Columbia (Huntsville, Ala.) football coach Sammie Coates knows how a new season can spark a change in fortune. Even for a program that has lost a national record 91 straight games.
Before playing in the NFL, Coates spent three seasons at Auburn. In 2013, the Tigers were 3-9 before flipping the script and reaching the 2014 BCS National Championship game.
That lesson is appropriate, he told
AL.com, for the program he took over in the spring. The Eagles start the 2025 season on Friday at
Priceville looking for their first win since 2015.
How to watchDate/location: Friday, Aug. 22 | Priceville High School
Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT
Streaming: NFHS NetworkTickets: GoFan
Columbia will take the field Friday behind first-year head coach Sammie Coates looking to win for the first time since 2015. (FILE PHOTO: Joe Boyd)
Coates told AL.com in July the work was just starting, but that he was excited for the challenge.
"The
kids are buying in," Coates said. "I have a great group so far. I look
forward to the process of building a new program. I know it’s going to
take a lot of work, but we don’t have a problem with that. It’s a
blessing to come somewhere where my expectations are high.
"I
like to have high expectations, and I like to have a challenge. I like
to challenge myself to see what I can really do. I think this is a
position that will be challenging, but I feel good about it."
A film crew will follow the program all season for a five-part YouTube series sponsored by Gatorade.
"They heard about the streak, they heard about him coming in and trying to change the narrative and change the trajectory of the program, and it sounded like something they wanted to get involved in," Huntsville City Schools athletics coordinator Mac Howard told AL.com. "We looked at it and it seemed like a good idea.
"Anything that could bring a positive light to that school and the program."
Columbia ended the 2024 season with a 21-14 loss to
Hazel Green in one of the closest games during the 10-year streak. The last win was over
Ardmore on Oct. 16, 2015.
Coates was a three-sport standout at
Leroy, playing football, basketball and baseball. He was at Auburn for three seasons and played in the 2014 national championship, a loss to Florida State. He was also on the Tiger team that beat Alabama with the infamous "Kick Six" in the Iron Bowl.
Drafted 87th overall in 2015 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he played for four NFL teams over five seasons before moving on to the CFL for four more years. He had two catches in Pittsburgh's 36-17 loss in the 2016 AFC Championship game to eventual Super Bowl champion New England.
The chance of snapping the streak might be best for Columbia in the first two weeks of the season against either Priceville or Aug. 29 at home against
Huffman (Birmingham), teams that were a combined 3-17 last year. However, those two outscored Columbia 120-20 last year.91 — Columbia (Huntsville, Ala.), 2015-present
82 — Glascock County (Gibson, Ga.), 1990-99
80 — Davis (Houston, Texas), 1985-93
79 — Sturgis (S.D.), 1997-2006
77 — Diamond Hill (Texas), 2010-17
72 — Iberia (Mo.), 1965-74
70 — Glenville (Minn.), 1978-86
69 — Red Boiling Springs (Tenn.), 1986-93
69 — Edinburg (Ind.), 2002-09
68 — R.C. Hatch (Uniontown, Ala.), 1997-2005
66 — Barbour County (Clayton, Ala.), 2013-21
64 — Savanna/West Carroll, 1996-2003
64 — Fort Wayne Elmhurst (Fort Wayne, Ind.), 1996-2002
