1995

. __I East Central turns to Coats to revive football program

By MARTY STAMPER Democrat sports editor

The 1989 team finished 11-3, losing 24-21 to West Point in the Class 5A state champions hip game. His 1987 ballclub was 10·1 after going un– defeated during the regular season. During his four seasons at Pearl 8-31-1 over that period. " It was a real tough decision to make," Coats said in a Jan. 10 media release from Pearl River. " I made the decision on my own. No one ask– ed me to leave, but I fell that the move would be a good move for my family. I Jived in Decatur for nine years and I love the town and I love the school." His 1992 Pearl River squad was 10.0 during the regular season Cfor only the second time in school history) and was ranked fourth na– tionally before losing 34-14 to Itawamba in the state semifinals During his four years at Poplar– ville, the Wildcats were 4-0 agains t EC, winning the last three by mar– gins of 40-0, 35-7, and 42-0. Coats said he wasn't overly con– cerned about the difference in the two teams in 1994 and how it would relate to the 1995 season. "Junior college is different from most other football because it's such a big turnover every year. The big challenge is just to keep as many of the freshmen eligible to be sophomores. So many times you lose so many between their freshman and sophomore year. You have to emphasize their academics and their school work and staying eligi ble and getting a degree. Thai's one of the big challenges in coaching" It has been at E C. There were 39 freshmen on the 1991 roster, but the 1992lcam had on ly 12 sophomores. The 1992 team had 42 freshmen unde r then new coach Heese Bridgman. The '93 roster indicated

Ln the Jan. 10 EC board meeting, board member Vernon Crotwell of Morton asked the possibilities of EC adding a third fuJI-time assistant. "There's about 60 boys out there and there's no way they can get what they need from three coaches," Crotwell said. Smith said a third assistant was a possibility, "as soon as we get our budget up to wherewe want it to be." During his career, Coats has also coached boys and girls bas ketball, baseball, and track. " He's a good man," Pearl River m'ens basketball coach Richard Mathis said during the Christmas break. "He's a football coach, but he won't do anything to hurt your pro– gram and he'll do what he can to help you. I hate to see him go." Coats played at USM in 1957 and 1958. The Golden Eagles were 17-3 those two years and were named UPI College Division National Champions with a 9-0 mark in '58. Coats' biggest game that year was a 143-yard rushing effort in a 41-0 rout of Virginia Tech. During those years, Coats was a teammate of former EC assistant and current Gulf Coast head coach J.C. Arban. Coats is a graduate of Stonewall High School and played quarterback on a squad that lost just one game in three years. He was named High School Honorable Mention All– American. He also played one year of minor league baseball with the Chicago Cubs farm team at Morristown, Tenn. He later played two years of minor league football with the Mobile Buccaneers of the Southern Professional Football League. His coaching career began as an assistant at Clara High School in 1960. He also coached at Seminary and Lumberton. East Central opens its 1995 foot– ball season at Holmes.

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('cllds, like Bridgman in '94, said he ~ •II have the benefit of the 10 ad– dtllnual players from Tusca loosa County

East Central Community College turned to a proven winner when WiUie Coats was unanimously nam– ed its 17th head football coach in the Jan. 10 Board of Trustees meeting in Decatur. " He's a winner," EC president Dr. Eddie M. Smith told the board members. " Coach Coats is highly experienced in building and main– taining successful programs at the high school, community college, and university levels." Coats comes to EC from Pearl River Community College where his four teams posted a 28-13 mark. A familiar face in Decatur, Coats was an assistant coach at EC under Ken Pouncey from 197()-76 with the Warriors winning 35 games, losing 33, and tying three. He also coached at Decatur High School in 1977 and 1978 with the '78 team going 11-0 and beating Nox– apater 28-12 in the East Central Mississippi Bowl. "We are familiar with East Cen– tral and it's really good to be back," Coats, 58, said Thursday afternoon on the EC campus. " I like East Cen– tral. I've got a lot of friends here and a lot of family here. I'm just really excited about coming back. "\\'e're going to work as hard as we can to be as successful as we can and try to develop a real competitive program." After leaving Decatur High School, he went to Quitman where his 1979 team posted a 7-4 mark. On– ly two of the following 15 Panthe r teams have won as many as seven games in a season. After a three-year stint (1981·83) as assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Delta State, Coats became head coach at Hattiesburg High School. In his seven seasons (1984-90) , the Tigers were 48-26-1.

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Rive~, Coats had thr~ 6-:t records to ~'Jift~ go wtth a 10· 1 showmg m 1992. · fit: t~ East Central, meanwhile, was ··

lit· also knows the EC district and sevt•ra I of his former players a re no~ ht•ad coaches at high schools in the clt!'>lrict. Among them are Jack Fn•ttdt at Forest and Pete Lucovich at ('ur thage. J ' "· oldest son, Timmy, is current– ..tll~n·,. Iy an assistant football and baseball ~ comh ut Newton.

lnlhe previous three seasons, 54, 53, ;tttd 53 players were on EC's rosin mdjcating there were spots for ttwre district players on the tea111, lhere just weren't enough in– ter(" h'

just 16 sophomores. The 1993 ballclub had 36 fresh– men, but only 17 sophomores were a round in 1994. That's 45 players who returned for a second year out of a total of 117 (38.5 percent) in a three-year span. " If you can go out there and start 20 sophomores of your 22, you've got a lot better chance," Coats said. During his seven seasons as an assistant coach at EC, the 1970, 1971, and 1975 squads each won seven games. Since his departure follow– ing the 1976season, only once <1987) in 18 years has EC won seven times in a season. Five of the last seven Warrior ballclubs have finished with two wins or less. The 1994 EC team s tarted 0-8 before closing with wins at Southwest and East M!.,s isstppt "At the first of the yc•ar llwy had some tough luck. but JlJf\ .ltu'Ac•d a lot of character to JUSt hung tttlhc•re and win tlwir l