Central High School announced Doug Greene as its new head football coach Monday, April 15.
"It's exciting. I was here a little over 20 years ago, so there's still some people here I know and I have a lot of former players here," Greene said. "It's been nice to be back amongst a lot of good people and a place where I have a lot of good memories."
Greene was previously an assistant football coach and head baseball coach at Coffee County for six years during the 1990s. He replaces Ryan Sulkowski, who resigned from the role Tuesday, March 19.
“We are excited for Coach Greene’s return to CHS. He brings experience and an attention to detail to our program. In his previous stint at CHS, Coach Greene was instrumental in building our baseball program and we feel he can use that experience with football," CHS Athletic Director Rebecca Koger said in a statement. "We feel he is a good fit for our community and we look forward to Friday nights at Carden-Jarrell under Coach Greene’s leadership.”
Greene was most recently the offensive coordinator at Ooltewah High School in Ooltewah, Tenn, near Chattanooga, where he had also worked as defensive coordinator. His additional experience includes head coach at Rhea County High School and two stints on college staffs.
“We are pleased to welcome Coach Doug Greene back to the Coffee County community. Over Coach Greene’s coaching career, he has had success in developing student athletes at virtually every position group," CHS Principal Paul Parsley said in a statement. "Coach Greene has a reputation for attention to the fine details of teaching the game, a quality that will serve us well. We can’t wait for him to get started.”
Greene announced he intends to begin spring practice the first week of May, culminating in a "Red and Black Game." The date for the spring game has not been announced.
Greene got a chance to meet with players Monday when the announcement was made. He describes his practice exercises as up-tempo and is looking forward to helping the team grow.
"I think it's a good opportunity to build. It's a job where you're gonna have to build it up," Greene said. "We're gonna focus hard on the weight room and we're gonna focus hard on teaching them the fundamentals."
The CCMS Lady Raiders celebrated Eighth Grade Night on Monday with their eighth straight win in a 13-0 victory over Harris for a season sweep of the Eaglettes.
On Monday night, the CCCHS Red Raiders scored in the final five minutes to lift them over the Lincoln County Falcons 1-0, but the win was overshadowed by a scuffle between players in the final seconds of the game.