Rush Propst, the well-traveled and often controversial high school football coach, resigned from his post at
Pell City (Ala.).
He posted his resignation letter on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday afternoon.
"I will no longer be the Head Football Coach at Pell City High School effective today. To be absolutely clear, this decision was mine and mine alone. I believe that this is the best path for our team, my family, and the entire Pell City School System," Propst wrote.
He continued saying "There is no doubt that this has been a difficult year. We have fought through difficult situations, and I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish in a short period of time. … I believe Pell City's brightest days are ahead of it, but I have concluded that I am not the right person to lead this program at this time."
Last month, Propst was the subject of a Pell City Board of Education meeting that centered on the "non-renewal" of his contract. According to media reports, hundreds packed the meeting to protest the move. No motion to remove Propst was brought forward and the issue died.
Rush Propst resigned Friday as the head football coach at Pell City after one season. The often controversial coach was the subject of a potential non-renewal board vote last month that never materialized. (Photo: Gary McCullough)
Propst, often a lightning rod, coached at Pell City for one season going 1-10. Previously, the 66-year-old coach was hired as an assistant coach and athletic director at
Coosa Christian (Gadsden, Ala.) in January 2023, but left the job 10 weeks later for Pell City.
Prior to that, Propst had been out of football and battled a near-deadly bout of COVID after being fired from
Valdosta (Ga.) in 2021 amid allegations of illegally recruiting five players, including Californian Jake Garcia. The coach was the subject of a lengthy deposition that alleged he was involved in recruiting, mishandling funds and even interfering in the hiring process that brought him to the program to begin with.
His lone season at Valdosta was chronicled in the Netflix series "Title Town." It wasn't the first time Propst was featured on television or embroiled in controversy. He garnered national attention while at
Hoover (Ala.), which was featured on MTV's popular "Two-A-Days" reality show. He resigned there in 2007 and was dismissed at
Colquitt County (Norman Park, Ga.) in 2019 after being charged with lack of compliance, improper conduct with students, dishonesty and misuse of public funds and property.
He leaves Pell City with 296 career wins. He reached 300 career wins at Valdosta but was forced to forfeit seven of those victories.
