are going to have to fight through things, but the good thing is better days are ahead. I want to thank the Board for continuing to give me this opportunity. I’m excited to be the coach here. We have a lot of work to do. It won’t turn around quickly. It will take some time. This thing was dead on arrival when I got here, and I’m excited to move in a positive direction.”
Propst rose to prominence at Hoover High School, where he led the Buccaneers to five state championships (four consecutive) and generated enough interest for MTV to produce a docuseries "Two a Days" about Hoover in 2006.
He resigned amid controversy in 2007, and controversy has been at his side ever since. Propst won back-to-back state championships at Colquitt County (Ga.) in 2014-15, but was suspended in 2016 for head-butting a player (the suspension was later reduced to a reprimand.) He was later fired in 2019 for "violating several code of ethics standards," per CBS42. Propst's tenure at Valdosta (Ga.) lasted one season after he was fired for allegedly soliciting money to recruit players and their families.
Propst returned to coaching at Coosa Christian in 2022 as associate head coach, then landed the Pell City job last March.
Pell City went 1-9 in 2023, forfeiting a win due to an eligibility issue. Propst, 66, previously stated Pell City would be his final coaching job.
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