Dodd Hawthorne is no stranger to coaching in Alabama. Mr. Hawthorne, as he is called today is very well respected and hardworking educator. The Superintendent of Crenshaw County Schools, he started out as a classroom teacher and coach and worked his way up the ranks. A native of Kinston, Alabama, where he was a three sport high school stand-out during his time there. Mr. Hawthorne's wife(Cindy) is the Head Softball Coach at Brantley High school where she has won numerous state titles.

David Lowery became a Legend coaching football in a small rural football town of Brantley, Alabama. Lowery graduated from near-by Georgiana High School in 1983. He played football at Troy University, earning a bachelor’s degree in math and social studies in 1988. He also earned a master’s degree in education administration from Auburn University in Montgomery in 1998.

        He began his teaching and coaching career at Evergreen High School in 1988, serving as assistant football, head baseball and junior varsity basketball coach. The following year, he went to Elba High School where he spent 10 years as assistant football coach, defensive coordinator and head baseball coach. He was also head football coach for two years, compiling a 12-10 record.

        He moved to Brantley High School in 1999 as athletic director and head football coach. Over 14 years he compiled a record of 156-27 overall, 88-3 in the region. His 2009 and 2012 teams were Class 1A State Champions. He had runner-up teams in 1999 and 2005. Every one of his teams made the state playoffs.  His overall career record was 168-37. Every team he coached reached the state playoffs and only two failed to win the region championship.

        Lowery was named Class 1A Coach of the Year in 1999 by the Alabama Sportswriters Association. In 2012 he was the Alabama Fellowship of Christian Athletes Coach of the Year. He was named an assistant coach for the 2000 North-South All-Star Football Game and for the 2010 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.

        In 2013 he retired from coaching, accepting a central office position as Director of Operations. On Sept. 6 of that year, the Brantley stadium was renamed David Lowery Stadium. Coach Lowery was inducted into the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. Coach Lowery was inducted into the AHSAA Hall of Fame in 2019. Coach Lowery is one of the nicest people that you will ever meet. Soft spoken and well respected in the coaching community.

Coaching Legacies host, Stan Gooden, sits down with Alabama State Senator, Donnie Chesteen. Interview was done on 6/17/19 at the Geneva Panther Field-house. They discuss Coach Chesteen's early years, leaving coaching, and desire to give coaching another shot. You will surely enjoy this episode as we look at Donnie Chesteen.

Donnie Chesteen is a native of Hartford and a graduate of Geneva County High School. During his high school days, Chesteen lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track. He was a standout on the football field, playing quarterback for the Bulldogs for three seasons. In 1988, he was selected to the All-Time Geneva County High Football Team. 

Following high school, he graduated from Troy State in 1975. He started his coaching career as assistant at Geneva High School. After one season, he was tabbed as the Geneva County High School head man at the young age of 24. Coach Chesteen had some early success and left to take the Head Coaching job at Geneva High school in 1981. 1981 to 1987 were some great years for the Panthers. Numerous play-off appearances and great players was a staple for Chesteen during those years. The 1986 team went 11-2. Coach Chesteen left coaching after the 1987 season and returned in 2010 to take over a struggling Samson Tiger program. Coach Chesteen returned to his old stomping grounds of Geneva in 2012 and retired in 2014. He retired from coaching with a 100-73 mark. Coach Chesteen joined his Dad, J.D. Chesteen, in the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. 

Coach Chesteen is now a Senator for the state of Alabama, in the 29th District, where he continues to coach in the political arena.

Stan Gooden sits down with a Living Legend. Podcast was recorded at the Will Coleman Center, where Coach spends most of his days still guiding young people. Podcast recoded 6/11/19. Coach Robertson talks about his early years and how he got his start. Richard Robertson, a native son of Andalusia and a fixture in the city of Andalusia as a coach, teacher, mentor, and father figure has touched the lives of thousands. Coach Robertson worked at Andalusia High School for45 years. He had coached and taught at Andalusia-based Woodson School for five years prior to becoming a part of Andalusia High School in 1970. Robertson primarily served as athletic director and head basketball coach at Andalusia, but he was also a former football, track and baseball coach with the Bulldogs. He was also a driver’s education teacher. All the while he was a longtime fixture with the Andalusia Department of Leisure Services as the Director at the Will Coleman Center. A native of Andalusia who graduated from Ralph Bunche High School in 1961, Robertson has already been inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame (1996) and the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame (2005). Inducted into the Andalusia Sports Hall of Fame(2015).

