This is an opinion article.
Alabama High School Athletic Association Executive Director Alvin Briggs announced last week that he will step down from his position effective September 2.
Mr. Briggs is the fifth full-time executive director and first minority director in AHSAA history.
Last week, I received a lot of questions about who will be next. With issues like NIL on the horizon, it's certainly an important hire.
To be honest, I have no idea who will be next. Remember, I'm the same guy who listed 20 candidates to be Hoover's next head football coach back in December.
Are you one of the few guys not on my list?
New Hoover football coach Drew Gilmer takes over after leading Clay Chalkville to two 6A state championships in three years. Great choice for the Bucks. Too bad I didn't include him on the list.
So I thought I would attack this position a little differently and list 10 quick hires to be the new Managing Director.
Yes, the only thing I know is that none of these 10 will be the new boss. At least, I think I know that.
But let's have some fun.
charles barley
Former Leeds, Auburn and NBA basketball star
Round Mound of Rebound knows his home state well, returns often, and isn't afraid to voice his opinion. His press conferences will become legendary.
Gene Chizik
National Champion Auburn Football Coach
Chizik recruited Alabama well during his time at Auburn and knows the AHSAA rules. He also had a son who played multiple sports at the Class 7A level at Auburn High School, so he would be familiar with some of the issues facing the state.
Cliff Ellis
legendary college basketball coach
Ellis coached at both Auburn and South Alabama, finishing his career with 833 wins. He retired earlier this year during his last season at Coastal Carolina, citing frustration with the new world of college athletics due to the NIL and transfer portal. Ellis could help prevent NIL at the high school level.
randy kennedy
Former Chelsea High School letterman now mobile radio talk show host
Over the past 30 years, no media member has watched more high school football games than Mr. Kennedy. Although he knows the state and the rules well, his potential candidacy has already been met with opposition.
“Mr. Kennedy won't last five minutes in that chair,” said Terry Curtis, UMS Wright football coach and incoming Central Board president.
Kennedy told AL.com in an exclusive interview that he has not yet been contacted about the position.
Condoleezza Rice
former US Secretary of State
The Birmingham native is currently the director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. I also didn't consider her a candidate for her job. She grew up the daughter of a high school football coach and rose to the highest levels of power in our country. Rice also served on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee from 2013 to 2017. She is clearly well versed in athletics.
nick saban
Retired National Champion Football Coach
I mean, come on. You knew he was going to be on the list, right? Coaches need something to occupy their time when they're not watching ESPN. He has been mentioned as the right person to solve the NIL and transfer portal issues in college football. Would you like to start from this state? He already knows all the high school coaches. It's natural! Salary can be a bottleneck.
jeff sessions
Former U.S. Senator, former U.S. Attorney General, former Alabama Attorney General
Who is more qualified? Sessions was born in Selma, attended Wilcox County High School in Camden and Huntingdon College, and earned a law degree from the University of Alabama. He served as attorney general in the Trump administration, so he is used to facing the kind of criticism that every AHSAA executive director faces at some point.
richard shelby
former US senator
Mr. Shelby, a Birmingham native, served in the U.S. Senate from 1987 to 2023. He has served as chairman of several committees, including the Senate Appropriations Committee, Intelligence Committee, Banking Committee, and Rules Committee. He is the longest-serving U.S. senator from Alabama. He graduated from Hueytown High School and earned his bachelor's and law degrees from Alabama. His age may be a factor. He is 89 years old.
Tommy Tuberville
Former Auburn football coach, current U.S. senator
As evidenced by his nickname “Riverboat Gambler,” Tuberville was not afraid to take chances as a college football coach. He's also clearly not afraid to take a stand as a U.S. senator. He has successfully recruited state residents during his successful tenure as the Tigers' coach, but in the pine box he has yet to announce that he has to leave the Senate.
rolltide willy
Alabama's unofficial mascot
Roll Tide Willie may have helped seal the deal with two-time Mr. Football Ryan Williams, whose trademark slogan was carefully crafted to suit the AHSAA rather than the University of Alabama. It is possible that
“Blitz, ahasa, blitz!”
father vs son
Citronelle basketball coach Marcus Castor coached his son, Jackson star Micah Castor, twice this season. what happened to him?
“As a father, I think I know how to stop my son,” the coach said this week. “Long story short, at halftime Mika had 20 points and we were down by 19. The next thing I said I was going to do was deny him the ball completely. I mean, we held him to 13 points and they still won the game. Of course, they only lost two games all year.
Micah Caster and the 30-2 Aggies defeated Father and Citronelle 76-37 on Dec. 11 and won the Class 4A state title Jan. 15, 75-53.
“That was probably one of the funniest things that ever happened,” Mika said. “If it wasn't for coach (Anthony Hayes), I probably would have hit 40 points in the first game. In the second game, he had a better game plan and denied me the whole game. It worked out to some degree, but we still won.”
What was the journey home after the game like for the Casters?
“It was like I was telling him the good and bad things about the team and he was doing the same for me,” Mika said.
So as you ask him why did he take certain defenses against you?
“That’s exactly right,” Micah said.
prayer
mike argoretired HS football coach: continues to recover from double lung transplant.
William Boothlongtime Hartselle baseball coach: Booth will miss Hartselle's bid for another state title due to illness.
Thoughts for a week
“Our interactions with others matter. Our actions, words, and even attitudes almost always either support or contradict our testimony. The world is watching. .”
Ben Thomas is a high school sports writer for AL.com. He has been named one of the Alabama Sports Writers Association's 50 Legends. Follow @BenThomasPreps on Twitter or email bthomas@al.com. He can be heard weekly on Mobile on his SportsTalk 99.5 FM “Inside High School Sports” or on his free IHeart Radio app Wednesdays at 2 p.m.