He guided the Bulldogs to more than 750 basketball wins in 40 seasons. He directed Andalusia to the Class 5A state championship in 1996 and to a Class 4A state runner-up finish in 1989. Ten of his teams reached the state tournament, the last coming in 2009 when AHS lost to eventual champion Anniston in the state semifinals.

Among the standouts he coached in basketball was Robert Horry, who had a 16-year NBA career that was highlighted by seven NBA championship rings from three different teams. Other top players included Nico Johnson, a three-time all-state player in basketball who starred with the University of Alabama football team, and all-state players Albert Weeden, Joey Ball, Tomeko Mathews, Dewitt Mathews, Andre Townsend, Derek Saley and Andre Leslie.

“I love the city of Andalusia,” Robertson said. “It’s always been my home and it always will be. I’ve had opportunities to go to other places, but this is where I belong. Honestly, if I would have gone anywhere else to teach, I probably wouldn’t have been in education for as long as I was.

Greg Ennis- Coach Ennis sat down with Stan Gooden at his home on 6/11/19. They talked football and life. A native of Andalusia. Coach Ennis brings a different perspective to coaching. Although, being a Head Coach at a couple of different schools, he shined as one of the best defensive assistants in the state of Alabama. Coach Ennis coached in 9 semi-final football playoff games, 6 State football finals, and won 3 state championships in football at T. R. Miller High School. Coach Ennis believes in developing the player and always saw how one could contribute to the team. Coach Ennis has worked with some of the biggest names in Alabama High School football.(Jamie Riggs, Shane Wasden, Bill Clark, & Trent Taylor). During his career, Coach Ennis has coached just about every sport except rodeo and swimming, but could do it and do it well if he needed to.

A Power Prep Sports Network presentation. Tom Causey- Head Football Coach at Pelham High School. A look at his life, career, and how he sets his program apart from others in the state of Alabama. Stan Gooden sat down with Coach Tom Causey. Show was recorded at Pelham Field House on 5/29/19.

 

Coach Tom Causey is in his fifth year as Head Football Coach at Pelham High School. Coach Causey attended Livingston University where he was a 3 year starter and 4 year letterman as a tight end from 1988-1991. After his playing career was done, he served as a Graduate Assistant coach in ’92-’93, coaching the defensive line. In 1994, he was hired as a full time coach, coaching the offensive line, until he left in 1999. During his tenure, he served as recruiting coordinator, academic coordinator, run game coordinator and assistant strength coach. In 1999, Coach Causey became the offensive coordinator at Daleville H.S. in Daleville, AL. After one season as a high school assistant, he took over at Dallas County H.S. as the Head Football Coach, taking over a program that had only won 10 games in the 3 previous years. In his 3 years there, they won 22 games making the playoffs all 3 years. In 2003, Coach Causey was hired as head coach at Andalusia H.S. Taking over a program that hadn’t been past the 2nd round since 1977. In his 4 year tenure, the Bulldogs won 24 games and made it to the semi-finals in his last season, in 2006. Coach Causey was selected as the 2006 ALFCA 4A coach of the year. In 2007, Coach Causey took over as Head Football Coach at Demopolis H.S. During his 8 years as the Head Coach at Demopolis, they were able to win 67 games. During that time, Demopolis won the 2009 5A State Championship. Coach Causey was also named the 2009 5A coach of the year by the ALFCA. During his tenure at Demopolis, he was chosen to be the offensive line coach in the 2009 North/South All-Star football game and the offensive coordinator for that same all-star game in 2014. He was also selected as the defensive coordinator in the 2010 Alabama/ Mississippi All-Star football game. Overall career record is 128-90.

He is married to the former Tammy Hafner of Minot, N.D. and they have two children Anna, 18 and Kelsey, 16.